Silly Crested Eyelash Gecko
This photo was taken at a reptile Breeder location with a Zoo partnership.
It took many attempts and various angles before landing on this perfect express...
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This photo was taken at a reptile Breeder location with a Zoo partnership.
It took many attempts and various angles before landing on this perfect expression. The Crested Gecko was thought to be extinct until it was rediscovered in 1994. Since then there has been consideration to have these placed on the endangered species list for their natural habitat and location (New Caledonia) in the Pacific Ocean region.
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It took many attempts and various angles before landing on this perfect expression. The Crested Gecko was thought to be extinct until it was rediscovered in 1994. Since then there has been consideration to have these placed on the endangered species list for their natural habitat and location (New Caledonia) in the Pacific Ocean region.
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Oct, 2016Views
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Awards
Top Shot Award 21
Fall Award 2020
Top Choice
Outstanding Creativity
Absolute Masterpiece
Peer Award
Superb Composition
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Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
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Behind The Lens
Location
I remember heading over to my friend's house, he's a reptile breeder and provider of snake bite anti-venom. He was just taking up an interest in photography and I had never taken photos of reptiles before and wanted him to have some good images he could print.Time
This was mid afternoon in a specially prepared sealed room down in the basement with only the reptile lights and no windows.Lighting
I wanted to accentuate the details of the crest and ridges as well as the incredible details in the eye. Since the gecko was facing towards one of the lights, I used a bounced flash at 1/128 power just to eliminate shadows and add a bit more contrast to pull out those details.Equipment
I used a Pentax K-30 with the Pentax DA 18-55 F/3.5-5.6 WR kit lens and a Vivitar SERIES-1 DF-383-PEN TTL flash. No other equipment was used.Inspiration
I was inspired by a few factors. I was teaching my friend how to get good photos through glass and showing how using flash is a major benefit when done correctly. I was also showing my friend how to capture that perfect moment vs just taking a picture. Being patient and waiting for the right time makes all the difference. I had also never had the opportunity to shoot reptiles and I love Geckos! The Gecko was outside of its cage and just hanging out on a wooden stick.Editing
I did do some post processing. There was a bit of distraction in the background since this was shot in a small space. I used the clone tool to remove all distractions and lowered the shadows and blacks to focus only on the Gecko.In my camera bag
I pack light and versatile so in my bag is usually my Pentax K-3 with either the Sigma 17-70 F2.8-4 DC Macro HSM, or the Pentax DA 18-135 WR, and I always have the Pentax HD DA 55-300 F/4.5-6.3 ED PLM WR. The WR lenses are weather resistant against rain, dust and freezing so paired with the weather sealed Pentax body, it's the perfect any time, any place lightweight kit.Feedback
Be patient and observe the animals behavior. They'll do things in patterns which will allow you to time your shots. Also, big tip here... If shooting against glass without a polarizer filter, get your lens right against the glass or use your hand to make a tunnel between the lens and glass. This will eliminate or at least minimize any reflections. And as always, just keep practicing!
