Some people may be into mug shots, but Ian Frame specialises in bug shots. Ian takes a daily morning walk on Jomtien Second Road to spot and photograph all manner of creatures – from bugs to snakes; lizards, praying mantises, centipedes and everything in between.
Ian shared some of his excellent photos with fellow club members and guests at the Pattaya City Expats Club meeting on Sunday, September 8. This was an encore presentation; Ian first spoke to the Club about his nature photography a little over a year ago. Ian explained that he takes about 50 photos a day of the creatures he comes across during his walk, which translates into 15,000 a year. He said he has over 100,000 photos in his collection.
MC Richard Silverberg introduces fellow member Ian Frame, from Scotland but now living in Jomtien. Ian’s hobby is photographing the wild creatures living in the bush near Jomtien Second Road.
Ian, originally from Scotland, spent thirty years working in Brunei on the edge of a tropical rain forest. Exotic wildlife such as monkeys and snakes were regularly found in his garden and in the office car park; which allowed him abundant opportunities to practice his favorite pastime – the photography of nature in all its glory. Ian was interested in photography. Since his last presentation, Ian mentioned that as more and more green spaces are replaced by condo buildings and shop-houses, the creatures are becoming scarcer. It also doesn’t help that the green areas are becoming home to more and more rubbish.
The pictures he shared along with narrative about the particular creature, be it a snake, butterfly, beetle, praying mantis, and many more, were interesting and informative. If you were not there to enjoy them, you can see many of them on his daily blog http://www. pattayadaze.wordpress.com. The photographs posted on his site are mostly of the wildlife found in the undergrowth adjacent to the pavement outside his Pattaya condo – his “blog walk.”
He said that on his blog walk, lizards and frogs are becoming particularly hard to find. In showing pictures of some he did encounter, he noted that green-coloured lizards change colour when frightened, from their usual dull green to a very bright green. For example, the garden fence lizard, which normally has a rusty colour, will change to a bright red colour to attract a mate.
Good to see board member and former chairman, Richard Smith, returned from his annual trip to the US – here updating members in the activities of the smartphone special interest group.
Ian said that he found a praying mantis once and let it climb onto his finger. Once the praying mantis determined that there were no insects to eat on Ian’s finger, he departed for greener pastures. On another occasion, at Jomtien Beach, Ian said that a large praying mantis fell on his shoulder and then jumped to the top of his head. Tourists quickly snapped up photos. Ian mentioned that there is a video on You Tube of a praying mantis eating a snake. (You can find it at www.youtube. com/watch?v=U5xx6804zCw).
Here are some other interesting things we learned as Ian showed us his photos: (1) Geckos have pads on their feet enabling them to stick to walls and windows; (2) Tokay lizards, which are nocturnal creatures, are named for the loud sounds they make; (3) hornets can cause more pain than any other insect or snake that bites or stings – they can be fatal; and (4) to get good photos, you need to have a lot of patience. Ian also said that snakes, one of his favourite photography subjects, are very useful creatures. They kill rats and mice, which helps to protect the rice crops in Thailand; that in turn helps to prevent the rats and mice from spreading disease.
It was clear from his presentation that he enjoys taking photographs of the various creatures that many pass by without notice and sharing that natural beauty with others, including holding a number of Wildlife Photographic Exhibitions.
After Ian’s presentation, Master of Ceremonies Richard Silverberg brought everyone up to date on upcoming events and then called on Roy Albiston to conduct the interesting and informative open forum where questions are asked and answered about Expat living in Thailand.
Learn more about the many activities of the Pattaya City Expats Club at www.pattayacityexpatsclub.com.
Ian encounters quite a few snakes on his walks, such as the Golden Tree Snake, the Blind Snake and the Long Nose Whip Snake, which has an elongated triangular head.
