While photographing a rapid along the Wild & Scenic Chattoga River in Georgia, I began to notice the teeming life within the vernal pools along the banks of this section of river.  Vernal pools are seasonal puddles, distinctinve types of wetlands that are devoid of predatory fish and allow for the development of many frogs, newts and other amphibians.  I’m not sure that I’ve ever visited the river during this period of time (early spring).  I was mesmerized by the amount of life and neat visuals that I found!

I believe that this is a communal raft of frog eggs.  Setting up directly over this display, I was fighting to keep my own shadow off the scene (or, sometimes, for my shadow to cover the whole scene uniformly).  The raft of eggs would also jiggle with any disturbance from my tripod legs and/or feet, so I was fighting some movement with the low-light, macro scene.  I probably could’ve used multiple frames to get more depth and a more “perfect” shot.  However, I found this single exposure frame personally satisfactory for the experience.  I’m already planning a return trip to the Chattooga this coming spring to, hopefully, try to find more vernal pools again!  

Camera:  Nikon D850
Lens:  Nikkor 60mm f2.8 @60mm
Tripod:  Really Right Stuff TVC-33

Date taken:  March 19, 2024
Settings:  f11, 1/4 second, iso 250