Marine Iguana Mountain

Image Critiques Wildlife Critiques
1

iguanamarine0225ec101.jpg
iguanamarine0225ec101.jpg1024×639 277 KB

Critique Style Requested: Standard

The photographer is looking for generalized feedback about the aesthetic and technical qualities of their image.

Description

I recently returned from Ecuador, where I made my third trip to the Galapagos Islands. This was a friends-and-family trip, but of course I brought my gear. Despite the laid back nature of the trip (and me being sick for part of it), I came away with a few photos I was happy with.

I’ve found that marine iguanas often provide the most inspiring photo opportunities for me here, and our visit to Fernandina Island came through in that regard. We encountered hundreds of these unique reptiles (nesting at this time of year). I particularly liked this set up, with a mountain of iguanas reaching for the clouds.

I processed this one a little differently than my usual color work, opting to reduce the contrast a bit between ground/animals and sky. In this case I was vacillating between going full monochrome and color, and ultimately reduced the black and white layer to a very low opacity before settling on a look I liked. I felt the removal of the harsh shadows and intense blues made the whole scene more cohesive (and, if anything, integrated the wildlife into the landscape better).

Technical Details

Canon R3
Canon 100-500mm
ISO 400
1/1600th
f/8

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3 Likes
2

Hi Max - an unusual and cool image. That’s a bunch of iguanas!
If they are all gathered like this in close proximitry, where do they place their nests? Are the others agressive toward the eggs and hatchlings?
I like the framing, but perhaps a bit off the top would be good as well.

3

They’re not aggressive toward eggs and hatchlings as far as I know, but they are territorial, and the females were pretty aggressive toward each other around the nest holes. In this case, these are likely mostly males, warming up on the rocks and near each other. Females dig nests in the sand below.

4

It’s not a common sight, very different and quite unusual, I really like the presentation and clouds really add to the scene.
I somehow feel that it may work better as B&W.

TFS !

1 Like