Lizard Skin

[BillTyler]

A lizard used to live in a pile of papers near a sunny window in my house. I would find it there from time to time, when I needed something from the pile. It would run away as the papers were lifted off it. One day, I found this shed skin in with the papers.

Nikon D300
55mm f/3.5 Micro Nikkor
Nikon close-up flash system, 2 flashes at about 45 degrees on either side at -1 stop
ISO 1000
1/320
f/32

The skin was placed in a setting consisting of a medium sized cardboard box with a U shaped piece of black posterboard inserted. The image has been rotated 180 degrees and mirror-reversed left to right. (Somehow I like it better with the head on the upper right than upper left.)

Bill

[Connie Mier]

Very interesting shot, quite abstract and the lighting really brings out the textures. I like it! I might like to see it with more room on top and right, maybe try it in different positions as well.

[Rene Quenneville]

Nice light and comp for this unusual subject. The black background adds a nice mood.

[Julie Kenward]

Beautiful lighting on this, Bill. The fact that you can see so much texture and that it still retains enough of its original shape that our eyes can place the lizard right there is amazing. Great idea with the black BG - it really adds a definite pop.

[Fabs Forns]

I didn't know a skin could be so elegant. The lighting makes this one, excellent seen!

[BillTyler]

Thanks for the kind words. I think the thing that surprised me most was how much of the shape of the lizard was preserved - down to the toes. I don't know how it gets out of this extremely fragile skin without totally destroying it. Every time I handled it, it frayed a little more.

Bill