Double Vision
A Caiman resting on a rock
A Caiman resting on a rock
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Aug, 2020Views
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Awards
Contest Finalist in Monthly Pro Photo Contest Volume15
Peer Award
Absolute Masterpiece
Top Choice
Outstanding Creativity
Superb Composition
Magnificent Capture
Virtuoso
Superior Skill
Genius
Emotions
Impressed
Top Ranks
Top 10 rankTop 10 rank week 1
Top 20 rankTop 20 rank week 1
Top 10 rank
Ultimate
ToddGirouxPhoto
October 01, 2020
This image is awesome. The reflection is perfectly symmetric. If you were to rotate the image, it looks like a smiling alien rabbit!! Awesomely done!! Cheers!!
Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Behind The Lens
Location
Spoiler Alert !! I took this photo at the Reptilia Zoo in Vaughn, Ontario, Canada. Not the same as in the wild yes...but at least I didn't have to risk being eaten by this mini dinosaur. Canada is cold, needless to say, so in the winter when I want to do wildlife photography and don't feel like getting frostbite, I head to warm and beckoning arms of indoor zoos around my area for a day of shootingTime
It was the middle of the afternoon, and I remember that exactly because I was wondering why there were a million kids running around tapping on the glass and pointing at the animals. " Shouldn't these kids be in school" I thought to myself, I looked down at the alligator and shrugged. I think he was feeling the same thing.Lighting
Reptiles like warm lights to rest under. Which is perfect for me because that gave him perfect lighting. That's why he looks so cozy and relaxed in the photo with that beautiful cartoon glint in his eye.Equipment
I always shoot with my trusty Lumix G9 because it's so small and portable. I paired this with my Olympus 60mm macro lens which on a Micro Four Thirds format is the equivalent of an 120mm focal length lens on a 35mm full frame camera. So its pretty versatile for wildlife photography indoors and out as well as having the benefit of only being about 4 inches in length.Inspiration
I was inspired by Tim Flach's photography series "Endangered" where he take beautiful and artistic portraits of rare animals from around the world. He has a way of showing little glimpses of their personality through their eyes, which I admire a lot and try to emulate in my own photographs. Reptiles are stoic and cold blooded creatures (literally) so I saw the reflection in the pond as an opportunity to give this portrait another dimension of interest and some warmth.Editing
I shoot RAW files, so I only had to do a little tweaking of color and exposure in Lightroom to complete the picture.In my camera bag
I carry my Lumix G9 body and six lenses in my bag; A Panasonic 100-400mm Telephoto, an Olympus 60mm macro, an Olympus 75mm portrait and my Sigma 30mm, 56mm and 16mm prime lenses. Being that they're made for Micro Four Thirds camera's; not only are the double focal length of full frame lenses, they're a fraction of the size and weight as well. Other than that I carry extra batteries, memory cards and a TYCKA travel tripod that I bought on Amazon immediately after falling into a river fiddling with my last one.Feedback
Don't look down on photographing at zoo's or animal sanctuaries because it's not the "real deal". For the average person it's the best way to get up close without disturbing the animals in their natural environment or carrying thousands of dollars of equipment through the wilderness. I love it, as long as you don't pretend you captured the photo in the wild and you take the opportunity to turn animal portraits into works of art, its a great way to spend the day.
