felipecorrea

Fierce!

Fierce, ferocious, fair. Florida's wilderness best.

Fierce, ferocious, fair. Florida's wilderness best.
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NIKON D600

settings

Aperture f/4.5 ISO 79 Shutter 1/500 Focal Length 240/10

upload_date

Jun, 2018

Views

664

Likes

+33

Awards

Contest Finalist in Reptiles Photo Contest

Peer Award

+11

Absolute Masterpiece

Magnificent Capture

Top Choice

Emotions

Impressed

Top Ranks

Top 10 rank

Top 10 rank week 1

Behind The Lens

Location

I love the Florida Everglades. I took this photo deep into the Miccossukee indian reservation. I was being guided by one of the tribe's members, who refers to the alligator as "his brother". Though the expression is ferocious, the moment was actually quite measured. No drama, noise, urgency, panic. Only silent attention, respect.

Time

I like shooting alligators during the starkest, brightest light of the day. Their black skin absorbs a great deal of light, while the water around can yield lovely reflections and often beautiful bokeh. I can aford shooting at a very low ISO (ISO 79 for this one) without having any issues with underexposure.

Lighting

I always prefer natural light. The Everglades can be extremely bright when it's sunny. Morning and late afternoon light, while gorgeous for landscapes, not too good for alligators. There can be over/underexposure in a single shot. Life happens pretty fast here, never enough time to adjust, set, bracket, etc. I've found the easiest for me is to be there 1 -2pm, either low ISO, sub 200, 3.5 - 4.5 f/#, moderate shutter, 1/500, or go aggressive with 400 + ISO, 10+f/#, aggressive shutter at 1/1000. Of course, always making sure to adjust to the light saturation of the moment.

Equipment

I used my humble Nikon D600, 24-85mm kit lens, at 24mm. I needed only to find the lowest possible angle while on a small airboat, be close to my Miccossukee friend while he interacted with the alligator, shoot.

Inspiration

I am a great admirer of the Alligator. They are remarkable creatures, patient, resilient, tempered, ferocious. No wonder they've lived for so many millions of years.I want to capture the beauty of their virtue and their existence.

Editing

Yes. I shoot RAW only, so the image needs to be reconstituted into a proper and presentable work of photographic art. I use DXO Photo Lab for lens corrections and initial color profile, follow it up with PS6 to further refine the image.

In my camera bag

D800/D810, 20mm, 150-600mm, flash, mono pod, heavy duty dual camera harness,cleaning equipment, batteries.

Feedback

Shooting wildlife, especially alligators can be dangerous, especially if you want to get this close. I get away with extreme close ups and ferocious expressions because I go to the professionals to get the right access to their habitat. While safety is not guaranteed, I know I stand the best chance to be safe, learn about their personality and tendencies, support the ones who love the area and want to see it highlighted and supported. About taking the actual photo, make sure the camera is as ready as possible, be ready to change, shutter/aperture settings to adjust for the ever changing light, pay FIERCE attention, match the attention the gator is paying to you. Push the button. Repeat :)

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felipecorrea

felipecorrea

Fierce!

Fierce, ferocious, fair. Florida's wilderness best.

Behind The Lens

See more amazing photos, follow felipecorrea

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