Grunging the Galapagos and Loving It #2

[Arthur Morris]

This one is actually my all time favorite grunge (of mine).

This is a 5-frame HDR Grunge of a Marine Iguana created with the Canon 800mm f/5.6L IS lens, the 1.4X III TC, and the Mark IV. ISO 400. Five frame AEB =/- one full stop around zero. at f/13.

Spent 20 minutes removing some poop from the animal's cheek. Small crop front and top.

Don't be shy; all comments welcome.

[Nick Palmieri]

Nice one Artie. This guy looks mean. I like the grunge but the think the image may be slightly flat. I usually like adding a local contrast enhancement (USM 20-90-0) to these grunge HDRs to make them pop. TFS

[Nancy Bell]

This just begs for a caption !! The variation of colors and the warty skin is amazing. First the warty orange throat caught my attention. Then I moved up to the mouth and eye and ended up thinking he had miniature volcanos sprouting on his forehead! Very cool with the HDR. Maybe add a tiny bit of contrast, but maybe that would make the iguana too garish.

[Arthur Morris]

Hey Nance, The "miniature volcanos" are actually salt crystals that grow from salt extruded from glands near the iguanas' noses.

[Andrew McLachlan]

Hi Arthur, this is spectacular! Love the comp, the colors and the eye too. Looks like the grunge-look really works well with reptiles. Look forward to seeing more!

[Cheryl Slechta]

Artie, he looks like a proud warrior I love the grunge look and the multi-colored scales - esp the lightning bolt across his face.

[Joe Senzatimore]

Stunning image and a great idea to do this in HDR. Must have been alot of poop to take 20 minutes to get rid of. Perhaps a bit more contrast just to pop it a bit , but just a ,matter of taste on that.

[Arthur Morris]

Stunning image and a great idea to do this in HDR. Must have been alot of poop to take 20 minutes to get rid of. Perhaps a bit more contrast just to pop it a bit , but just a ,matter of taste on that.

Here is the original framing with the poop. I liked the image so much that I worked very large with the Patch Tool, the Clone Stamp Tool, and a series of small Quick Masks so that I could do as good a job as possible. (All as detailed in Digital Basics.)

[Arthur Morris]

Artie, he looks like a proud warrior I love the grunge look and the multi-colored scales - esp the lightning bolt across his face.

Looking at the image in Pane 8 the lightning bolt would seem to be some poop :)

[denise ippolito]

Lots of detail and interest to this one. I don't think it looks flat at all. I like the background colors and the poop clean up is perfect!

[Roman Kurywczak]

Hey Artie,
What mode did you use? I ask because the clean up, pose, and BG look VG......might add a bit to the midtone contrast.....but at f 13 I would expect that the head spines would be more in focus. Great idea on trying these......I guess it has to be the right subject and be very still.

[Arthur Morris]

Hey Artie,
What mode did you use? I ask because the clean up, pose, and BG look VG......might add a bit to the midtone contrast.....but at f 13 I would expect that the head spines would be more in focus. Great idea on trying these......I guess it has to be the right subject and be very still.

Av mode. I was not at all surprised. DOF at f/13 with the 800 and a TC is about 1/8 inch in front of and behind the subject; I did focus on the eye... With the iguana's head angled slightly towards us the unsharp spines make perfect sense to me. Most folks do not realize how small the dof is with big lenses. Actually, I was probably a bit closer than 20 feet--might have had the 25 tube on.

[Roman Kurywczak]

Definitely pushing the equipment to the max....nice!!!!!... and thanks for the other info.

[Arthur Morris]

You are most welcome.

[Bill Dix]

Grunge is definitely a good fit for this guy. Before reading Carole's comment, I also noticed the mountain range on his head; I never knew about the salt crystals. I would have preferred to see the spines in focus, but understand the limitations of the big lens at close range.

[Arthur Morris]

I actually prefer the spines at bit o-o-f as the viewer's attention is then on that loverly face and the little salt mountains :).

[Fred Canter]

Lots of detail and color. Nice work removing the poop, but with the color it was in the original it doesn't bother me. I agree with a few others in that I think you need to adjust the contrast a tad bit.

[John Ippolito]

Outrageous image in subject, color, and grunge treatment. The pose and resolute expression make this even better. Very nice stuff!

[Indranil Sircar]

Artie, this is my first time seeing a Grunging Iguana I am not even sure anyone has done this before! Outstanding in details and colors. What a pose and expressing!!!

[Arthur Morris]

Thanks all for your comments. I see no need at all for any type of increase in contrast. Reposts towards that end are always welcome :).

[NathanBeaulne]

What an interesting HDR image, the BG compliments the iguana very well and the HDR bring out the subtleties in the texture, almost alien looking (not that I would know what an alien looks like ;-)