Photographing The American Alligator
By Matt Hansen (visit Matt’s flickr photostream)
“People fear what they do not know, and this holds very true for the apex predator of North America, the American alligator. For this reason, alligators aren’t seen in an artistic and creative photographic light. They are instead a mere ‘snapshot’ subject in the world of wildlife photography. This doesn’t have to be the case, however, and with the proper approach American alligators can top the list of interesting wildlife subjects.”
“In my opinion, the most important thing to remember is; get low. We’ve seen enough shots of the top of a gator’s back. Half or more of my photos are taken on my belly, in the grass (although wear pants and tuck your shirt in…I’ve gotten so many insect bites by having exposed skin!) This low point of view will also help with the atmosphere you’re trying to create. If I would have shot the below photo from a higher point of view, there would be no silvery reflection, and you would have seen the gross, brownish swamp water. Instead, I’ve enhanced his atmosphere and created a more dynamic photograph just by getting low.”
I finally was able to get the camera at water level on one of these guys. ƒ/5.6, 1/400, 135mm, ISO400.
“You don’t need the biggest and heaviest lens for these guys. I try to shoot between 50mm-200mm. Especially when moving quickly, a big-heavy lens will be a hassle. Make sure to study your subject closely when going lower than 100mm, though. After spending some time with gators, you’ll be able to read them and know what you’re capable of. This photo is a good example of that. Shot at 52mm, I had to trust my instincts and judge that nothing would go wrong…you don’t want to misjudge a seven-foot gator who’s 3 feet away!”
I saw this gator, about 7 feet long, on the side of the path. His head was up, looking around, so I figured I'd wait it out and see if he'd cross. Well I've already gotten profile shots of a gator walking, so I wanted a head on photo.
“Obviously, lighting is key. Because of gator’s skin and the fact that they’re often in the water, staying away from harsh, blown-out reflections is more difficult than most wildlife. There’s a much smaller window of time where the sun will be soft enough on it’s own. For this reason, I look for loopholes…over hanging trees (shade), cloudy days, etc. A day that you’d normally think are bad conditions, might be perfect. This photo was taken on a very overcast, dreary day. I pushed the ISO to 400 and waited. The sun shined through right when he was active. Sometimes a combination of patience and having things fall into place make for a perfect situation.”
American Alligators have the strongest bite force per pound of any living animal, land or sea!
“All three of these above examples were taken in the middle of the day…no golden hour. No perfect conditions. Just the correct point of view, patience, and a desire, knowledge, and respect to shed proper light on these amazing creatures. Also, please focus on their eyes and be safe; gators can burst at 30mph and have one of the strongest bite forces on the planet! Only very special circumstances call for something different.”
Practice with experienced photographers or hire a guide to better prepare for the challenges of photographing this beautiful creature.
For more on Matt Hansen, visit his flickr photostream.
Filed under: Photographers in the Field
A most informative article on a subject that is not normally seen. Aside from being interesting in and of themselves, the photos dramatically illustrate the principle discussed, and demonstate the expertise infered in the article.
Keep up the excellence.