# Award winning photo



## S63 (Jan 5, 2007)

This stunning picture has picked up an award from the UK Natural History Museum photographic competition. The photographer hasn't used any photoshopping to create this image.


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## Derekh929 (Aug 28, 2011)

Very scary and very good


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## Kriminal (Jan 11, 2007)

Was the photographer still alive to collect the award? 

Seriously though, loving that pic :thumb:


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## jcf1966 (Jul 21, 2012)

That is a stunning photo I would love to know how the got the light in the water.

Thanks for posting


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## stangalang (Nov 27, 2009)

Amazing shot


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## S63 (Jan 5, 2007)

jcf1966 said:


> That is a stunning photo I would love to know how the got the light in the water.
> 
> Thanks for posting


Let me cut n paste the answer, back in a jiff.


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## Shiny (Apr 23, 2007)

Great shot...should have pressed the red-eye reduction button.....:lol:


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## S63 (Jan 5, 2007)

Here you go.

"One evening, while walking along the riverbed of the Myakka River State Park in Sarasota, Florida, USA, one evening, Larry came across a group of alligators. It was the dry season, and they had been gorging on fish trapped in the pools left behind as the water receded from the river. One big alligator had clearly eaten its fill. ‘It wasn’t going anywhere in a hurry,’ says Larry. ‘So I set my tripod and camera up about seven metres in front of him and focused on his eyes.’ Just after sunset, Larry set his flash on the lowest setting to give just a tiny bit of light, enough to catch the eyeshine in the alligator’s eyes. Like cats, an alligator has a tapetum lucidum at the back of each eye – a structure that reflects light back into the photoreceptor cells to make the most of low light. The colour of eyeshine differs from species to species. In alligators, it glows red – one good way to locate alligators on a dark night. The greater the distance between its eyes, the longer the reptile, in this case, very long."


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## Naddy37 (Oct 27, 2005)

Bet soon as he'd taken the shot, he picked up his gear and legged it....


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## Demetrios72 (Jun 27, 2011)

Imagine seeing then when your going for a skinny dip!!!!

SOD THAT FOR A LAUGH :doublesho

Fantasic photo though


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## Paintmaster1982 (Oct 23, 2007)

Outstanding photo. 

I guess it was a do or die shot haha


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## spursfan (Aug 4, 2009)

Brilliant!!


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## ianrobbo1 (Feb 13, 2007)

red running lights on an Alligator eh!!:thumb:


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## jcf1966 (Jul 21, 2012)

S63 said:


> Here you go.
> 
> "One evening, while walking along the riverbed of the Myakka River State Park in Sarasota, Florida, USA, one evening, Larry came across a group of alligators. It was the dry season, and they had been gorging on fish trapped in the pools left behind as the water receded from the river. One big alligator had clearly eaten its fill. 'It wasn't going anywhere in a hurry,' says Larry. 'So I set my tripod and camera up about seven metres in front of him and focused on his eyes.' Just after sunset, Larry set his flash on the lowest setting to give just a tiny bit of light, enough to catch the eyeshine in the alligator's eyes. Like cats, an alligator has a tapetum lucidum at the back of each eye - a structure that reflects light back into the photoreceptor cells to make the most of low light. The colour of eyeshine differs from species to species. In alligators, it glows red - one good way to locate alligators on a dark night. The greater the distance between its eyes, the longer the reptile, in this case, very long."


 Thanks for posting that, I know how to get the light in the eye but it is the light on the water that I don't understand, sunset would make one light not two.
A stunning shot though and thanks for posting.
Most of the time I try to recreat photos I like but I think this one I will miss lol

Wishing you well


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## S63 (Jan 5, 2007)

Reading the photographers notes the sunset has no bearing on the reflections, it's purely the camera flash that has been reflected from the beasts eyes onto the water.


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## Gruffs (Dec 10, 2007)

Light in the water is the reflection from the eyes.

The photographer used a small amount of flash which lit the croc and made his eyes reflect Red back to the camera and off the water as well.


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## slim_boy_fat (Jun 23, 2006)

ianrobbo1 said:


> red running lights on an Alligator eh!!:thumb:


:lol: Wrong end though Ian - that pic makes them red charging lights, and I'd have been out of there in a cloud of dust & small stones.


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## jcf1966 (Jul 21, 2012)

Well a stunning shot it is

Thanks for posting


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## streaky (Dec 2, 2006)

What a great photo.


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## WP-UK (Apr 24, 2011)

Incredible! Worthy of the award


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## Beancounter (Aug 31, 2006)

Amazing picture.
'Set up his tripod 7m away'........... that


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## S63 (Jan 5, 2007)

Amazingly the pic didn't get the overall award!

If you have a delve, all the winners are on this link on various different pages, some more wonderful photographs to be seen.

http://www.nhm.ac.uk/about-us/news/2012/october/winning-wildlife-photos-2012-revealed115326.html


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