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Challenge: Macro IX (Advanced Editing VII)
Camera: Olympus OM-D E-M1
Lens: Olympus 50-200mm f2.8-3.5 SWD Zuiko Lens ED
Location: Brazos Bend State Park, Texas
Date: Feb 13, 2016
Aperture: 7.0
ISO: 500
Shutter: 1/1250
Galleries: Nature, Animals
Date Uploaded: Feb 16, 2016

 An American Alligator with some park visitors reflected in his eye at Brazos Bend State Park, Texas, USA.

Went to the park looking for Bullfrogs or snakes, found a few Bullfrogs but did not get any photos I was happy with. Did get this wonderful closeup of a gator with my 2x TC attached. Using this combo at full zoom gave me an effective 800mm of reach. The image has about a 25% crop to it (wanted this exact view without cropping).....the gators were a bit jumpy because of the large number of people at the park Saturday so I did not want to get much closer (but the bystanders did make for the wonderful reflection in his eye). I was about 12 feet away when taking this photograph and here is a photograph of me while taking this exact shot.



I am pretty comfortable getting 8-10 feet away from them (8 foot would have given me this shot without cropping), so this is not unusual for me at all. While laying there I heard a bunch of very loud kids coming down the path and then saw (thru my viewfinder) the gator get up and start to move. I snapped this quick shot of him walking away.



Was a bit nervous when I saw him stand up, was not sure what he was doing. I was experimenting Saturday with this lens and TC combo and this is the one time that I wish I had my good lens on the camera....it would have created a better shot with a more pleasing bokeh and it's not often I have a gator walk past me this close and from this perspective.

I know this is not technically a macro photograph (I consider true macro to be 1:1) but it is a closeup shot and I am sure most of the photos in this challenge will be closeup photographs. I just wonder if I will receive lower votes because people will say it is not a macro photograph.....then again I would like see anyone get a true 1:1 macro shot of an 8+ foot gators eye :-)

Statistics
Place: 13 out of 67
Avg (all users): 6.0806
Avg (commenters): 7.0000
Avg (participants): 6.2727
Avg (non-participants): 5.8621
Views since voting: 684
Views during voting: 115
Votes: 62
Comments: 4
Favorites: 0

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AuthorThread
 02/28/2016 08:45:29 AM
Greetings from the Critique Club!

Glad it finished as high as it did, for not being a *true* macro. But considering what your subject is and how close you were - flat on your belly, 8ft away - well, sure makes it a much more interesting close up than just flowers or food. Love how the gator's eye is reflecting so much detail. Kinda freaky too how much the gator looks like dragon of yore, or a rocky primeval landscape with a little forest of duckweed growing on it :-)

Also glad to see that you know the importance of getting eye-level and then some with wildlife shots, it adds so much more than being shot from just a standing position.

Keep up the good work! :-)

Susan
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 Comments Made During the Challenge
02/25/2016 11:30:57 PM
Beautiful shooting on focus I give 9
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/25/2016 07:17:15 PM
An exceptional close up.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/23/2016 05:55:24 PM
This is an excellent photo. But it doesn't really seem like macro. Still it deserves a decent vote.
  Photographer found comment helpful.


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