# Some Reptiles



## doenoe (Jul 6, 2008)

Shot these in Amsterdam last week. All of them were behind glass, which always is a challenge. Good thing the reptiles cooperated 
#1






#2





#3





#4





#5





#6 (i know, not a reptile)





Thanks for looking
Greetz Daan


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## Chris of Arabia (Jul 6, 2008)

Love the hermit crab - really cool shot


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## KamaKazzy (Jul 6, 2008)

Awesome pics! Love that viper shot. Gorgeous snake, very fast...very deadly.


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## ernie (Jul 7, 2008)

second one is nice man!


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## tpe (Jul 7, 2008)

The hermit crab is also wonderfull, i would almost be tempted to take the line between the two bits of background out in PS so it is not as easy to spot it is in a man made environment. All the shots are really well balanced especially concidering they were behind glass.

tim


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## poppy67 (Jul 7, 2008)

Fab shots you would not know they were behind glass..great work!


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## Antarctican (Jul 7, 2008)

Nicely done, Daan, and as others have said, especially because the reptiles you were shooting were behind glass. I especially like #2 (such rich colours, that staring eye, and the detail in the scales), and the hermit crab (looks like a comic character of some sort, with the eyes up high like that).


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## doenoe (Jul 7, 2008)

Thanks for the replies y'all 
Dont those Gaboon Vipers have the longest fangs of all snakes? I think i had a shot somewhere of a skeleton of one of those snakes. Ill see if i can find it later.
I was thinking about removing the line in the Hermit crab shot, but i just couldnt be bothered.
And its pretty easy to shoot through glass, you just have to have your lens against the glass and not in an angle. You really have to watch your flash, cause you can get the glare pretty fast.

found the pic, was also taken in the zoo:


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## cszakolczai (Jul 7, 2008)

wow... amazing shots.... what kind of lens are you using for these?


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## KamaKazzy (Jul 7, 2008)

Yeah, I believe they do have the longest fangs. Gaboons and Rhino vipers also have to fastest strike.


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## deanlewis (Jul 7, 2008)

2 &  4 are my favourites, nice series !!

Dean


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## Cameron Cushman (Jul 7, 2008)

Gaboon Vipers fangs can reach lengths of up two 3 inches.

Amazing shots


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## ~Stella~ (Jul 7, 2008)

The colors in #1 are fabulous.  #2 is amazing and sharp - love the angle.  No clue what is in #5, but I like it a lot.

Also, my 4yo likes your "Turnip Crab"  LOL.


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## EricBrian (Jul 7, 2008)

I love #2 and #6. 

Everytime I try to photograph critters behind glass, they turn out crap.  

Thanks for sharing.


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## Stranger (Jul 7, 2008)

I think #4 and #2 do it for me! awesome shots overall


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## Bifurcator (Jul 7, 2008)

Great stuff Daan!  I dig #5!!!  All outstanding images!

Thanks!


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## lostprophet (Jul 8, 2008)

#2 :hail:


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## TCimages (Jul 8, 2008)

Great Work


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## doenoe (Jul 8, 2008)

Thanks for the nice comments 
#5 are the toes of a Gecko and the green bit in the background is its tail. I couldnt use a flash in this one, since i didnt have my lens to the glass. Took me a couple of shots to get a non-blurry one.


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## mmcduffie1 (Jul 9, 2008)

#5 is really cool


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## doenoe (Jul 9, 2008)

Thanks 
Still not very sharp, so ill probably go back and try again. This gecko is usually hanging against the glass.


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## i3d (Jul 10, 2008)

what lens did you use? These pics are so beautiful! Hands down on #2 and #5.


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## doenoe (Jul 11, 2008)

i use the Sigma 105mm 2.8 macro, also used the speedlite 430EX with a difuser when i made these pics. Except for #5, no flash used there.


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## i3d (Jul 11, 2008)

Cool! Have you used sigma 150mm before? I was comparing 105 and 150 and didn't know which one should go. 150 should give me a bit more working distance but IQ wise, I didn't know which one is better. The pic you took gives me enough confidence that 105mm will just do an excellent job. How far away you took them btw?


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## doenoe (Jul 12, 2008)

nope, i only worked with the 105 (and the 70-300 "macro" but that isnt real macro) With animals in tanks (like fish or reptiles) i think your better of with the 105, since 150 is just to long. You can get the background in focus or you have to step back, which will give you a new problem. Cause you will most likely get reflection or glare from the flash in your photo. It depends on were the animals are in the tank, if they were close to the glass i would go and find another model. But it ranges from about 15cm too about 100cm for these pics. But i cropped the pics that were made from a longer distance.
And 105 is a good one for wild bugs too. You still have to get pretty close, but it it doable if you move slow.
All in all, im very happy with the lens :mrgreen:


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## HoboSyke (Jul 12, 2008)

2,4 and 6 are my favs from these, really excellent shots pal!!! =)


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## Bifurcator (Jul 12, 2008)

Thanks for the explanation on #5 and all your comments Dann! Appreciated! When you say "_i only worked with the 105 (and the 70-300 "macro" but that isnt real macro)_" what do you mean exactly? What's the difference between a real macro and one that isn't? 

This isn't a trick question or a challenge or anything - I really have no idea.


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## doenoe (Jul 13, 2008)

the 70-300 has a macro function on it, but it shoots with a 1:2 ratio. The Sigma 105 shoots with a 1:1 ratio, thus making it a true macro lens. The 1:1 bit means that the projection of the subject on the sensor is the same size as the subject itself. 1:2 then means that the subject is twice as big as the projection on your sensor. Hope that makes a bit of sense 
The 70-300 does get you close, but not as close as i wanted it. Also, if you crop a picture that is made with the 70-300 it isnt as sharp as the 105.


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