Anole

[Faraaz Abdool]

Hi all,

Figured I'd take a stab on this side of the tank. The fuzz on the LHS was something he was hiding behind, and I gradually had to inch my way to get a good angle to shoot.

And yes, that's my reflection in his eye.

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8324/8084566731_d4aacb2f99_b.jpg

7D | 1/400s | f/2.8 | ISO 640 | 100mm

All C&C welcome :-)

[Roman Kurywczak]

I usually like more DOF....and do think you could have used a touch more.....but it is sharp where it needs to be. This has a dreamlike quality to it.....which I like but do wonder what sacrificing a bit of SS for more DOF would do......if you had the opportunity. Lets see what others chime in.

[Bobo Madar]

Cool shot. I like it.

These guys do not just popup in the wild but do when the sun is out and there is something there to catch. So far have only had that happen to me 2x in 2 years.

Whenever one does pop up, my inclination is to take as many shots as possible from various positions and angles. Have still to get a shot of one grabbing something. :)

Due to the unexpected nature of their appearance, it is a hard call to make about DOF and sometimes the best shots happen to be the ones taken at first detection. I have yet to master the skill of determining the right aperture as soon as an unexpected target comes up. If he sticks around a bit that is a different story.

[Faraaz Abdool]

Thanks guys. This was shot in rapidly fading light - as you can see from the reflection in its eye - the sun was already touching the horizon and about to slip below it. I guess in retrospect I could've raised the ISO to be able to stop down a bit for more DOF.
Generally though, I find that I need to have a SS of no slower than 1/320 or 1/250 with this lens, as it is the non-IS 100mm macro. Also, I was rather close to the little guy here so for me to get enough noticeable change of DOF I would have to stop down to f/9 or something...which would put me at a SS of 1/60 or thereabouts...
This was the only acceptable shot of the series, other shots the focus dropped off the eye and I therefore threw them away hurriedly.

[Steve Maxson]

Hi Faraaz and welcome to the Macro forum! This image has a lot of good things going for it - the anole gave you a good pose, the light is sweet, the background is lovely, I like the comp and the eye-level shooting angle, and you have excellent sharpness within your DOF. The only thing I would wish for is a little more DOF around the head and neck (though I understand that this would have been difficult under the circumstances). This is a very strong image nevertheless and I hope to see more of your macro work!

[John Chardine]

Nice one Faraaz. I like the narrow depth of field because it draws your eye to the lizard's eye. Beautiful warm colours and sharp. You did well to approach as these guys can be skittish.

[Marina Scarr]

What a terrific capture in such amazing light. This DOF works for me and what needs to be sharp is sharp. If it were mine, I think I might consider cropping a little from the right and the top.

[Faraaz Abdool]

Thanks guys for your kind words. Marina - I'm seeing your crop suggestion and I think it'll work well. Will give it a go when I get home given that my memory is working today.

[Jonathan Ashton]

I like the exposure and composition. I do feel however it is a little short of DOF and shooting thorough the glass of a tank will not improve rendition, I do appreciate however that this may be mandatory. Your background is totally unobtrusive so I fell that an aperture of f8 would have been close to optimal, you would still have had good separation but more importantly you would lose some of the ghosting around the head and neck region.

[Faraaz Abdool]

I like the exposure and composition.
Thanks :-).
I
do feel however it is a little short of DOF
Understandable.

and shooting thorough the glass of a tank will not improve rendition, I do appreciate however that this may be mandatory. Huh? I never said that I shot this through a tank - I was actually crawling through a pile of rubble trying to track these guys down. I don't do captives :-).


Your background is totally unobtrusive so I fell that an aperture of f8 would have been close to optimal, you would still have had good separation but more importantly you would lose some of the ghosting around the head and neck region.
This ghosting you're referring to - is it the blurred head and neck area?
Thanks again!

[Jonathan Ashton]

Faraaz you misled me "Figured I'd take a stab on this side of the tank", I thought this meant you had the subject in a tank/aquarium.:S3:

[Faraaz Abdool]

Oh, haha!! Sorry about that! It's just me and my metaphors for everything. No worries :-)

[Bob Miller]

Hi Farooz......I like this! I like the dreamy feel produced by the selective focus.

[Bob Miller]

HI Faraaz...Sorry about the spelling in my last post!

[Jerry van Dijk]

HI Faraaz, the light and pose of the anole really make this image, very well done! I don't mind the shallow DOF, a little more would have been a bonus. I wouldn't crop from the right (I like the small diagonal of the perch, grounding the image) but would crop a little from the left and top, giving a little more focus on the subject.

[Dave Leroy]

Lovely colors and matching photo. really well done. Agreed about the dof and I wonder if some gentle selective sharpening would help compensate.