Underwater Toad photos

[pressld2]

I've made myself a glass-fronted box to use for photographing frogs and toads spawning underwater. It's a plastic storage box with a panel cut out of one side and a sheet of glass stuck over the hole with aquarium sealant. The camera and flashes are placed in the box, along with some ballast and the whole thing is lowered into the water. I use an angle finder to compose and a remote cable release velcroed to the side of the box to fire the shutter.

I checked the pond a few days ago and there was no activity. I nipped up there today intending to photograph some underwater logs just so that I could work out what camera and flash settings to use, but I found several pairs of toads in amplexus. So I tested the set up on them instead...



I was going great guns until the glass started to seperate from the plastic and water began seeping into the box. I've reset the glass this evening after scoring the plastic in the hope that the sealant will stick better. I'm also going to make up a wooden frame inside the box to stop the plastic from flexing so much when it's lowered into the water as I think that's what caused the problems today. Not bad for a first attempt though.

No sign of any spawn yet and no frogs either, but this is a month earlier than last year.

Dave P.

[Farplace]

Great Shots Dave. Toads are one of my favourites. i love their golden eyes.

[tom00_uk]

a great image

aquarium sealant can take a good while to cure

on a side not true fish safe sealant is so expensive these days, yet for a fraction of the price you can get sealant with all sorts of additives added like mould inhibitors, i guess with all things the more of a item you make the cheaper you can sell it for

[Lancashire Lad]

Hope you don't think I'm trying to teach you how to suck eggs Dave, but I assume that you sealed the glass onto the outside of the box rather than the inside, so that water pressure will always be pressurising the seal and not trying to push the glass out into the box? - It could lead to much anguish and expense if the seal failed catastrophically.

Regards, Mike.

[Deb London]

I love that shot!

Dave, did you take any shots of your tank yet so I can understand your set up? Apologies if I missed them.

[Dragonyka]

Amazing! I've never seen toads close-up before.

[toadpole]

WOW Dave brilliant pics ....and i cannot beleive the toads are allready in that pond before the frogs they usually follow 2 weeks after dont they ?....i thought i was doing well by seeing 1 male in my pond !!! marion

[Kayleigh]

Great shots and the toad tadpoles with the blue eyes were amazing you should post some here to show others who have not yet seen them.

[Ukwildlifeo]

Awesome stuff dave. I bought a longer range remote release last week for playing with too

[nightshade]

Superb shot, but the stick on glass would bother me (kit being expensive)
I would want a mechanical fixing with the silicone just making a seal but nice job nonetheless