MiamiChristine
FollowFace to face with an iguana in Miami Florida
Face to face with an iguana in Miami Florida
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Action Award
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Contest Finalist in Reptiles Photo Contest
Contest Finalist in Subjects On The Ground Photo Contest
Contest Finalist in Depth In Nature Photo Contest
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Contest Finalist in Low Vantage Point Photo Contest
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Behind The Lens
Location
At a park called the Deering Estate in Miami, Florida. It is a beautiful historic estate that is situated on Biscayne Bay with 444 acres of gardens, mangroves and blue water views. There are several wild and shy iguanas that enjoy the sun in the grass on quiet days, near the water.Time
It was 4:45 in the afternoon on a very clear sunny Novemer day so the sun was at a great angle, on its way to setting.Lighting
I was lying in the grass to take photos of this young iguana with beautiful color, facing south with sun from the west. I was experimenting with an angle to get the water and sky with soft blur and grass very close. I wanted an effect of one iguana looking at another iguana, from that perspective.Equipment
I used a Nikon P900 super zoom, no flash, no tripod. It's a very easy camera to carry.Inspiration
I have photographed many iguanas, but did not have one that would let me get this close In area with ligh, grass and water all lined up for this low vantage point of view. I take pictures of lots of wildlife while waiting for birds, and I find birds will show up if you are busy taking photos of flowers, lizards, etc. And then so often you discover the beauty of the area because you were waiting for a bird.Editing
I did not do any thing but simple cropping to this photo.In my camera bag
Usually I carry a Nikon D500 with a monopod, flash, tamaron 150 to 600 and Nikon 18 to 300. The Nikon P900 is a very lightweight super zoom that has been my walking camera for several years. I just recently upgraded to Nikon D500 a month after this photo was taken. I also carry an iPad to look at photos if possible before leaving the area. I often see a way to get the subject from a better angle after looking at photos on ipad, and then I can go reshoot again. So often the wildlife subject or botanical is not there when I go back to reshoot on another day.Feedback
Find a quiet spot near water with good light, in the afternoon. During the cooler months iguanas need sun, and approach the area very slowly. If you spook them, they will jump into the water and swim away. If you can find a smaller, younger iguana, they often have exceptional skin patterns. Focus on the eye. A zoom or telephoto is necessary to get close up without scaring them. Try to get a profile with skin detail, a mouth eating grass, or straight on with both eyes. Also I like the detail of there feet. Since they are very long, it's hard to get a full length iguana profile. I usually shoot the profile of the head and body with front feet. They are an unusual creature. In breeding season they change colors, and become orange, in other seasons and when young they are green and sometimes green with blue. The colors and texture of skin are like an artists mosaic.