Larry Treadwell
April 2026 - Stealth
About the Image(s)
The Hunters -- Stealth
Nikon D850, Nikkor 200-400 f4 lens with tc.1.4.@ 500mm. f6.7, ISO 400, 1/2000
I’ve working on an article on the hunters of the everglades and thought I’d share a few images in the series over the next few months. This month I thought I’d share the apex hunter of the everglades the alligator. When stalking large prey, in or near the water’s edge, the alligator will slowly rise to the surface, most often emerging from beneath a patch of duckweed. Then with only its eyes and nostrils visible through the camouflage and an ever so slight twitch of its tail the hunt begins. It is not safe to enter the water.
5 comments posted
Larry - This is a good image revealing stealth, concealment and eye contact and that's the story in a nutshell - good impact as the viewer is drawn straight to the left eye. It strikes me as a bit busy background from an artistic standpoint, but I think that's the purpose of the vegetation - duh! What's appealing here is that it feels very authentic as if you could stage a 'gator.'
I did think you could control the highlights and or the background tone to help isolate the head more effectively. But most importantly, this is more than a record shot. It carries a certain mood. I am assuming you were on shore using a 500mm and since I know almost nothing about alligators, I also assume you didn't get down on your belly - I have no idea how they react to humans - about how far away from the subject were you? And why did you shoot at 2000Tv?
Posted: 04/01/2026 15:27:57
I did think you could control the highlights and or the background tone to help isolate the head more effectively. But most importantly, this is more than a record shot. It carries a certain mood. I am assuming you were on shore using a 500mm and since I know almost nothing about alligators, I also assume you didn't get down on your belly - I have no idea how they react to humans - about how far away from the subject were you? And why did you shoot at 2000Tv?
Posted: 04/01/2026 15:27:57
Thanks Butch. There were a lot of water drops clinging to the duckweed in the background. I thought about making the water at the top darker to match the lower left corner, but then the gator looked too bright. I could crop the bright area in the upper right corner but then the scene feels cramped and crowded. I could not add to the foreground as there were lily pads and pink flowers, which is why I didn't use a lower camera angle. This was taken with a 500mm focal length. Posted: 04/04/2026 21:53:38
Larry,
You will have to give us the link to your article on the hunters of the "glades!" Love how you have shown the gator using natural materials to camoflauge its movements. Remiinds me of what soldiers do. Great DOF. The nose and eye are sharp and the background is blurred. My only suggestions for improvement would be to crop about 15% off the right side and reduce the highlights on the leaves on the gators head. Posted: 04/02/2026 18:39:42
You will have to give us the link to your article on the hunters of the "glades!" Love how you have shown the gator using natural materials to camoflauge its movements. Remiinds me of what soldiers do. Great DOF. The nose and eye are sharp and the background is blurred. My only suggestions for improvement would be to crop about 15% off the right side and reduce the highlights on the leaves on the gators head. Posted: 04/02/2026 18:39:42
Larry,
Well that's scary, very scary! The alligator is doing such a great job of camouflage, I would be eaten for sure! I don't know how I would edit this one...bring down the highlights in the light leaves but I still don't think this will make the alligator any more obvious (and isn't that the point?). The alligator wins... Or, you could try a little more separation in the head and eyes. Posted: 04/07/2026 02:29:52
Well that's scary, very scary! The alligator is doing such a great job of camouflage, I would be eaten for sure! I don't know how I would edit this one...bring down the highlights in the light leaves but I still don't think this will make the alligator any more obvious (and isn't that the point?). The alligator wins... Or, you could try a little more separation in the head and eyes. Posted: 04/07/2026 02:29:52
Larry,
Well I wouldn't want to have this fellow sneaking up on me like this! It really is amazing how well such a large animal can vanish in to its surroundings like this. Your point of view and framing emphasize that.
Having the one eye fully visible really makes this image work. I like the crop with the space on the right. There's a triangle shape with the top edge of the frame as the base and the snout as the point that you'd lose with a crop. That apparent shape helps lead me through the image.
Posted: 04/19/2026 00:44:27
Well I wouldn't want to have this fellow sneaking up on me like this! It really is amazing how well such a large animal can vanish in to its surroundings like this. Your point of view and framing emphasize that.
Having the one eye fully visible really makes this image work. I like the crop with the space on the right. There's a triangle shape with the top edge of the frame as the base and the snout as the point that you'd lose with a crop. That apparent shape helps lead me through the image.
Posted: 04/19/2026 00:44:27