About the Image(s)

A few days ago I explored a vernal pond on the University of Delaware Wilmington campus. The periphery of the pond was soggy mud. Further in were the dried stems of summer's reeds, a few red-winged blackbirds, myriads of methane bubbles and floating green masses. It was so fascinating that I spent an hour slogging about taking pictures. The camera I had with me was a Canon R5 with a Canon RF 100-500mm lens. I had intended to practice photographing birds in flight, but instead aimed my lens at the vernal waters in the hope of capturing an image of a frog or tadpole or water beetle. I saw none of these when I examined the images back home, but I did get a glimpse into a fairyland of forms that evoked thoughts of life emerging from the primordial ooze. The camera was set to Aperture priority, f8, and auto ISO. The camera chose 1/400 second and ISO 2000. The sky was overcast. The lens was equipped with a polarizing filter and zoomed to 400mm. I look forward to your suggestions for pursuing a photographic odyssey of life in these waters.