To Cross or not to Cross? That is the question.

[Dvir Barkay]

A Greek tortoise (Testudo graeca) contemplates crossing the road. Luckily he decided to turn back around after about half a minute. They often cross the road the get killed, I saw a few while i was there. Hopefully this guy doesn't do this too often.

Sony A77, Sony 16-50/2.8 @20mm, F/4 should have used F/6.3to F/8, ISO 320, Meteora in Greece, 2014

[Sanjeev Aurangabadkar]

This is a cool image Dvir, shows the proximity of wildlife and nature to human settlement & raises a good point of safety of animals. Great perspective with the inclusion of the car. I like the angle but wish you had shot this at f/8 or so as you have realized as well.

[Rachel Hollander]

Hi Dvir - an interesting image that tells a story. Glad this particular one had a happy ending. Nice pov and comp. I agree with both you and Sanjeev that this would have been better with more dof. If it were mine, I would back off on the sharpening of the road and ground around the tortoise.

TFS,
Rachel

[Katie Rupp]

Hi Divir,

The image made me smile as expression on the Tortoise fits the title so well. Thanks for sharing this one.

Best,
Katie

[Gabriela Plesea]

Hello Dvir,

Opened this thumbnail and read the title again. I smiled and thought to myself "Dvir is no stranger to Shakespeare". Very effective, the title really works and it drew me in, I like the perspective and the vehicle in the distance adds this element of danger to the whole story. In March this year we drove past a tiny tortoise in the Kalahari and I was tempted to "help" it cross the road but decided against it since the rules of the park stipulate that one must not leave the vehicle while not in the camp. About an hour later we drove back on the same road following some spoor (animal tracks) and was surprised to find the remains of the tortoise in the middle of the road, a speeding vehicle must have driven over it.

I wanted to suggest at first that you try to crop from the top to eliminate the man-made element, but on second thought I applaud you for leaving it in: you are sending a powerful message out there and telling a story - thank you for this post, I truly enjoyed viewing and appreciate your intention, well done!

Kind regards,

[Dvir Barkay]

Hello Dvir,

Opened this thumbnail and read the title again. I smiled and thought to myself "Dvir is no stranger to Shakespeare". Very effective, the title really works and it drew me in, I like the perspective and the vehicle in the distance adds this element of danger to the whole story. In March this year we drove past a tiny tortoise in the Kalahari and I was tempted to "help" it cross the road but decided against it since the rules of the park stipulate that one must not leave the vehicle while not in the camp. About an hour later we drove back on the same road following some spoor (animal tracks) and was surprised to find the remains of the tortoise in the middle of the road, a speeding vehicle must have driven over it.

I wanted to suggest at first that you try to crop from the top to eliminate the man-made element, but on second thought I applaud you for leaving it in: you are sending a powerful message out there and telling a story - thank you for this post, I truly enjoyed viewing and appreciate your intention, well done!

Kind regards,

Thank you for the kind words, truly that was the most powerful reaction I think anyone got from my work thus far, I am very glad that you enjoyed it. Yeah big book fan, especially writing my own work, so I always like adding little titles that come from books.

I actually happened to save two tortoises on this particular morning, I saw two others cross the road, the problem is once they see a car they pause instead of finish their route. So I usually go out lift them up and bring them a few meters into the scrub on the other side hoping that they forget about the road. In turkey (last year) I also saw a large tortoise cross the road, and stopped in the middle of a highway with trucks and all (if you've ever been to Turkey you know that its a bad idea as they are the worst drivers I have ever met) and took the tortoise to the other side, that is an experience I will always remember. Anyhow, thank you very much for the kind reply

[Gabriela Plesea]

You are very welcome, Dvir. I can tell there's more to your photography than just taking pictures - you appreciate the environment and do your bit, whether you are rescuing those creatures from road perils or just telling the story. You are creating awareness by the way, and this is one important aspect of photography IMO.

I did visit Turkey many years ago and could not believe the mayhem on the roads. No traffic lights and there seemed to be some unspoken rule about who goes first and who gives way:) It's a miracle you managed to save that tortoise...I now live in Africa and things are almost as bad, I just got used to it I think...We do have traffic lights in some places but everyone ignores them:)

Keep those images coming, I look forward to more from you!

Kind regards,