Look Who Was In the Skimmer!

[Norm Dulak]

Nikon D7000 w/105mm f/2.8 vr Nikkor Micro lens, tripod mounted
ISO 800; f/16, 1/60 sec
PP: Topaz DeNoise 4; Nik Color Efex Tonal Contrast; CS6 levels, crop and sharpen

Early every morning I check the skimmers of our swimming pool, looking for critters that became trapped in them during the night. This morning, I found this beautiful little Red-eared Slider, egg tooth included, in a skimmer. I put a brick in the shade on our poolside table, placed the turtle on a broad purple coneflower leaf atop the brick, and captured this image.

Note how the color themes of the shell carry over onto the face, the skin around it, and the legs. Sorry his neck was not extended enough to show those red ears!

All C & C are welcome!

Norm

[Jonathan Ashton]

Nicely exposed and composed, I note you went for f16 to maximise DOF, I would have done the same.
I think would also have taken some at a slightly less magnification and then the DOF would have been that bit greater, I frequently find that when taking animals this "shape and size" I wish I had a little more DOF.

[Norm Dulak]

I think would also have taken some at a slightly less magnification and then the DOF would have been that bit greater, I frequently find that when taking animals this "shape and size" I wish I had a little more DOF.

Thanks, Jonathan. That's a good point I hadn't thought of. I'll look to do that in the future.

[Allen Sparks]

Hi Norm,
I think this is very well done. The sharpness is great where it needs to be and the DOF looks sufficient for my taste. The leaf makes a great backdrop and adds to the interest of the image. Very nice photo IMO.

Allen

[Anita Bower]

Beautiful! Love the colors and designs of this turtle, which you captured beautifully! I'd not have expected purple. What did you do with it after photographing it?

[Norm Dulak]

Beautiful! Love the colors and designs of this turtle, which you captured beautifully! I'd not have expected purple. What did you do with it after photographing it?

Hi Anita.

We have a flower garden around our pool, and after I photographed the turtle, I put him in a shady area of the garden. By the way, I measured its shell and found it to be exactly 1 inch across. That's a lot of color and pattern for such a small package!

[Anita Bower]

Hi Anita.

We have a flower garden around our pool, and after I photographed the turtle, I put him in a shady area of the garden. By the way, I measured its shell and found it to be exactly 1 inch across. That's a lot of color and pattern for such a small package!
Wow. I knew it was small, but not that small. Great job with the photo.

[Steve Maxson]

Hi Norm. What a cool looking hatchling! The egg tooth adds an interesting touch - I don't think I've ever seen one on a turtle before - I expect they shed pretty soon after hatching. Nice light, pose and comp and good sharpness within your DOF. Jon makes a good point about backing off a bit to get even more DOF. Very nicely done!

[Norm Dulak]

Thanks everyone for your comments!