I had time today, nothing but time. I do not get a lot of time, I tend to fill it. No gallery to prep, no major shoot coning up in the next week.  I had a list of things that needed to be done over the holiday, most are completed. Still there was plenty of things to do, but I found myself with the time to wait out the tortoise. You see photographing George is not a quick process. It is a long drawn out staring contest. I set up the lights, the platform, the camera and then had my son bring him downstairs.  He spends 98% of his time in a huge fish tank in my son’s room. 1.9% of his time in a pen we made for him in the yard on hot days and .1% of his time pissing me off when I try to take his picture. But what a better way to prove you are taking your goal of having more patience with things than watching a tortoise do nothing. And nothing is what he did for about 20 minutes. Legs in, guard up, then slowly the legs started to move, the eyes could be seen, until about half and hour into the “session” he peeked his head out. Then he just wanted to move, off the platform, and he is quick when he wants to be. It was a game, one hand on the cable release the other rotating the platform over and over so he was 1. facing the camera and 2.not falling to his death from the 4 foot height. 126 clicks to get these 4 photos. Then the giant crap… he used my stand as his toilet. I swear he smiled, in minutes Danny was returning him to his tank. I believe George thinks he won this round, I may have gotten my photos but he got his message sent. He made me wait, made me work and made me clean up after him, and it cost me time… something I am not usually ready to pay.

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This is George, he is my son’s red footed tortoise.  He just turned 2 years old, about 4 inches long, and refuses to come out of his shell when I try to take his picture lately.  I did get some when he was younger, some of them are below. He is in there, I can see his face, sometimes just an eye,  I tempted him with a strawberry but nothing.  So, I got this shot from above.  His markings are very cool.  When we tell people we have a tortoise the same question always come up… “how long does he live?”  My answer is always: until he dies like everyone else.  My son would tell you over 50 years, we have read they can live up to 70-80 years.  I picture him being at my funeral, of course he will finally come out of his shell, but I won’t be able to take his picture…

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1/400, f4.0, iso 500, Nikon D700, Nikon 105mm