Wood turtle on the Somo River

Image Critiques Wildlife Critiques
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Wood turtle on the Somo River
Wood turtle on the Somo River1500Ă—1500 898 KB

One with the shadows brought up quite a bit and I toned down the log a bit as well -

Kristen_SmithSeptember 18, 2021P1068528
Kristen_SmithSeptember 18, 2021P10685281500Ă—1500 1.03 MB

aka Glyptemys insculpta - a threatened species in Wisconsin and my first time seeing one. Actually saw two, but one was in deep shade while this one just eyed me suspiciously while I sat in the kayak. So excited to see one! The shell is about 10 inches long. I suspect a female - a Grande Dame!

The DNR has this to say about them - prefers rivers and streams with adjacent riparian wetlands and upland deciduous forests. This species often forages in open wet meadows or in shrub-carr habitats dominated by speckled alder. They overwinter in streams and rivers in deep holes or undercut banks where there is enough water flow to prevent freezing. This semi-terrestrial species typically remains within 300m (984 ft) of rivers and streams. This species becomes active in spring as soon as the ice is gone and air temperatures reach around 50 deg. F, which can occur as early as mid-March. They may remain active into late October but have been seen breeding under the ice. Wood turtles can breed at any time of year, but breeding primarily occurs during the spring or fall. Nesting usually begins in late May in southern WI and early June in northern WI and continues through June. This species nests in open or semi-open canopy areas containing gravel or sandy soils, typically within 61m (200 ft) of the water. Hatching occurs in 55-75 days (mid-July through mid-September) depending on air temperatures. This species does not overwinter in nests, unlike some other Wisconsin turtle species.

Specific Feedback Requested

The background is deep shade and I kept it that way and cloned some distractions that were present in the back and in the reflection. Does it work?

Technical Details

Is this a composite: No
Handheld in the kayak while kind of beached on a sand bar.

image

Processed in Lr for a little exposure, white & black points, clarity & texture, sharpening & nr. Also the crop. Photoshop to remove some distractions - especially the reflection of a leaf over the turtles head and out of the frame up there, but visible in the water.

@the.wire.smith
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Absolutely. A very fine image here, Kris… :+1:

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I don’t think it works because of the description given, using a totally black BG takes the turtle out of that environment, thus it loses “credibility.” This technique works well with flowers and even sometimes people, but in my opinion, once the environment is removed artificially, it loses context. Otherwise, it is indeed a nice turtle portrait. We have a similar type here in NW Florida called a Yellow-Bellied Slider.

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I’ll take the contrarian view here. I like the darker background as it calls attention to the turtle and the reflection. The reflection at the bottom gives me enough environment to know this isn’t an aquarium shot. I like the emphasis on the turtle and the log.

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A very nice find! I’d love to see a hint of the BG if it isn’t hideous. (Cloning quite OK. ) For my taste, the sharpness and contrast on the log is a distraction from the turtle. Full sun was obviously a problem but I wonder if some mitigation is possible, and some darkening of the left part of the log.

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I’ll just say it’s a cute turtle and nice documentary info on the turtle! :sweat_smile:

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Thanks for the input guys. I had a feeling this would be a little bit divisive. The light was what it was and when I came back downstream a pontoon boat had scared it off its perch so I only go the once chance. Posted another shot in the OP.

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Of course it works. I like the head turn of turtle.
If you look at it from pictorial point of view then first one works better and if you look at it from natural history POV then second one works better and I prefer the the log in first image.

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