Front on

[vishaljadhav]

I posted a side on of this guy some time back , this is a front on pose of the fan throated lizard


5D MIII + 400 f2.8 + 2x tc
f11, ISO 125, 1/125

Critiques and suggestions welcome
we keep learning

vishal

[Loi Nguyen]

Beautiful. Love the colors, comp, pose, and BG. Well one. Loi

[shane shacaluga]

Love the pose and details. What a great metallic blue colour they have. I always wonder if any of the big dinosaurs had a funky colour like this!

TFS

[Bruce Spell]

Vishal, excellent detail and great pose on this one. He looks like he is sticking his nose up in the air...
Only nit pick I can mention is I'm not certain about the light background right under each leg. Would you be opposed to filling those areas with a clone of the background from elsewhere?

[Steve Kaluski]

Hi Vishal, these images really bring a huge sense of 'vividness & colour' to the Forum and illustrates the diversity of animals out there, however obviously the colour also plays a huge part in their lives too.

I like the stance and almost regal look, however I keep wanting to move right to see more of this colourful character, were you able to change position at all? Going vertical was right, and I like the idea of giving the subject room to breathe, but have you considered going tighter and having a little less to the left & foot, likewise above, and perhaps emphasising more of the subject as an alternative, just a thought? Adding a hint of mid tone, just brings out a little more detail in the rear legs, but this could be dealt with specifically in LR or ACR where you can target those ares and toggle between exp, highlights, contrast & clarity. It might be my old eyes, but to me the RH front claw looks sharper compared to the rest of the body? Personally I'm happy with the BKG as it separates the subject well, however if it was me and i want to adjust the BKG then I would double process, that way you can control so much and get the correct look & feel you want.

TFS
Steve

[vishaljadhav]

Thanks Steve , in this pose i got a single frame. The guy stood up i moved from my first position to this one got down clicked and he ran again.
The soil here has a bit of iron in it and hence red is always visible , the image was only once that i could make one front on image of this guy, its a tricky area with glass pieces and saw scale vipers around so need to inspect before going on ground , thats the reason i choose to shoot with the 400 + 2x instead of a 100 mm macro which gave the lizard more breathing space and gave me some good image.
I will try and reprocess this again to see if i can achieve a more desirable result.
ps the white in the BG is more of a white plastic piece

[Steve Kaluski]

A few questions Vishal:

- Is this wild, or captive, unclear about glass & plastic?
- Is this a subject you have got to know well, likewise the area?
- Have you observed the habits of this animal and how well do you know it
- Do you own a wide angle

I have some thoughts for the future, but need to know some answers, the iron in the soil is great, lovely colour.

[vishaljadhav]

A few questions Vishal:

- Is this wild, or captive, unclear about glass & plastic?
- Is this a subject you have got to know well, likewise the area?
- Have you observed the habits of this animal and how well do you know it
- Do you own a wide angle

I have some thoughts for the future, but need to know some answers, the iron in the soil is great, lovely colour.

let me try and explain the situation / scene. The place is top of the hills and there are wind mills installed here , plastic seen in the area is more of some pieces that come with the wind mills blades when packed, pieces get around the area as unpacking happens. The glass bottles and pieces are from folks who engage in careless drinking as the area has least restriction . The fan throated lizards get colourful at the sight of rains / monsoons and give a small window of few weeks for shooting when the display is on, once the breeding is over colour is off .
I have observed the behaviour for hours ,it's interesting the male decides a area of display which is around 15 meters +_ in diameter and normally goes in circles. It has some display rocks where it goes and tries finding females and gives a display , it runs from rock to rock in between stopping fanning the display a few times and running ahead . Display times are from 10.30 am to 2 pm to be at peak of heat , seems these reptiles need heat to get the colour .
Yes I have a canon 17-40

[Steve Kaluski]

Great, I will come back to you later, but via PM as we are going a little off topic. It could be interesting and then if it works you can expand?

Cheers
Steve

[vishaljadhav]

Sure Steve, i am in. Sorry last night i slept after my reply

[Andreas Liedmann]

Hi Vishal,
like the image overall.
Beautiful colors , comp , soft BKG to isolate the subject nicely done .
I understand Steve`s point about the pose, but i like it as is .

I would only like to suggest a slight lightening of the eye area and give the subject a bit depth with in the lizard.Try to make an RP in minute.

TFS Andreas

[Andreas Liedmann]

Hi Vishdal
my thoughts on this one

[Rachel Hollander]

Hi Vishal - nice use of vertical comp and the bold colors are beautiful. Excellent detail in the scales. I like what Andreas has done in his rp. It does seem in both the op and rp as if the foot is the sharpest point though.

TFS,
Rachel

[Morkel Erasmus]

Another nice shot of this little guy. Andreas' repost rocks!
I like where Steve was hinting at. If you can get in real close you can create some interesting images with the wide angle. I'd crop a wee bit tigher on this one as presented.

[Ron Day]

Beautiful color - striking pose.