Toad 9-27-2015
While walking along a damp wooded trail at Black Rock state forest in late September, this small American toad froze directly beside my boot in the leaves. He blended in so well with the dirt and decaying timber that I almost stepped past him before catching his subtle movement. I slowly dropped down flat on my stomach in the dirt to get the lens right at his eye level without scaring him away.
The photograph captures every rough bump and textured ridge across the toad’s mottled brown skin, right down to the gold rim circling his dark pupil. Shallow depth of field blurs out the surrounding forest floor, leaving crisp focus on his front foot and the small green sprout rising beside him.
