About the Image(s)

The C&O Canal NP runs along the Potomac River for 185 miles from Washington DC to Cumberland MD. While the canal is overgrown in spots, the towpath is maintained for the whole length of the canal. It is popular as a recreation spot and has many different types of wildlife calling it home. One that is very common are the turtles who like to sun themselves on the logs/branches which have fallen into the canal. It is not uncommon to see up to 10 lined up on a log.

I found this guy last November while walking the towpath. He is more animated than most turtles (who mainly sleep) and really seems to be enjoying himself. I took the shot handheld with my Sony 7M4 mirrorless camera with a 24-105mm lens. Settings f10 @ 1/125 sec, lens at 105mm and ISO 400.

I edited it in Lightroom and Photoshop. I did my basic corrections in Lightroom. This included selection of a profile, white balance adjustment, noise removal, sharpening, adjust exposure, contrast, tones, and texture. I also cropped the image. In Photoshop I removed some distractions and saved for the web.