This unexpected photo was taken while on a lunchbreak. I was enjoying the weather, people watching, and finding my center before going back to that day’s Broward Children’s Literature conference. Lo and behold, I spied with my little eye…something green! Hidden among the green leaves of a brilliantly colored firebush, our four legged friend is just sun-bathing. As he looks back, and almost side smiles, nature hit’s me like a ton of bricks. Smiling, and sharing this picture with my husband and kids, I walked back into the conference with a pep in my step. The yellow tint around it’s eye, the bright green hue of its scaly body, and that powerful pose, made lunchtime anything but boring. Although he was trying to stay lost in the bush, he was more obvious than he would have liked. Yes, definitely a sight to see! Adding that final touch of off-centered cropping, incorporating the rule of thirds makes seeing and believing Iggy more prominent than the original. Though the original was just as entertaining, the cropped image made him much easier to see and appreciate.
Hello Again Kelly,
Your friend really does blend it here, I think discovering him might have given me quite a startle.
I am curious about a couple of alternative options with your picture. (I will be honest that I don’t know if it would have been possible to actually do this or not.) #1 Focusing even more, even possibly just the head. #2 Messing with color to make him pop out? Of course, you could also have totally cropped him out and focused on the flowers.
Hi Kelly,
This is a really neat close-up. Even the yellows and oranges match perfectly. I agree that sometimes we forget to take a minute and just enjoy nature. Our lives are often too busy to catch what is right under our noses.
I agree with Lisa, the crop is so perfect that it’s hard to think of an alternative angle. The only one that comes to mind is a closer shot of his face with that little side smile.
Hey, Kelly!
That off-centered cropping you did for this image really helps bring out that sense of discovery and delight that you must’ve felt seeing it in person!
Removing visual clutter, you can really see where the shadows of the iguana (or lack thereof) contrast with the shape of the leaves and how light hits each individual leaf.
I think this is more of a golden ratio crop than a rule of thirds crop though, just given the height of the crop. Good job with this assignment!