Laughing Frog Images

The “Recent” Page (new feature!)

Posted on March 22, 2015March 21, 2015 by Kurt

Thanks to Michael at Visceral Concepts, the Laughing Frog Images web gallery and store has a new feature – the “Recent” page.

Somewhere out there, someone is saying “huh?”

There’s actually a very easy and logical answer to that question.

Until the addition of this page, a visitor or customer had no way of knowing what had been recently added to the Galleries on Laughing Frog Images unless I wrote a post about the new gallery or images that I had added to the site.

You’d all probably hate me if I wrote a post every time I added a picture to a gallery – this is a better way for everyone.

Now, by clicking on Recent at the top of the home page – you can easily see any gallery that’s been added, or that’s had images added to it.

We hope this new feature makes your viewing and shopping experiences more convenient and enjoyable.

Looking down at a frozen Lake Erie

Posted on March 9, 2015March 7, 2015 by Kurt

As a significant part of the U.S. continues to be hammered by snow and cold, many of us don’t think about ice covering the Great Lakes and connecting rivers. It does happen.

This hasn’t been a good year for the lakes or the lake boats. You can check out Boatnerd.com if you’re curious about what’s been happening on the North Coast.

In early April of 2014, I flew from New York’s La Guardia airport to O’Hare in Chicago, and had a window seat.

As we were nearing Buffalo, NY, the pilot made an announcement about much of Lake Erie being frozen over, and that we could see it from the right side of the plane. As luck would have it, I was on the “right” side for a change!

What you’re seeing in this phone photo is Lake Erie in the foreground, and Lake Ontario in the background. All that gray/white stuff in the center/left-center is in fact ice on Lake Erie! You’ll see a squiggly gray line that splits in two and then rejoins itself toward the top right – that’s the Niagara River leading toward Niagara Falls. Fort Erie and the Niagara Region of southeastern Ontario to the left of that, Buffalo NY and its’ suburbs and surroundings are to the right and in the lower foreground. And, that’s dirt on the window in the very foreground as the sun sets to the west…

Something different to share and talk about is always nice. This is certainly different, and something that most of us have probably never thought about or heard about.

This image will never make it to the galleries on Laughing Frog Images – I know that.

But, sometimes a picture, regardless of the technical and aesthetic quality, is well worth sharing because of the thoughts, wonderings, and conversations it brings about. This is one of those times.

Thanks for visiting.

New Videos posted to LFI YouTube

Posted on March 7, 2015March 7, 2015 by Kurt

As I was moving and archiving files this morning, I came across a series of short videos I shot on my iPhone while waiting for a train. I was actually at the station a little early that day! I had actually forgotten that I took these. I was always a little leery about “cell phone video”, but I’ve since learned (evolved?).

It’s kind of funny to say that you took these videos on your phone – at least to those of us of a certain age who remember the first mobile phones were the size of a shoe box!

And to others, it’s as normal as a sunrise.

And, who would have thought you could share things with the world in a matter of mouse clicks and minutes?

These are all short video clips of normal things if you travel by train on the Northeast Corridor. For those who don’t, this is a glimpse into the life of some commuters’ daily routine between Washington, DC and Baltimore, MD.

The Amtrak locomotives you see – the AEM-7’s – are nearing the end of their service lives, and within a year or two, catching them on video won’t be possible. That’s what led me to post these. They’re not the greatest quality videos – I get that. But now, they’re memories. And soon, they’ll be history.

These were all hand-held. Yes, I know, I’m not using a tripod – but you can’t easily carry a tripod on a multi-city business trip.

You can check the videos out on the Laughing Frog Images YouTube Channel.

Sunrise Done Different

Posted on March 3, 2015March 1, 2015 by Kurt

Most of the time you see a picture of a sunrise, the photographer is looking at the sun…

Always having to be different, the Frog presents an alternative way to capture a sunrise. Look the other way!

While on vacation in Hawaii (before you East Coast folks start, it’s closer to me than Boston is right now…) on the island of Kauai, I awoke to a very bright day (which is easy to do when you’ve traveled west).

I looked to the east, and the sun was hidden by a cloud layer. No shot there…

But, as I looked to the west, well, here’s what I saw:

The mountains were in shadow, the clouds were lit by the sun, there was a faint rainbow, and the moon was still out!

Being 2015 and all, I did what most anyone would do – I grabbed my phone to take a picture! I would have grabbed my camera, but the phone was closer and the rainbow was changing (for the worse) before my eyes as the sun rose behind me.

This image is straight from the camera’s raw file (Nokia Lumia Icon), and was cropped to a square image and converted to a jpg for posting and sharing.

I tried to play with it a bit in an editing program to bring out the rainbow, but as every action has a reaction, and the reactions were not favorable, I decided against that train of thought.

