Carolina Anole

[Warren Spreng]

On my "bird" walks in Hilton Head I found that it was mating season for the little Anoles (commonly called chameleons although they are not true chameleons) and they were everywhere, and displaying like crazy! I didn't have my macro lens so I just backed up quite a bit and used my Tamron 150-600mm! This one had a bit of a deformed pouch when he displayed but allowed me to take a number of shots of him. Canon 7D MarkII, Tamron 150-600mm, 1/640, f\13, 600mm, ISO 800, HH, rotated 90 degrees CCW, minor crop to get rid of an OOF branch, added catchlight to eye.

[Adhika Lie]

I am not a reptile guy to be able to appreciate this image fully but I think you have an excellent IQ here, Warren! Sharpness is absolutely spot on. I wish that OOF branch on the lower left hand corner were not there, but it is what it is. I think the head could use a little more brightness. It's relatively darker compared to the rest of the body and it kinda detracts the attention from the head.

[Glennie Passier]

Well Adhika's not the reptile sort, but I certainly am. Love the colour. Adhika has made some very good points here. The OF branch doesn't worry me a great deal, but the head is duller. Maybe he was shedding his skin...(I wish I could do that!) I find lizards and snakes particularly difficult to get a decent image from, but you have done very well here!

[Warren Spreng]

Thanks Glennie and Adhika! Actually, that is the actual color (if you are talking about the top of his head). They can change from a very dark brown to a very bright green in a matter of seconds depending upon the environment they are in, and he is in the midst of adapting from coming out of a leafy tree. They can also have a stripe running down their backs when they are in the brown phase as you can just see the hint of that about midway down his back. Here is the same lizard 30 seconds later after he got sight of me!

[Glennie Passier]

Isn't that amazing! You have extremely well to capture him when he was green.

[Warren Spreng]

Isn't that amazing! You have extremely well to capture him when he was green.

There was another one I should have shot that had green spots but mostly brown!

[Diane Miller]

Amazing shot with wonderful color! Lizards are amazing! Our older daughter called them wizards when she was about two. She didn't otherwise pronounce an L as a W, so we decided it was some sort of childlike wisdom.

My only nit is the catchlight -- looks like the sun was coming just a little over your L shoulder, which would put the cachlight farther back in the eye.

[Warren Spreng]

Amazing shot with wonderful color! Lizards are amazing! Our older daughter called them wizards when she was about two. She didn't otherwise pronounce an L as a W, so we decided it was some sort of childlike wisdom.

My only nit is the catchlight -- looks like the sun was coming just a little over your L shoulder, which would put the cachlight farther back in the eye.

Thanks Diane! Great catch on the catchlight, I need to pay more attention to the angle! Here is an RP.

[Glennie Passier]

Ah Grasshopper! Well seen. To me this is the icing on the cake. Well done Warren. Looks more natural than your OP.

[Warren Spreng]

Ah Grasshopper! Well seen. To me this is the icing on the cake. Well done Warren. Looks more natural than your OP.

Amazing how such a small change makes a difference!