Rare Basking Behavior...

[Arthur Morris]

There are only two or three places in the world where Pacfic Green Sea Turtles leave the water to bask. Punta Espinoza on Fernandina Island in the Galapagos is one of those places.

This relative youngster was photographed with the Canon 400mm f.4 IS DO lens, the 1.4X II TC, and the EOS 40D on the Mongoose M3.5. ISO 400. Exposure (about Evaluative metering +1/3 stop) determined by histogram check: 1/400 sec. at f/5.6.

Fortunately, I had just moved back when the turtle yawned.

Don't be shy; all comments are welcome and appreciated.

[Grady Weed]

I think the yawn makes this one, without it, it would be a so so image. Turtles are so hard to make look good. Harsh light and shadows kill these images. I really like the tones and the subtle hues of browns. I don't mind the cut, just wonder if the whole body might look a bit more complete. Either way, a nice image of a hard to get right animal.

[Sabyasachi Patra]

I agree that the Yawn gives a significant boost to the picture. Nice colours and details. Good one. Thanks for sharing.

[Krijn Trimbos]

Hi Artie,
Cool shot! Love the rare behavior here, the pattern of the little shells/pebbels under the turtle are lovely, sharpness and colours are great as well. However I do think it would have been better with the other flipper and back shell completely included. Was there an oppertunity to get lower? In any case very nicely documented behavior.

Cheers,

Krijn

[Arthur Morris]

Hi Artie, Cool shot! Love the rare behavior here, the pattern of the little shells/pebbels under the turtle are lovely, sharpness and colours are great as well. However I do think it would have been better with the other flipper and back shell completely included. Was there an opportunity to get lower? In any case very nicely documented behavior. Cheers, Krijn

I often cut part of the animal or bird away with the frame edge and am always very careful of where I cut. One thing that folks consistently fail to realize is that if you pull back on such images, you will lose a bunch of intimate detail that resulted from the close view... And yes, I was able to get much lower but did not like the effect as getting lower reduced the lovely pattern on the shell... So all and all I would not have changed my framing or perspective here at all.

I hae often wanted to respond as above but hesitated doing so until the question was asked by a truly excellent photographer.

Respectfully posted.

[Julie Kenward]

I really like your angle and the crop...I think you got just the right amount of detail and closeness with this one. Anything further back would lose that detail (as you stated.) I love the way the pattern of the underbelly plays off the pattern of the sea pebbles. Very nice!

[Sharna Lee]

Artie,
I absolutely love this image. I think that you croped it 100% correct here. Of course I'm not an Excellent photographer like yourself so any tips on these kinds of crops are always appreciated. Sea Turtles are such beautiful creatures and I'm glad that I stopped by to take a look at this post.

Respectfully,
Sharna Lee

[Kaushik Balakumar]

Agree with others on 'yawn'. Its a special behaviour/moment captured beautifully.

[Mike Lentz]

I tell you what, Artie... what makes this image for me is the processing! It almost looks like you desaturated the BG above and behind the turtle and gave this fella a buff and shine! It really pops nicely!

[Krijn Trimbos]

Hi Artie,

Thanks for your reply. My lower angle question wasn't a nit nor a suggestion just merely a question to get you to explain why you took the angle you did. As for the cropping.....I suspected that the choice of clipping/cropping off part of the flipper and part of the backshell was a conscious one and reading your explanation I can relate. It is nice to see what bending the rules a little can do for your photo's. Thanks for showing and explaining.

All the best,

Krijn

[Axel Hildebrandt]

I like the crop, details and soft light. The yawn puts it over the top for me. How did you process the BG?

[W Laufmann]

There are only two or three places in the world where Pacfic Green Sea Turtles leave the water to bask. Punta Espinoza on Fernandina Island in the Galapagos is one of those places.

This relative youngster was photographed with the Canon 400mm f.4 IS DO lens, the 1.4X II TC, and the EOS 40D on the Mongoose M3.5. ISO 400. Exposure (about Evaluative metering +1/3 stop) determined by histogram check: 1/400 sec. at f/5.6.

Fortunately, I had just moved back when the turtle yawned.

Don't be shy; all comments are welcome and appreciated.

First time reply,
I love the colour and the expression on the face great timing with the yawne both my wife and I felt the same about this shot
I enjoy receiving your news and photos.

Best Regards

Willi Laufmann