It's not a bird

[Glennie Passier]

Canon 5D Mark II
EF100mm f2.8 Macro USM
Focal Length 100mm
1/80 @ f2.8
ISO 500
Tripod

I can across this baby water dragon (Intellagama lesueurii) when looking for fungi along a creek bank. The lizard's survival instinct took over and he "froze" hoping I wouldn't see him. He gave me enough time to set up the tripod. I have desaturated some bright green vegetation, darkened some bright spots, selectively "smart sharpened". (I normally use USM) Added a hefty vignette. I would have liked more DOF on his fingers and his left eye.

Any c&c is much appreciated.

Thank you.

[Diane Miller]

Very cool! Great tonalities and amazing detail!! Using f/2.8 with a macro shot (at that amount of magnification) is skating on thin ice, but you pulled it off beautifully here! And you caught a great expression!

It's really a minor point, but I could wish the nearest toes were in focus, but not much you could have done in one shot. If I have time, in a situation like that, I'll pull a quick re-focus and shoot another frame to composite. You can't risk moving the camera and usually not time to change the Af sensor. I shoot with back button focus which gives me the option to quickly and easily override AF and do a quick MF pull.

[Carolyn Arnesen]

I like this - good composition, muted colors and the intent stare draw you in. I find myself wanting to see more of the neck and body. If mine I might crop some from the top.

[Glennie Passier]

This was taken just before the OP. For Carolyn - More of neck and a little more body. And thank you for your comments.

Thank you again, Diane. You are most helpful! This one has his hand in focus a little more. I like the pose of the OP better. I think I can see a magenta cast?

[Diane Miller]

Agree on the pose - it's special in the OP! If you were inclined to mischief, it might not be difficult to composite the hand from the second into the OP version. (Do lizards have hands? I don't think I ever thought about it....)

[Glennie Passier]

I a inclined to mischief, but I doubt whether my processing skills are up to it! I thought about lizards' hands too..Professor Google says "lizards don't have hands, they have feet, two front feet and two posterior feet." So I've learnt something.

[Don Lacy]

I really like the OP my only sugestion would be to selectively sharpen the eye a bit more so I cheated and used the creative sharpening section of PhotoKit to do just that now he has your attention.

[Glennie Passier]

Don, I like what you have done. Still subtle, but certainly more "detailed" eye. I did a selective, smart sharpen and saturated somewhat inc PS CS6. Is Photokit something I should/could look at? It has done a great job here. I see it has a "try before you buy".

Thank you for taking the time to re-post.

[Don Lacy]

Don, I like what you have done. Still subtle, but certainly more "detailed" eye. I did a selective, smart sharpen and saturated somewhat inc PS CS6. Is Photokit something I should/could look at? It has done a great job here. I see it has a "try before you buy".

Thank you for taking the time to re-post.

I use it mainly for sharpening my images for print since it takes all the guess work out of it for web images i use several different techniques including PhotoKit. It was for a very long time the only plugin I owned I now use the Nik suit also so i highly recommend it.