Captured

They're fast! They're agile! And their jumping skills are spine-chilling!

These reptiles, not sure if they are iguanas or lizards, are not only eye catching, but are extremely camera shy. And that's what makes these shots priceless.

The story behind these shots is nothing but a comedic scene between a photographer and a reptile. And it starts like this...

Once upon a time, there was a photographer who lived in Miami. A city with lots of different lizards and iguanas, and seeing one daily was the norm.

But this one particular day, 30 minutes before her first graduation photoshoot of the season, she saw a magnificent orange & blue colored reptile. The colors of this creature were so vibrant, she couldn't help but want to capture it.

It was one of those moments that if she didn't capture on camera, no one would believe it happened. And so with haste, she assembled her camera pieces, and ran to get a better view.

Adjusting the ISO, she carefully approached the reptile.

'What a beauty', she thought, and carefully she placed her camera over her eye. Deep concentration. Focus. Focus. SNAP!

YES! The biggest smile filled her face. Joy of accomplishment.

A little too soon...

"What the?"

The photo had amazing colors, the ISO was perfect, and the focus on point. But what happened?

"Where's my reptile?"

The photographer was confused. So confused her head literally itched. The creature was there just a second ago, where did it go?

The speed of this reptile was so fast that in a blink of an eye it was gone. Leaving behind an empty frame with concrete and plants.

The reptile walked on walls like Spiderman and had the speed of Quicksilver. No wonder it was gone in a flash. [No pun intended]

She chased this beautiful creature up and down the ancient structure, keeping her distance. It was like he [or she] was playing hide-and-seek with her.

The photographer couldn't figure out how it kept moving from one wall to the next. Could it really be this fast?

No...

She finally caught it. The jump! It was...amazing. There's no doubt about it, this was a very special creature. So special, she didn't want to miss her opportunity to capture it on camera.

But she was running out of time. The graduation photoshoot would start in just 10 minutes. And the grad had just gotten there and was prepping herself.

The trick of taking nature photography is--be ready. But for a photographer like her, nature was one of those once in a blue moon hobbies, so the practice wasn't there.

Being a nature photographer was a very precarious career choice. For her, at least.

She has stared into the eyes of other creatures such as raccoons, turtles, and ducks.

But nothing compared to the piercing brown eyes of this creature. That mysterious reptile stared at her like if it knew what she was thinking. And with two steps forward, he'd walk around the columns--hiding.

He was gone again. Sweat started to drip down her back. With the clock ticking, she was losing her opportunity with every second that passed.

After a few failed attempts, tripping on a root, and almost running into a column, the photographer finally found the trick.

Distance, zoom, and a high shutter speed.

She could see the graduate's puzzled face from a distance. It is time to get to business.

With what she learned in the last 25 minutes, battling to get some good shots, she was finally able to nail the shots she'd been hoping for. Two amazing shots.

The best part was... she was able to sneak in another shot in between the photoshoot while the grad changed into another outfit.

But not of the same creature, a similar one.

Guess that wasn't the only good looking reptile in town.

THE END!