I think it was flirting with me

[Rob Mckenzie]

These little guys are awesome. They sit there and every now and then the huge red thing comes out of their throats. This little guy was sitting on the bench next to me and giving me the throat signal. I presume it is some form of mating display but I have no idea. Any info anyone has on this would be great.
Anyway it was difficult to get them with the red thing protruding because it comes out and and goes back in very quickly. While it isn't the best angle (slightly facing away from me) and the DOF isn't perfect I thought I would share.
D40 - 70-300mm @ 240mm
1/500 @ f / 5.6
0ev
ISO 400
No Flash
No Tripod
Metering: Pattern
Aperture Priority

C & C always welcome - Don't go easy - trying to learn

[Julie Kenward]

Very interesting, Rob! Yes, having the little guy turned towards you would have made for a better composition. Any time you can get eye contact you are sure to get a better reaction from viewers. Still, I like the way we can see the eye and the red throat so clearly - you did an excellent job of exposure and focus.

I do not mind that the back half of him is OOF but I do wish that back foot wasn't so washed out. If that had been more in focus I think it would have added a lot to the image. You chose an aperture of f5.6 - for an animal this long I think maybe f8 or 11 would have served you better. Another thing to be aware of is the color change in the BG running diagonally through your image. A step or two to the right might have produced a more uniform BG and kept all the attention on the lizard.

[Steve Canuel]

Nice subject. Self critique is pretty good. The throat patch is used to attract females and intimidate rival males. Holding a mirror where he can see himself may illicit the same response but be mindful that he'll be getting wound up when doing this.

[Mike Moats]

Hey Rob, you did a good job pointing out some improvements so I won't go into that. You have great details on the head and the red thing and the BG works well. Thanks for posting.