# Field Herping Blog



## Blackdog (Oct 28, 2015)

G'day,

I was a bit concerned that I might be infringing on the site rules by mentioning my blog on APS by I have checked it out with Stuart and he is quite happy for me to put it out there to gauge reaction. 
Basically I have been blogging for about a year or so based around trips in the South East Queensland and surrounding areas aimed at procuring photographs for a book on the reptiles and amphibians of the region. I have been working on the project for a very long time but recently began to step things up a bit to try and complete it before I get too bloody old to do so.
I was starting to get a bit disheartened with the traffic and considering not bothering to post in the future so I would like to see if anyone from the site would be interested in checking it out and giving me a bit of feedback either way. I have no idea how to improve the SEO position and without using a link I find it almost impossible to find on the net myself so thats probably a good reason in part for the lack of traffic. There is no advertising on the site and as far as I am aware there are no glitches or nasties associated with it. I do get a bit carried away at times and lose my cool venting with the odd swear word so if that might offend don't go there.
It's basically similar to a lot of the field herping photo threads posted on here but I reckon a lot of the photography showcased on APS threads is far superior to mine, especially my older stuff.
Anyway links if they work are below, see what you reckon.

http://aussiereptilesandamphibians.blogspot.com.au/ or Reptiles and amphibians of South East Queensland - Blog

Thanks,

Mike.
Sorry for the dyslexia in the title - tried to change it to field but it won't let me.


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## BredliFreak (Oct 29, 2015)

Nice blog mate! Was very interesting to read, keep it up!

Bredli


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## eipper (Oct 29, 2015)

Keep going with it Mike


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## Blackdog (Oct 29, 2015)

Thanks heaps.
I've had almost 10% of the total years views in one day which is pretty cool and very encouraging. Some more feedback would still be appreciated though especially if it relates to stuff you reckon is crap and ways to improve it
Thanks again hopefully a few might think its worth taking a look every now and again.

Cheers,

Mike.


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## twistedFrog (Oct 29, 2015)

Hey there I had a look at the source code of your page and i can see a few issues just from a quick squiz as to why you might be on page 36578 of a google search...and therefore not being even able to find yourself. If you want some quick tips PM me and we can chat about it. Oh I am a graphic and web designer, no expert SEO guy but I know enough to help you out a little


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## Blackdog (Oct 29, 2015)

Thanks mate, PM sent.
Page 36,578!!!!! I wonder how it ever got noticed at all. I usually give up after page 2, 3 at the most.


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## twistedFrog (Oct 30, 2015)

Blackdog said:


> Thanks mate, PM sent.
> Page 36,578!!!!! I wonder how it ever got noticed at all. I usually give up after page 2, 3 at the most.


 Sorry not sure what page it actually is, that was my sarcastic humour speaking out loud!!


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## benc63 (Oct 30, 2015)

Nice work Mike.I will be following your posts for sure. Sharing someone else's adventures is the next best thing to being there.


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## centrallian11 (Oct 30, 2015)

Great work Mike . For someone like myself who is retired and has health issues i did enjoy your blog as it reminds me of when i would go herping and enjoy the Australian bush. Thanks heaps mate . Barry


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## Blackdog (Oct 30, 2015)

Thanks guys, much appreciated.
Barry, I find getting out and into the scrub even if its only small patches within the city limits 
actually improves my outlook on stuff which I reckon can't be bad for your health.
I am super slow these days but in a way thats better because you get to see things that others miss.
Mike.


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## Dopamel (Oct 31, 2015)

you must have a great camera, the pictures of the birds are beautiful


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## BrownHash (Nov 1, 2015)

Dopamel said:


> you must have a great camera, the pictures of the birds are beautiful



I believe that Mike is using a Panasonic DMC-FZ70 . A handy little camera with a great zoom; however, good photography is generally from good composition, a persons understanding of their equipment, and patience. 

Nice photos Mike.


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## Blackdog (Nov 1, 2015)

Thanks Dopamel but when you look closley at any of the bird shots obviously taken from a distance they are all average at best. The ones that come in close and hang around the campsite are a bit easier to get clearer shots of but the backgrounds give the game away. The major problem I have is hand shake which although most cameras compensate for that these days mine is probably a bit worse than normal.
Thanks Brownhash you explained things perfectly. The zoom on the camera is ridiculously long up to 60x and as I said earlier with a shakie hand it's virtually impossible for me to get a clear shot at anything above about 8x zoom so the rest acts like a pair of binoculars basically allowing me to get an ID on animals I have no chance of getting close to. The camera itself is not expensive and is basically a point and shoot with features when it comes down to it.
Patience is the key - the shots of the New England Cunninghams Skink in one of my recent blog posts took about 
20 minutes to get. There weren't many of them around so I stuck with a single animal under a smallish rock, made myself comfortable a metre or so from it and waited.


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## Channaz (Nov 1, 2015)

Great photos, Mike!


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