Sun Agama

[Gabriela Plesea]

:wave:Hello everyone,

Was looking through the latest Macro images and enjoyed what I saw, tremendously. Wanted to participate as well but I have not much to be proud of. Eventually found something quite fun and I liked the angle here, although I cannot imagine for the life of me why I did not increase the aperture for a better DOF…I guess I was playing around to see what effects I could achieve.

So here it is:

NIKON D3S
Nikon 105mm F2.8
ISO 400
F5.6 :2eyes2:
1/5000s

Shot without beanbag or tripod, sitting on the sand in midday Kalahari (scorching) heat and without wearing a hat (that would explain the wrong settings?!?)

Kind regards,

[Carl Walker]

Love the look, like its wondering "what is this woman doing". The angle is great. As you said you could have traded some SS for more dof.

[Steve Maxson]

Hi Gabriela. I really like the pose, comp, and low shooting angle. I am in agreement about the DOF - at f/11 or f/16 this would be a stunner! :S3:

[Andrew McLachlan]

Hi Gabriela, I love photographing lizards, but we only have one species in Ontario. I do really like the pose and the way you composed it against the blue sky. Agree on the DOF...it would have been great to get the foreground leg in sharp focus.

[Diane Miller]

It may not be a traditional nature shot but with the eye sharp and the rest OOF, and that LOOK, it's art! Very nice!!

[Andreas Liedmann]

Hi Gabriela,
like this akward look of the agama with the tilted head.
DOF as mentioned not ideal,like wise for me the comp, too tight on bottom for my taste.The eye…….:w3 :Whoa!:.

Like the colors and the overall tonality, with great detail visible.

TFS Andreas

[Mitch Haimov]

This is superb. Great subject and pose, and the comp works just fine for me as is. Pose and expression are perfect. That BG is very sweet. Sharpness and detail w/i your DOF superb, so much so that the shallow DOF doesn't bother me a bit. If I could change one thing about this image it would be to bounce some light into that eye.

How'd you get close enough to make this image with a 105 mm??? Maybe you weren't the only sun-addled one in the Kalahari that day? Speaking of the Kalahari, here's a cheap plug for a very interesting book: Cry of the Kalahari by Mark and Delia Owens http://www.amazon.com/Cry-Kalahari-Mark-James-Owens/dp/0395647800/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1385433905&sr=1-1&keywords=cry+of+the+kalahari (used hardcover from only $0.01 plus shipping in U.S., your milage may vary in other countries. And no, I don't have any financial interest in this title).

[Gabriela Plesea]

So sorry to come back so late, many thanks to you all for your kind comments on this image:5
Mitch, I did try get some detail in the eye but not enough:tinysmile_shy_t:. Regarding your question about proximity, this little guy was unconcerned with me, I guess I looked nothing like a predator to him (they get taken mostly by birds of prey). Sun Agamas just love to soak in the sun and spend hours during midday at the top of a bush in heat that exceeds 47'C. I crawled on the sand and got so close that I could touch him, all he did was to look down on me and check me out - he was as curious about me being there as I was about him. Image was taken at a desolate picnic spot in the Kalahari. I have better images of this chap but not with that lovely blue sky behind him, will see what else I can find worth processing...

Kind regards,

[Gabriela Plesea]

Sorry Mitch, forgot to mention- we have the book, we have just about every book there is on the Kalahari:w3 Would love to write my own book about the place, I love it so much.

[Sandy Witvoet]

Hi Gabriela.... I love this... Comp is great... DOF works for me.... by having "more", it may have actually detracted for the focal point on the eye. Killer pose!

[Jonathan Ashton]

When I fist looked I thought you had deliberately gone for a shallow DOF, I quite like it actually but I think I would like to have seen his nostrils a little sharper. I think the composition and the rock and sky are super - well done.

[Gabriela Plesea]

Thank you Jonathan, I took various images of this Agama at different Fstops, it just happens that he gave me this "attitude" at F5.6. I have posted another image in Wildlife the other day-same Agama, more DOF:w3, but I still like this one more...Hope to see an Agama again in February 2014, well one always sees them but they tend to get away fast, this was a friendly chap I shall never forget:bg3:

Thank you again for being so kind to comment, I love Macro, I just do not have enough images to post here, will do my best to participate more in the future...

Kind regards,