Creepy Crawly Stalker
In Afghanistan, this rough bent toed gecko used to haunt the Hesco walls preying on insects flying close to the lights. I managed o get in close using a macro l...
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In Afghanistan, this rough bent toed gecko used to haunt the Hesco walls preying on insects flying close to the lights. I managed o get in close using a macro lens, with the light bringing a great shot. You are able to see the grains of sand particles on the Geckos' eye! The head was about the size of a pinkie finger
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Sep, 2018Views
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Awards
Action Award
Zenith Award
Creative Winter Award
Top Shot Award 21
Legendary Award
Community Choice Award
Contest Finalist in Reptiles Photo Contest
Peer Award
Absolute Masterpiece
Top Choice
Superb Composition
Outstanding Creativity
Magnificent Capture
All Star
Superior Skill
Virtuoso
Emotions
Impressed
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Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
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Behind The Lens
Location
I took this photo in Gereshk, Southern Helmand Province, when deployed to Afghanistan. The military bases were surrounded by HESCO blocks which are filled with stones / gravel and were a means of protection against rocket attacks. The HESCO alongside the make shift pathways, towards the accommodation sections, had a small orange light every 10 metres or so and this attracted a lot of insects on warm evenings. These 'rough bent toed geckos' were notorious for haunting the HESCO walls at night time, picking off an abundance of creepy crawlies attracted to the lights. They were very small, and would scatter if you were to go near them, so I had to be super patient and move as slow as possible to take the shot.Time
The shot was taken on a warm evening in summer, around midnight. there was no natural lighting, and the orange lighting is from the side light where the geckos would sit behind and ambush insects that were coming to the light.Lighting
I wanted to make the most of the lighting already there, and being orange, the lighting from the side light on the HESCO worked really well, and outlined the gecko's intricate features and I didn't want to spook the gecko by adding more lighting. I made do with the lighting I had from the wall alone.Equipment
At the time I was new to photography, and had taken my old Cannon 400d unit, though I had invested in a Cannon MPE 65mm macro lens. the downside was that the lens was manual focus, and it took a while to get into a good position without scaring the gecko away. I didn't have a tripod handy either, so made do with my rucksack. The lens was a very good lens, and I managed to get a great shot without any other gear. In that environment you need to be ready to move at short notice, so it was all about improvising. I improvised by using the light from the HESCO wall, A rucksack to stabilise my camera, and that was pretty much it. The gecko itself was around the size of my pinkie finger, so I really wanted to get a close up shot of the face and eye, and I needed a quality macro lens for this.Inspiration
Very limited to what I could do when deployed, I would sit and watch these little reptiles for hours. It was a great way to pass time in the desert, and I learned a lot from observing their behaviour. when sitting down and watching them feed I was fascinated and learned how to get up real close by being slow moving and patient. when getting close, I noticed the eyes in particular were so hypnotic and stunning. I really wanted to capture this, and show the world the fascinating yet micro world I got to experience and loved. When I looked at the shot on my laptop, I was able to appreciate the beauty even more. On the Gecko's eye you are able to see each individual blood vessel, the vertical slit these animals are famous for and each and every scale which is prehistoric looking. They are amazing animals, and this Gecko's head was as small as the tip / nail of my pinkie finger. You can even see the individual grains of sand on the transparent membrane, surrounding the Gecko's eye, which is really cool and shows the level of detail such a quality macro lens can pick up on and provide.Editing
Due to my editing skills not being that great I did very little to change the image. I loved the orange lighting already in the shot, I think I made the photo a little lighter to pick out more detail on the facial scales and show off each amazing feature. But I don't like manipulating photos too heavily and prefer the more natural aspect and shots.In my camera bag
My Camera unit, lens, a lens wipe and spare lens caps / covers. I carry a head torch and a UV light incase I spot any scorpions which will fluoresce under UV exposure. Oh! and a bottle of water of coarse.Feedback
Just from observing these little fellows every other evening, I learned a great deal in that Patience pays off. just from observing the time they were normally active and out feeding in the night, and that they were normally close to the lights meant I could count on a gecko appearing if I sat for a while patiently. I would also say that the lens choice is important, and that its a lot harder to use a manual focus lens like I had, but play around and try out new things / techniques. Like they say in the British Armed Forces, Adapt, Improvise & Overcome!
