photoartflightRedbelly Turtle Panorama From Davidsons Mill Pond Park
We went to Davidsons Mill Pond Park looking for Dragonflies, but I only saw a few off in the distance out in the water on some plants. But by the small pond near the entrance to the park I saw this Redbelly Turtle basking on the edge of the water. It was at the bottom of the incline with tall grasses before & around it. I was using a 300mm lens with a 1.4x teleconverter so if I backed up to get the whole turtle in the shot the grasses in front of it would be in the way. So I got very close and shot 15 images, 3 rows of 5 overlapping shots to get the whole Turtle in. Working on the files when I got back I loaded all 15 images into 1 layered Photoshop file. Then I used the Edit >Auto Align, then >Auto Blend to automatically align & blend the 15 images for the final layered image. After that I cropped the image because hand holding the camera I had uneven border edges around the image.
photoartflight 
Great shots, Reed! This fella’s definitely ready for a good rain shower and pond bath! I’m sure he’s happy for Spring!
Yes! I agree! I think he was heading into the pond!
I believe you got a photo of a turtle shedding its scutes (the plates that make up the shell), or what is also called shell-peeling. Turtles shed in order to replace old smaller plates with new larger ones, and in order to shed worn or diseased shell, in order to enhance his health and ability to warm himself under the sun. Very cool shot!
Thanks So Much for the Info Sam! I do not know much about turtles!!
It’s a nice portrait, Reed.
Thanks Steve! Usually there are more subjects in the small pond. But this was all I saw on that day!