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WC 643
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WC 643

by Jim Lockhart

Gallery: Weekly ChallengePosted July 15, 2014185 views3 comments
Taken last year in Everglades National Park, designated as a Wetland of International Importance. Millions visit each year, not for the grand vistas or towering mountains, but for the diversity of wildlife in the park's many habitats.
This iconic resident was resting comfortably just a short walk down from the Royal Palm Visitor Center. He was about 60 feet away, but much of the wildlife is closer because they are so accustomed to people walking by. I left this post untitled to give viewers the opportunity to come up with their own :wink:.
Powershot SX30, fixed zoom lens at 878mm equiv., HH, ISO 80, f/8.0, 1/40; sharpened in PSE. Comments and suggestions always welcome and thanks for viewing.

Comments

3 comments
Comment posted by Ed Williams on July 15, 2014 at 11:24 PM
That is one big gator Jim. Nice head shot.
Registered on December 28, 2010, 636 Posts, 3499 Comments
Comment posted by Mark Seaver on July 16, 2014 at 3:11 PM
Wow, Jim, up close an personal...a gator head shot. You've got great detail in the gator, especially the eye and the teeth. The gator looks pretty light based on my (admittedly very limited) experience photographing gators. Can you create luminosity masks in PSE? If so, I'd recommend some burning in of the gator through a darks mask (see Tony Kuyper's web site for mask info), that would darken it's skin and increase the contrast, both of which would draw more attention to the gator.
Registered on January 23, 2011, 1103 Posts, 17270 Comments
Comment posted by Jim Lockhart on July 16, 2014 at 9:50 PM
Thanks Mark, I'll check that out; sounds like a worthwhile post processing effort.
Registered on February 19, 2013, 91 Posts, 500 Comments