Friday Photo: 28 September
September 28th, 2012 at 8:31 am by ChthoniidOne from my favourite continent. Going for a low angle helps capture the reflection in the water. It also ensures the crocodile will keep a very watchful eye on you.
As always, clicking the image will bring up a larger, higher res image.
September 28th, 2012 at 9:02 am
Great snap.
Vote:September 28th, 2012 at 9:04 am
So your favourite continent is not Antarctica or Europe. That narrows it down…
Vote:September 28th, 2012 at 9:18 am
“Going for a low angle helps capture the reflection in the water”
Wow, what an expert….!!!
Vote:September 28th, 2012 at 10:01 am
@Kevin – well, it’s an estuarine crocodile so I guess that narrows it down to Australia or Asia
@Scott Chris – they can be tricky to spot, this guy was nicely posed in a break in the lilies.
Vote:September 28th, 2012 at 10:50 am
Poor composition. Unbalanced with centrally located subject.
Vote:September 28th, 2012 at 11:40 am
Was this hand-held, or on a tripod? And how far away roughly?
I was all excited that my Canon DSLR came with an 85-300mm kit lens, but without IS it does take a steady hand and good light to get any use out of such a long lens..
Vote:September 28th, 2012 at 11:50 am
RRM : I think you mean 75-300. Unless you got it as a gift, surely you got to choose which kit you had? The popular 18-55 plus 55-250, both IS is the best deal imho. But I guess it’s too late to change your mind now.
Vote:September 28th, 2012 at 11:55 am
Another great pikkie, Chthoniid.
Not too many creatures on the planet give me the shits, but crocs are right up there… especially when they spot you and then quietly slip under the water… there is always the nagging question crossing the mind whether they could chomp their way through the side of the boat…
And whilst I’m on about things giving me the shits, I can now understand why the subtleties and nuances of wildlife photography are totally lost on the mung beans… some things require an appreciation of the finer art of photography.
Or membership of the human race.
Vote:September 28th, 2012 at 12:49 pm
@beautox
Yet the professional photographers who evaluate such submissions to commercial sites still approved it. How odd.
Vote:September 28th, 2012 at 12:57 pm
@RRM
I was in a small boat and the vibrations of the outboard-motor ruled out a tripod. To get these sorts of shots you really have to mingle with them on the water.
I’m shooting with a 300mm prime. These are inherently faster lenses than the zoom you have. The gear is also stabilised. These 2 factors help, but they are offset to a degree by the boat’s movements. This is why I didn’t use a longer lens. It would have inflated the camera shake too much.
Shooting distances are about 5m. So just outside a body-length of these reptiles.
Vote:September 28th, 2012 at 1:11 pm
Beautox – correct 75-300. But no this particular kit (and this one only) was offered at an unmissable price, otherwise I would definitely have gone for the IS kit.
Oh well, I shall just have to start saving for some good lenses
In the meantime the camera is still much better than i am so there’s no hurry! And the short lens has proven to be a lovely one for taking photos of my new son (who provided the justification for splashing out on a new camera, don’t tell her indoors…)
Vote:September 28th, 2012 at 1:13 pm
@Elaycee
Well, this is the largest crocodile species on the planet and its got absolutely no qualms about predating on people. They can be terrifying. Took a 60 Minutes reporter out there (quite) a few years ago and he was more scared than when he’d been in Iraq with people shooting at him. It does make the photography a really intense experience
They’re less likely to chomp through the boat than to explode on to it. Generally having a 500kg reptile suddenly added to your boat is a bad thing. But if you’re lucky, they’ll find enough of you left in croc poo to make a decent burial.
Vote:September 28th, 2012 at 1:40 pm
@RRM
The Canon 100-400MM IS USM is a popular choice for many bird and wildlife enthusiasts
Vote:September 28th, 2012 at 2:23 pm
Just because you got it accepted to a stock site doesn’t mean it is well composed. In fact most of your shots are poorly composed imho, which is why I made the comment. I’m not just saying this because it doesn’t conform to the rule of thirds, which I understand is a beginner’s rule. But you have to have a good reason to have a centrally placed subject (something most of your shots have). But also the composition is unbalanced; the leaf on the left is distracting, and so on.
And I’m sure that suggesting a lens that costs three grand is real helpful to someone who has just spent about $800 on a camera and two kit lenses (my guess – 1100D plus 18-55/75-300 is 800-ish)
If people are interested in what good wildlife photography looks like, check out the always excellent Andy Rouse http://www.andyrouse.co.uk/index.php?link=blog
Vote:September 28th, 2012 at 7:03 pm
beautox’: As you are so obviously an expert in such things, and wanting to benefit from your extensive knowledge, an example of your work please sir – today preferably.
I look forward to your submission. Thanks
(Cthoniid : no disrespect meant to your work, which I always enjoy.)
Vote:September 29th, 2012 at 12:45 pm
Komata – Food critics need not be a chef but they know how to distinguish good food from the ordinary. The same goes with film critics and book reviewers. Chefs, film directors and book authors might or might not like the critiques but a lot of them will take the negatives to improve their craft – I’m sure Chthoniid, as a commercial photographer will also do so. Disclaimer: I am just a point and shoot camera user – no technical involved and my pictures turned out more crap than good but I appreciate good photographs when I see ones just like those of Todd Sisson’s, Ming Thein’s and Andy Rouse’s (you should visit his website via the link Beautox provides, this guy is super amazing). For the above photo, may I dare say I am quite distracted by the leaf on the left as well – but I like the croc though.
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