Caiman Under Stars by Will & Matt B-L

Monday, 4th August 2008

Caiman Under Stars

by Will & Matt B-L

This photograph of a spectacled caiman was taken at night in the Brazilian Pantanal. The caiman was in a small stream waiting for unfortunate fish to pass through its open jaws. We exposed the foreground with a remote flash and then left the shutter open to capture the star trails.

Will & Matt B-L

We are brothers from the UK with a shared passion for wildlife photography.

Willbl.com
Mattbl.com

19 Comments

Lakshmi Says:
August 4th, 2008 at 4:30 am
Woow..a crocodile and a long exposure in a single shot is not something I would remotely think of as a possibility!
Ahmed Sharif Says:
August 4th, 2008 at 6:23 am
ha ha!!…… thats great work indeed!!….. long exposure on a vicious animal is one thing that you don’t see everyday…….
Just Jack Says:
August 4th, 2008 at 7:44 am
Great shot! Long exposure and flash in the one shot. Never thought of that. BTW He looks like he is waiting for you to get a little closer…
Malta Photography Says:
August 4th, 2008 at 7:52 am
Very nice shot indeed. the colors are still there and the stars’ movement is great. was that croc alive or sleeping ?
Matt Harvey Says:
August 4th, 2008 at 9:13 am
Love your photo’s fellas - you’re out there and doing it.
realimage Says:
August 4th, 2008 at 10:32 am
Look at the long spurs of the stars. A wonder that the second caiman got exactly into the same position…
I guess you have to open up a webbased course how to do such shots, however the roos here would be hard to shot like that.
Anyway great shot (or was it two?)
Billy Bob Says:
August 4th, 2008 at 10:55 am
Very nice
Sue Gagnon Says:
August 4th, 2008 at 11:37 am
This is VERY NICE! Typically, I do not go for these shots, but the colors and composition are beautiful! Very nice word indeed!
Simona Says:
August 4th, 2008 at 11:59 am
sorry but this is a fake, long exposure for sky has to be the same long exposure for water, or in the water you see the small waves how the crocodile , or caiman, is moving( breathing). Anyway is a good result of a good picture. I like the colors.
Marie Dunphy Harding Says:
August 4th, 2008 at 12:48 pm
Quite the combination of stars in motion & the fierce, still creature.
Matt Says:
August 4th, 2008 at 1:24 pm
I think that the technique behind the shot might need a little more clarification. The image is only one exposure and has not been manipulated – the foreground was exposed with a flash burst, effectively ‘freezing’ the caiman and the ripples etc. Then, because the foreground was totally black (i.e. no more light reaching the sensor) it was no longer exposed whilst the star trails were captured in the sky. If there had been natural light falling on the caiman (such as from the moon), then it would have been exposed after the initial flash and consequently blurred due to small movements.
It can be quite hard to get your head around long-exposures, especially when you are combining different light sources.
Kirk Jordan Says:
August 4th, 2008 at 2:02 pm
The exposture all made sense to me, but how you saw it in the first place - Nonsense! How is the world does anyone think, Hey, I’m going to do this time exposure of stars, with a creature in front of my lens that could come and eat me, or nibble on my tripod. Zowee. I love this image.
planet lover Says:
August 4th, 2008 at 2:24 pm
Great work, guys!
Eileen Says:
August 4th, 2008 at 4:47 pm
However they got the shot, it works. Good show! EZ
Pedro Afonso Says:
August 4th, 2008 at 4:48 pm
Amazing shot, a good use of the know-how of photography. Well done
Renee Says:
August 4th, 2008 at 9:27 pm
Nice shot! For me i would not even get that close to something that large..so its great for you
Pauline Jones Says:
August 5th, 2008 at 2:00 pm
This is a really interesting photograph; very clever.
Simona Says:
August 5th, 2008 at 3:14 pm
if is real I learned something and definitely I will try this. I still have doubts, the water in caiman tail area is look to have long exposure.
Laurie Says:
August 7th, 2008 at 5:41 am
I’m impressed!