You can find the image here on Laughing Frog Images.

Thanks for looking!

Capturing Natural Expressions

Posted on March 1, 2015 by Kurt

If you haven’t figured it out, the Frog doesn’t take a lot of people pictures.

But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t!

Personally, I’ve always has an aversion to being in front of the camera. I’m much happier behind the camera.

On the other end of the spectrum, there are hams, photo bombers, and those who simply love having their picture taken.

But there are life moments we all want to capture, be they children as they grow up, pets, a family event, a party, or just a simple moment in time.

If you’re the photographer however, that moment for you can be like herding cats, seeking a blood donation from a rock, or anywhere in between.

Here are some tips on capturing natural expressions from the Write You On My Heart blog.

Although the main topic of the post is capturing the natural expressions of children, there are a lot of us out there who have never grown up, or at least we like to think that we haven’t!

The suggestions are perhaps a fresh look at photographing anyone, and well worth a few minutes of your time.

Tip #2 is along the lines of how I’ve photographed weddings – I hate lining people up for a shot, posing them, getting everyone to look at the camera at the same time, put their drinks down, etc., etc., etc. I prefer to avoid the use of a flash whenever possible, and I like to shoot weddings with two “atypical” lenses.

A short, fast zoom (70-200 f2.8, 70-210 f2.8, etc.) so I can catch people enjoying themselves from a distance – most of the time without their knowing their having picture taken. I also like to “reach into” a scene, using the bodies and body parts of those in the foreground to frame the scene and capture natural expressions. It adds to the “being there” feel of an image.
A fast wide angle (28mm f2.8, etc.) that allows you to be a part of a group on the dance floor or around the table – it gets you in there like you’re a part of the scene instead of being an outsider with a camera looking in.

Take a look at Write You On My Heart and my comments, and gather (or at least consider) a different perspective on how you make your memories.

Shoot well, and shoot often!

Ode to a burger.

Posted on February 27, 2015February 22, 2015 by Kurt

I like food.

I think and talk about food often.

Mrs. Frog is a most excellent cook.

And this is an ode to a burger…

Almost everyone has a favorite burger. For most folks, that favorite burger is probably in their town/city, or at least close by. They don’t know how lucky they are.

And then, there are the tortured souls like me…

I have a favorite burger, too! Only it’s not in my city. I can’t even hop in the car and drive to get one. It’s about 2600 miles away, and my only choices to get there are a plane or a ship.

I have a long-distance love affair with my favorite burger. Every time I leave, I begin to lust for my return and the next one.

It’s a tortured existence… for I fell for the Feral Burger (which actually isn’t even on the menu) at The Feral Pig in Lihue, Kauai.

Isn’t it beautiful?! It doesn’t even look like a regular burger.

So, what is this ode to a burger all about?

Let’s see….

Kauai ground beef,
ground, house-smoked pork shoulder,
pork belly,
caramelized onions, and
secret aioli sauce.

Looking at that list just initiates burger lust, as well as the rational thought that the blood flow in my arteries and veins is perhaps better off because I can’t just drive to the Feral Pig and get one of these on a whim.

And, with airfare as it is now, it’s not like I’m going on a burger run anytime soon. But one can dream, can’t one?

It’s decadent. It’s sloppy. And, it’s soooooo good. I don’t know when the next time will be, but I’m already looking forward to it.

If you’re in the neighborhood, you’ve got to at least try a Feral Burger (with fries and a Mai Tai, but that’s another post or two…).

Polarizing Filters, Part 2

Posted on February 25, 2015February 22, 2015 by Kurt

A long time ago in the blog, and far, far away… we talked a bit about polarizing filters and the technical details of how they work.

Well, it might have only been a few months, but that sounded like a good opening!

Anyway, we talked about polarizing filters and how they can help with glare, but we didn’t show you anything about them in the blog.

The least we could have done was to have shown you how they work right here in the blog! We’re going to fix that transgression compliments of back lighting and a koi pond.

First up, here’s what happens if you try to take the picture in these conditions without a polarizing filter:

[Nikon D5100, 60mm f2.8 lens, ISO 400, 1/200 sec., f4.5, no filter.]

Not so hot, eh?

So, let’s see what happens when you use your polarizing filter – this is the next image I shot:

[Nikon D5100, 60mm f2.8 lens, ISO 400, 1/200 sec., f2.8, polarizing filter – notice that I lost a stop on the exposure due to the polarizing filter.]

Impressive, isn’t it? If you’ve never seen this demonstration before, you might say it’s amazing. The technical details are found here.

I don’t claim to fully understand everything about the physics behind a polarizing filter – I just know that they work, and can help you get an image you couldn’t otherwise get.

If you can get your hands on one, they’re a great addition to your camera bag.

