Green eyed crocodile
on a photo safari in Botswana this croc gave us a fantastic show of teeth, open jaw, movement and stilness.
on a photo safari in Botswana this croc gave us a fantastic show of teeth, open jaw, movement and stilness.
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Feb, 2016Views
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Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was taken while on safari on the Chobe River in Botswana.At the time I was living in Ghana, and this was an exploratory trip into other parts of Africa. The tour group (Pangolin Tours) I was with specializes in photography tours, providing not only the guide and transportation,but camera equipment (a Nikon D7000) as well. At the time, my personal camera was a Panasonic DMC-F228 not capable of really capturing the wildlife. The flat bottom boat held 8 passenger/photographers each with their own swivel chair with mount for the camera with ultra zoom lense. It was a great first experience with such a camera and lense. If I remember correctly, I shot close to 1000 photos on the first day.Time
This was on our second outing of the day going out during the "golden hour". Our guide spotted several crocs laying out on the river's edge, catching the last of the sun's rays before the cooling night air set in.Lighting
Our guide put the bow of the boat right up to the shore within 10 feet of the crocs. I began with full body shots then started isolating different parts of the body considering texture, pattern, play of light and of course the eye and teeth.Equipment
This was the second day of using a Nikon D7000. It was shot at f'6.3 with ISO of 640 and shutter speed of 1/320. I do not know which lens it was, other than it was quite long.....an ultra zoom. The camera was mounted on a secure mount attached to a swivel seat in the boat. No filters or flash were needed.Inspiration
Being on a photography safari, in an absolutely amazing environment, I was giddy with the opportunity be so close to and to shoot wildlife in their natural habitat . With a camera capable of so much more than my own, I loved experimenting with settings and detail.Editing
The only post processing I did was to crop a bit. I had a pretty tight shot of the face but the crop really emphasized the clarity of the eye.In my camera bag
I currently use a Sony 6000 with a Tamron 18-200, f/3.5-6.3 lense. I also carry a F2.0/12mm wide angle lense. Accessories include, a small tripod, lense wipes, extra sandisks, extra battery and charger. I bring along my full size tripod only when I anticipate using it (which is not often)Feedback
I have been on several safaris but this was the only one that catered to photographers. I highly recommend using these specialized guides wherever you may be traveling and whatever your subject may be, They are so tuned into the importance of light taking you out when it works best for your subject. The guides as well as the patrons are also willing to sit observe and wait for the "perfect picture".
