Baby Snapping Turtle close-up.

[Daniel Cadieux]

Considering this little guy's head was no larger than a pencil's eraser and Kenko's were needed to get in close I'll put this in the "Macro" forum:)

I almost stepped onto this guy as it lay motionless amongst pebbles on a gravel road. When I realized it was a baby turtle I first thought it was dead as it kinda looked flat (squished flat). As I picked it up it moved its legs and head, I was relieved it was OK. It was very messy though with lots of grass strands and sand debris stuck to it. It soon looked and moved alot healthier than it first appeared so I physically cleaned it from the debris, found a nice "perch" and BG for it, then let it go after the photo session (away from the road of course).

Canon 40D + 100-400L @100mm + 36mm extention tube, aperture priority, evaluative metering, 1/100s., f/5, ISO 800, no EC, natural light, full frame. I do wish I had moved the lens a bit more to the right to give it more room for the claw's tips.

[Allen Sparks]

Hi Daniel. I really like this shot. Nice sharp eye like it should be and nice background too with a nice mossy perch. I wish the DOF was greater to get a sharp snout but it looks like you did the best you could with available light. Agree on more room for the claw but that is definitely not a deal breaker.

[Steve Maxson]

Hi Daniel. These guys are (relatively) cute when they're little. :) Looks like you got it to pose nicely for you and it shows up well against the green background. Good sharpness around the eye and near leg, but I would wish for additional DOF to have more of the head sharp. I'm OK with your crop on the right side. Minor detail - you might clone the small bits of in-focus veggie just above your name. :)

[Julie Kenward]

I have wanted an image like this one for I can't tell you how long! I wish I had this kind of luck. I always find these guys on a log 50 feet from the shore!

Beautiful BG and I don't mind your DOF at all although more might have been even better. I would double check under his nose and chin - it looks like you might have a tiny bit of chromatic abberation along the edge where it meets the green BG.

I can't get over how cool this image is...man, some guys have all the luck! ;)

[Ken Childs]

Very cool shot, Daniel! I agree that more of the foot and more DOF would be better but really my eye is drawn to its eye so the missing claw is an afterthought.

[Roman Kurywczak]

Hey Daniel,
Late to the party.....I almost always want more DOF;).....In this case just a touch more but given the 40D.....maxed out w/ available light. I do wonder if you popped up the flash and went to say 7.1 if it would be noticable.....my hinch is no......but that is if it didn't get blocked bu the lens! Just something to try out after you get this one! All in all....very well done!

[Art Kornienko]

Super shot, BG and comp put it over the top for me. Rare to find them this small. I am not sure if I see a couple of faint dust spots 45 degrees left of the snout and something faint popping up between the L and C in your signature, but those are very minor comments. I realize it would have been nice to see the snout but very hard to do, I guess you were on a tripod?

[Daniel Cadieux]

Thanks Art! I was surprised to see one at this age too, first time for me. I do see the spots you mention, thanks for pointing them out...

This was handheld, but setting up the image I made sure I could semi-brace the camera on solid ground.