Not as dangerous as you would think. This gator has been with me for 17 years now and has put up with a lot from me over the years - photographically speaking. Shes 7 feet long and about 125 lbs.
We simply dressed her, no drama or fear or anything else. It's very cool having that kind of a relationship (alright, not THAT kind of relationship!) with an alligator and being able to interact without fear on either side.
As for the shot, it's not too far from being out of camera. I saturated the sky a bit as it was too white. I applied some vignetting to the sides to focus the attention to the center, and I cloned out a small segment of a leash she was wearing that extended to the left. The most fun part of the shoot was that we took her to what we thought was a pretty remote area in the country, and it turned out that there is a nature preserve further down the road. The double takes we got as people crossed over the tracks and saw what we were doing was truly priceless.
Here is a link to some of the other photos we've done with her over the years.
//www.pbase.com/mngatorguy/smileys_xmas_cards
Thanks for the votes.
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Place: 2 out of 110 Avg (all users): 7.0412 Avg (commenters): 8.2353 Avg (participants): 6.6154 Avg (non-participants): 7.2288 Views since voting: 8924 Views during voting: 531 Votes: 170 Comments: 66 Favorites: 16 (view)
should have been first. It's exposed well, composed well, and the depth of field is perfect. I'm sure that gator is fairly lengthy and keeping him (her?) all in focus could be a challenge. Instead, the tracks fall off 30-40 feet ahead and just in the foreground as well. I'm not super crazy about vignetting but it was the smart play on this one.
You really are the gator guy! I always thought your username meant you were a Florida Gator fan. Sweet shot. Do you get alot of phone calls if a neighbors dog is missing? :)
Wow what a story, make sure she's well fed once she gets older!. The shot is excellent, love the tilt and the fact that you have a gator for a pet and dressed her up is enough to fit the challenge, congrats!
I have no idea how you got it, but it is indeed unique and I think a great title with shot. The bold colors on his back plus the location all make for a great shot!
First the nude nature walk, now this. Lol - very creative. I really like the low angle and composition. Definitely unique too. Best of luck in the challenge.
Nice. I love his little pack and for once I love the angle of the photo. I'm not usually a fan of the angled perspective. The railroad tie makes for a nice divider.
lol, the only thing I think would improve this is if the croc where walking toward you. but then the title wouldn't work so scrap that. Am not finished commenting yet but for me this should be a ribbon winner and I'd love to know how this was done 0 great shot and I wish you good luck with the voters.
LOL! Cute. How in the WORLD did you get this shot posed? Difficult, I'm sure. Still, the tail's details are so lovely, that when I get to his face, I still want to see that detail and it's a bit washed out. Advanced editing would have allowed you to dodge/burn his face to accomodate me, I think. *grin* (not voting)
This is awesome. Technically stunning, I love the depth and richness of the colors. And.... how do you get an alligator as a prop ?!?!?!?!? If this isn't a ribbon-winner, I'll just fall over in shock.
very creative. very original. I get that the title works better with the gator walking away, but I would like to see more of the face. I love the hobo bag. :)
Very nicely composed and shot. Excellent DOF, angle, composition along the rail. Now as far as the subject, how on earth did you get this without losing an arm? Can't wait to see the details. 10
See You Later Alligator
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