American Alligator YAWN Alligator mississippiensis, World Birding Center, South Padre Island, Texas. Image Copyright ©Christopher Dodds All Rights Reserved. Canon 1D MK IV, 500mm F4 L IS, 1.4X Extender III . ISO 800, F9 @1/200s Manual mode. CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE A PRINT or LICENSE IMAGE FOR PUBLICATION

HAVE FUN WITH YOUR PHOTOGRAPHY!

After submitting the color image of this American Alligator from a recent trip to Texas, the photo editor immediately wanted to know if I could make the image look vintage for a story he was writing about the history of Alligator skin trade. I quickly opened the image and applied the Antique Plate I preset from Nik Software's Silver Efex Pro 2, and shot him another email. Long story short; SOLD! (as a two page spread). It literally took seconds to make the sale; as long as it took to make just a few mouse clicks. Because I was so fast, the photo editor quickly made his choice and moved on to his next task. Having the right software, at the right time, helped solidify the deal and save me and the photo editor a load of precious time; it meant I got the sale. As I sat playing with Silver Efex Pro, I kept thinking of the possibilities and started playing with old files. A fun distraction!