Well it’s great to be back! As I stated in my last blog, my wife and I went on a cruise to Mexico with two of our friends. The cruise was great, but the excursions were amazing. From the local culture to the Mayan ruins and then all of the wildlife we saw in New Orleans – both on Bourbon Street and actual wildlife.
These lovely little throwbacks from the prehistoric ages were a thrill to see. Of course we have seen them in zoos and such, but to see a wild alligator, out in the swamp, and capture its photo…what a rush of adrenaline. We were cautious and not too close, at least according to my vast experience of being around wild alligators. Seriously, using the Nikkor 200-500 mm lens, it looks like we were close, but we were about 10 feet away or so. Maybe too close, but we walked away unharmed, so we’ll call it all good.
One things for certain, we saw about 4 different alligators, but who knows how many we didn’t see. As you can see, a 4 to 6 foot alligator can hide pretty well in the moss and weeds. Not to mention, not a whole lot of sunlight makes its way through the swamp canopy. But again, our Nikon D7200 comes through with some great shots.
My two favorites are the ones where one eye seems to be peeking through the surrounding weeds. It appears to be catching the whole personality of the alligator. I’m here, but you can’t see me. I’m stealthy. I’m sneaky. I’m camouflaged. And given the chance, I’m hungry…so you really need to keep an I on me.
Probably my second favorite is the wider shot that shows the alligator and the edge of the boardwalk. As you can see, there are no walls or anything on the sides of the boardwalk. And the boardwalk itself is only mere inches away from alligators, snakes, lizards…and coming later, giant Lubber Grasshoppers and some of the most horrible looking spiders imaginable.
On a much lighter note, in the coming blogs you’ll see some great pictures of the coolest birds, lizards large and small, Mayan pyramids, and so much more. So please, make sure to comment below, click the like button, and share with all your friends. And though this is not a “3 Hour Photo Trip”, I hope you’ll let it slide. Until next time, Enjoy Our Wonderful World!
RM Goldsmith Photography 