Hiding In Plain Sight

Wow, very colorful and interesting for sure to look at. Have a great day

Thanks for your comment. The male iguanas were very brightly coloured in this place. I do not recall seeing them so colourful elsewhere in Central America.

This one made me laugh because, despite being 3 feet long and pretty obvious, he really was camera shy and was trying to hide behind those little leaves on the tree branch he was on.

When I first saw the thumbnail of this I thought it was an underwater shot. It's really nice all 'round, including the lovely colors, crisp clarity (hand held?), composition, and humor. I knew you'd have great shots from your trip.

 

On a somewhat technical note, I'm impressed with the richness of color, contrast and definition that must be a function of the lens and the Canon sensor. This shot is an example of image quality I've come to associate with Canon that I really don't think I get, lens quality notwithstanding, with my D200. Do you think this is my imagination? A real difference based maybe on CCD vs CMOS? Or what?

Ditto David's remark about looking like an under water shot. Fascinating. How can such a creepy creature be so beautiful?

 

Well seen and expertly captured. Thanks for sharing ~

I am not technically adept enough to comment on the difference in clarity between a CCD and a CMOS sensor. I have only used a Nikon point and shoot so have little to compare.

 

I do know that with my 20D the difference in image quality in terms of zoom lenses is very dramatic when I compare the shots taken with my 'L' series 70-200 mm 2.8 IS lens and my EFS 17-85 mm 4 - 5.6 IS lens. The L series lens is said to be one of Canons best zoom lenses in term of specs. The 70-200 is the sharpest and fastest zoom lens I have ever used. Even wide open it is tack sharp. The auto focus is amazingly fast and accurate. In comparison the 17-85 is a good lens but the image quality is more in line with what you would expect from a mid priced zoom lens. The 70-200 2.8 is expensive and it's heavy to pack and carry around but being able to get a shot like this in low light with the lens wide open makes up for the sore neck it gives me :)

 

So my relatively uninformed guess would be that the glass is the main factor in the quality of this shot.

Another possible factor could be that, in this shot as well as most times that it is possible, I expose with the histogram as far to the right as I can without clipping and in PP I bring up the shadows and bring down the exposure to get the look I want. This seems to make the colours pop a bit more than centering the histogram.

Thanks for all the info. I'm pretty sure you're right about glass being the prime factor, but your tip about using the histogram is valuable. I haven't shot much using it, so I'll need to do some experimenting. Thanks!

Gordon, this is such a lovely image! The colours are so absolutely exquisite. But, what is really exceptional in my opinion is the three diffuse panels of the background contrasting with the crisp, sharp and more directionally lit body of the iguana. The composition is nice too. I like the amount of breathing room on the right.

 

David, I am currently shooting with a CCD Nikon D80 and a CMOS Nikon D300. I'll tell you that you would be exceptionally hard pressed to tell the difference in the images in terms of colour or contrast! The improvements in the image quality in the two cameras are almost entirely about noise and a slightly less intense AA filter in the D300 which leaves more fine detail (neither of which is primarily a CCD/CMOS issue AFAIK). The only reason, I can see, that a CMOS sensor is markedly better is the lower energy/battery usage.

 

I would be highly skeptical of a suggestion that Canon sensors have an inherent advantage. There are just too many exceptional photographers who shoot with Nikon cameras and have for a long time.

 

Do try to adopt an Expose to the Right system. I also find such a system highly effective. A good article on the issue: http://www.luminous-landscape.com/tutorials/expose-right.shtml .

Creepy? I thought you liked lizards. This guy was a real cutey.

Thanks for the comment and thanks for weighing in on the CCD CMOS issue. I read that LL article and I would recommend it to David as well.

 

My own favourite aspect of this photo is that tiny patch of late afternoon sunlight falling directly on the iguana's eye. That small spot of sunlight is the only direct light in the whole image.

Gordon ... where were you when you ran into my ex-wife? Seriously though ... I've been waiting to see some underwater photos from you. I like this one in particular for the colors and detail in the fish. Not sure what kind of fish it is, but it looks like it might be hiding in the vegetation waiting for its next meal. Hopefully, you'll post more soon.

Thanks for the discussion about sensors. I've no doubt you're right about the main difference being amount of noise and power consumption. Of course, each camera maker will assert that their sensors are superior, but I do believe the biggest differences are a matter of the lenses, and even more so the user's facility in capturing the most data possible and then knowing what to do with it. If I've reasonably gotten the point, that seems the take-home message in the Expose to the Right article you kindly linked for me. Very helpful, and the same for the ones it linked to about profiling the Canon D30/60 and Bruce Lindbloom's site.

 

I feel like you've turned on a couple lights for me that give me a much better feel for what's going on with the histogram and how to think much more clearly about the connections between data capture, data editing (vs. image editing) and images. Thank you very much!

I like the 4-inch variety fine. It's the big guys that I definitely find creepy. When my son was a little boy, he was very allergic to cats, dogs, birds. So we got iguanas. Two of them. One lasted only a year. The other grew to a 4-foot length (including tail) and I was terrified in my own home for years :)

 

Cheers ~

This is an expert capture for many reasons. I love the color scheme, which conveys aspects of the intended camouflage. The yellow eye peering out is wonderful, both alien and familiar at once. The depth of field is well managed, using the leaves to both conceal and reveal. An enviable capture.

A very fine shot, Gordon, and wonderfully composed. The color, detail, DoF -- all excellent. An arresting image. Warm regards...

Initially I thought it was an underwater image - very visually appealing. Like the colors , the light and it is sharp where it needs to be. Best regards

Terrific image Gordon; it does have magnificent colors and clarity which in addition to the title you gave it adds up for a great treat! Congratulations on a superb photo.

Mark;

 

This is one of those land loving iguana lizard fish :) He is hiding behind those leaves hoping to ambush any unsuspecting piece of fruit, if any wander too close.

I hope your ex doesn't look in on PN .

 

Alberta;

 

You are such a good mom. When I was a young boy I did not have dog or cat allergies but I loved snakes and lizards and fish. My mother was terrified of snakes and did not much like lizards. I had a 12foot long Burmese rock python and a Nile monitor lizard and A Cayman as well as dozens of fish tanks. The cayman, monitor and python all started out fairly small but in the end they got quite large. My poor mom would not even go in my room. She did not want to discourage my interests so she put up with having a small zoo in her house.

 

Jeff;

 

Thanks. The reveal and conceal aspect of the vegetation was what drew me to take this.

 

Joseph;

 

Thanks for your support Joe, I am glad you like this one.

 

Tony;

 

Yeah that does seem a common response. One of the interesting aspects of posting on PN is getting that unbiased outside view. I know this guy was up in a tree but when people mention that the shot looks underwater I begin to see it in a different fashion.

 

Juan;

 

Thanks for the kind words. I always look forward to having you drop by.