Crocodile

Gallery: WildlifePosted August 2, 2011164 views9 comments

We came across this crocodile taking a few rays of the setting sun on the shores of Lake Kariba, Matisadona National Park, Zimbaber 18th September 2010.

EOS 1D MKIV

500mm F4 IS hand-held from drifting boat.

F7.1, ISO 400, 1/640

Comments

9 comments

Comment posted by Richard Olsen on August 2, 2011 at 5:27 AM

Nice display of those pearly whites!

Registered on October 19, 2006, 306 Posts, 1571 Comments

Comment posted by Vincent Grafhorst on August 2, 2011 at 12:43 PM

Man. this croc must be using colgate whitening!

I like your comp and chosen pano crop, it suits this well. Nice DOF and the low shooting angle helps this a lot as well. About those teeth; I would tone them down a bit.

Registered on February 24, 2006, 504 Posts, 7203 Comments

Comment posted by Morkel Erasmus on August 2, 2011 at 5:14 PM

Love the fall of light on this croc Ken! Nicely framed too...Ditto on toning down the brightness of the teeth.

Registered on March 22, 2011, 385 Posts, 2068 Comments

Comment posted by Ken Watkins on August 3, 2011 at 1:08 AM

Interesting comments about the teeth, they are not blown on the RAW and they really were that white, but I'll take another look.

Registered on December 15, 2010, 1537 Posts, 4877 Comments

Comment posted by Lon Sharp on August 3, 2011 at 10:50 AM

I have no idea if a croc's teeth usually looks so white, but I do like the effect of the light illuminating the inside of his mouth as well as the pose with the tail swept to the side.

Registered on December 9, 2007, 258 Posts, 9892 Comments

Comment posted by Vincent Grafhorst on August 3, 2011 at 12:50 PM

Ken, it is not about whether they are blown in the RAW or not; the fact remains that our eyes have a much wider dynamic range than our cameras can capture, resulting in brighter highlights and darker shadows than we would see.Luckily with modern digital cameras and software we can address this if we so wish. I am not saying you should; it all depends what you want to achieve with the image. If you want the teeth to be the focus, leave it as is, if on the other hand you are looking for a more realistic image you might want to consider toning them down a bit.

Registered on February 24, 2006, 504 Posts, 7203 Comments

Comment posted by Ken Watkins on August 3, 2011 at 10:46 PM

Vincent,

Thanks for your explanation, here is a repost, what do you think?

Registered on December 15, 2010, 1537 Posts, 4877 Comments

Comment posted by Vincent Grafhorst on August 4, 2011 at 11:48 AM

Definitely more realistic Ken