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[dsiegel5151]

Here's an earless lizard from Arizona. Notice that he has no external ear openings.

[ahab1372]

Here's an earless lizard from Arizona. Notice that he has no external ear openings.

Dustin,
I like your critter pics!
How do you get them to keep still when you approach them with the camera? Was it still cold from the night? And is the lizard earless for advanced weather sealing?

[dsiegel5151]

Dustin,
I like your critter pics!
How do you get them to keep still when you approach them with the camera? Was it still cold from the night? And is the lizard earless for advanced weather sealing?

Ha, don't know about the weather sealing, but there is definitely a trick to keeping lizards still. 1. Catch them. 2. Make a slip-knot out of sewing string and tighten gently around a rear leg. 3. Have a friend hold the string so the lizard sits where you want it to sit (I usually grab a log or a rock for modeling). 4. Edit out the string from the pics or shoot around the string (I try to shoot around the string in most cases...less editing).

Snakes are a little tougher. 1. Catch them. 2. Put a pot or some kind of cover (hands work well for small non-venomous snakes) over them for 5+ minutes. I wouldn't suggest trying this with venomous snakes unless you are comfortable doing it. The nice thing about vipers is that they tend to sit and be defensive once you find them, so they tend to pose for you. 3. Remove the cover and fire away (they will usually sit coiled up for a bit after being exposed).

Amphibians are pretty slow so I just keep placing them on substrate and firing away until I get the shots I want.