Snorkeling at Lawa’i Beach

Posted on February 23, 2015February 22, 2015 by Kurt

The Frogs took a snorkel tour with Aloha Kauai Tours to Lawa’i Beach on the south side of Kauai. We’ve rented gear and snorkeled on our own in the past, but decided to try a tour and see if their equipment and the overall experience was better. It was! No fogging in the mask, no gagging from a bad snorkel, and we had wetsuits which apparently make it easier to be a human lump on the surface taking in the sights below. Our leaders were Paul (All of them! Unforgettable character!) and Nick.

The winds were out of the south and west, which was stirring things up a bit. Many images looked OK, at least until you were looking at them at 100% – and then, you saw the suspended sand… As a result, the initial sorting and selection process went very quickly.

Peace, Harmony and Coral: Snorkeling at Lawa’i Beach

Coral reefs are amazing. If you’ve never had a chance to snorkel at a coral reef, put it on your Bucket List. If you can’t make that happen, well, at least you’ve got some pictures to look at.

Coral itself is fascinating, and I’ve only had limited exposure to it. Some of it looks like a human brain. Some look like a tree trunk that’s full of termite tunnels. Some look like rocks. Some look like debris. And it’s a living thing that fosters and supports all kinds of marine life.

Then, there’s the fish. I tried to include at least one image showing every kind of fish we saw. It’s like viewing things in a kaleidoscope, only the medium for the kaleidoscope is boundless, as is the motion of the colors. There are a few images where you can in fact see the suspended sand – but this site is supposed to be a fun site as well as a commercial site, so they’re there for the fun and for you viewing pleasure.

What’s amazing is that among all of the species of fish, sea urchins, sea cucumbers, and coral was what we didn’t see: chases, pursuits, fights, or anything swimming around looking for a swimming lunch. I don’t know if this was an atypical day at the reef, or a representation a typical day at the reef.

But, amongst the coral, there was peace, and there was harmony.

We humans should do so well…

You can check out Snorkeling at Lawa’i Beach gallery on Laughing Frog Images, and check out from your everyday for a bit… Enjoy!

Sometimes you need a little luck #2

Posted on February 12, 2015February 8, 2015 by Kurt

Getting images of seals on a beach in their basic form isn’t all that hard.

After all – they’re seals. And, they’re on a beach. As I said, the basics aren’t hard.

Getting those really memorable photos of seals on a beach isn’t technically hard – it’s not much different than getting an image of a seal on a beach. You generally just need to capture a seal doing something on the beach other than sleeping. But that’s the whole point of why they’re on the beach. To sleep.

Starting to see the challenge?

So, you sit there and focus on a seal and wait. Or, you scout the seals and, using your best seal sense, try to figure out which one is going to do something photogenic and focus on that one and wait. At least until you figure out your seal sense isn’t quite as good as what you thought it was. Then, you start to scan the seals thorough your lens, because you know that’s going to work!

As either and/or both your feet and butt get sore from waiting, you realize that there’s only one thing that is going to work for you. Sometimes, you need a little luck.

That’s what finally happened here when I caught this guy/gal moving in mid-nap. A little luck had come my way. I swung the camera around (Casio Exilim EX-V8) and captured this image. This is a crop of the original – I had a pocket digital with me, and not my DSLR.

There are a lot of potential captions for this image – and each of us has our own take on that. We can all relate to having a peaceful sleep ruined by things like an alarm clock, or someone making a loud noise.

There was noise, and this guy/gal wasn’t all that happy. I’m not sure if I saw the seal version of flipping someone off before the eyes were again closed and it was time to visit Sleepy Town once again.

(Yeah, I know, that was an incredibly bad groaner, but if you’ve been following along on the blog, you shouldn’t be surprised by now!)

You can see the original image here in the Galleries on Laughing Frog Images.

Most everyone out there knows someone who deserves this on their coffee/tea cup – and we can help with that!

Thanks for reading.

Speaking of turkeys…

Posted on February 10, 2015February 8, 2015 by Kurt

As I was writing the Turkey Train post, a classic scene from a classic television show came to mind…about turkeys.

Working that into the post just wasn’t going to happen with the theme and the flow.

But I just have to share this…

Anyone out there remember the ensemble sitcom “WKRP in Cincinnati”?

There’s also the eternal question of Jennifer or Bailey? Wait. That’s a separate topic. Maybe a dissertation or study. Back to the topic at hand…

So what does this all have to do with turkeys?

You’ve got to take a few minutes and click here (whatever did we do before YouTube?).

After you’ve seen it, you’ll know why it didn’t fit into the Turkey Train post…

This laughter is brought to you by Laughing Frog Images.

Please be sure to visit the image galleries and remember to visit when you need a unique gift, or when you just want something great and unique for yourself.

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