Komodo Dragons

I've visited four zoos that have Komodo dragons.

Columbus, July 2019

Minnesota, December 2019

Cincinnati, December 2021

I continue to have trouble with white balance when shooting certain reptiles indoors. It's not the reptiles' fault; it's the enclosures' lighting. I'm never satisfied with my pictures of the Malagasy leaf-tailed gecko at the Columbus Zoo, for example. I've tried cloudy, shade, fluorescent, and specific color temperatures, but none gave me colors on the camera's screen that matched what I saw.

At the Toledo Zoo, in March this year (2025), a Komodo dragon was at his or her posing rock and looking fine. The rocks and dirt are sort of tan, but my first shot didn't look quite right. I have no patience for this, so I tried only two other settings before moving on.

Daylight

4000K (I admit I rather like this one.)

Auto

Toledo has at least two of the world's largest lizards. Here's the other one:

40 minutes later...

 Back to the first one:

I've adjusted a focus setting, so videos are more in-focus over all, but the lens hunts every time it refocuses, which I find annoying.

At last

I've hoped to get a decent shot of the Columbus Zoo's Pallas' cat since 2018 and Mexican beaded lizard since 2019. They're often hidden or barely visible.

This is typical of my handful of photos of Pallas' cat in its dimly-lit enclosure. July 16, 2019

 

May 17, 2021. Right after I took the picture, the cat ran to a nearly-hidden door in a dim corner.

At first, the lizard was bathed in red light. April 8, 2019

Then I got a shot from behind. December 28, 2020

Finally, I saw its face in normal light. May 17, 2021.

If you click to see a large version of this picture and toggle between it and the previous one, you'll see the lizard stick out its tongue. I am at the tail end of middle aged, and this "flipbook" kind of thing has always and will always amuse me. So there.

I don't have a particular interest in this cat or lizard. I just want at least one good image of every animal I come across.