Chameleon

Today I have chosen a picture of a Flap-necked Chameleon. With summer in full swing, all the reptiles, amphibians and insects are out and about now.

I was on my way to the Sabi Sabi Airstrip to pick up my new set of guests when I noticed this chameleon in the middle of the road trying to cross. I got out the vehicle and lay completely flat on the ground. This little guy was too inquisitive as he came straight towards my camera lens, when normally they run in the opposite direction. With both eyes focused straight towards me, I took the shot!

Equipment Used

Camera – Canon 7D MKii

Lens and focal length - 100 - 400 MKii f4.5-5.6 at 250mm

Settings Used to Capture This Image

ISO 125 - It was midday, with a lot of light, which was great in order to keep my ISO so low.

Aperture f5.6 - With the Chameleon being so close to the lens, I kept it as low f stop as possible to create the background blur to bring out the eyes.

Shutter Speed - 1/320 – There was no need for a higher shutter speed as the Chameleon was very still when checking me out.

Editing Used on This Image

Very easily done... I converted to Monochrome, lifted the highlights and whites, and dropped the blacks and added a little extra contrast which made the dark areas in the image darker.