I did not realize that the Common Toad could cause me so much fun. It was only when I was more or less forced photographing them, by lack of the presence of the Moor Frog which was my initial photographic goal, that I discovered their beauty.

Normally I am not so fond of photographing in the middle of the day, with the sun shining bright and giving me no opportunities to get my subject in the shadow. Still, when you’re out there, you’ve got to do something. So I took a chance and crawled on the shore with my viewfinder and telelens, attempting to shoot this Common Toad with the sun behind me. This way there were no disturbing shades on the little amphibian. And then I am always looking for something to fill the foreground. Some reed came in handy!

The Common Toads were not only busy in the water for breeding purposes. Some of them had the job done already and were getting out of the water, to continue their lifes on land again. Ideal situations to take completely other pictures.

And then finally there was this one Toad which posed for me in my favorite evening light. In contrast to earlier that day when his fellow Common Toads were a little bit shy, he just sat there and let me come close. What a joy!

In some ways it has been a weird winter for me. Meaning I have been very busy with my photography, but not as you might expect outside in the fields, but mainly indoors behind the pc and attending photo festivals. That’s the other side of the job I guess… How to get your pictures out there. For example I have been working like crazy to get finally this new website online.  Then  ofcourse there was my very first exposition in the Katholische Akademie in Cloppenburg, a magical moment if I may say so. And finally there was my first big national performance during the Macro PiXperience in Amsterdam.

And then… suddenly springtime was there. But more important: Finally I had my head clear to focus on its inviting macro subjects. So… off I went back into the fields again. And there I found myself on an early morning during sunrise between the Haircap moss… Now surely you would think I would be happy as a child and over the moon laying there in the middle of one of my favorite macro subjects. But.. unfortunately this was not the case, at least not in the very first few hours. The thing was, it was cold, so very cold. The only thing I really was thinking about was my very warm bed which now seemed so far away. But… persistence wins, at least in this case. After a while the increasingly warmth of the sun had a positive influence on my body, mind, and therefore also on my pictures. Finally… my macro lens was my friend again and it felt like coming home after a long time of absence.