This is a close-up photo I took of a Three-Toed Box Turtle while at the Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge in Oklahoma.
I’ll see several of these at this refuge during this time of year on the tour road. Please be careful not to run over them. I did see one on the road that was dead.
You can see a larger and higher resolution of this photo here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/screek/46962429095/
I see where the Arkansas Game and Fish made a post in reference to Turtles here in Arkansas: Turtles taking to the streets; don’t box them in
Turtles are on the move all over Arkansas, and many can be found alongside roads in rural and suburban areas thanks to a wet, relatively cool spring that created excellent foraging areas in ditches and grassy areas beside the hustle of daily traffic. Many turtles are finishing up their annual breeding and egg-laying cycles, which also puts them on the move.
Randy Zellers – Assistant Chief of Communications
Here is a photo of another type of Turtle I photographed on the tour road: Eastern River Cooter
How I Got The Shot – Three-Toed Box Turtle
I spotted this turtle in the parking area at the beginning of the paved road in the Sandtown area. I took several photos of this turtle in the paved parking lot and I then left the area. A few minutes later I drove back by and it was crossing the gravel road. I decided to get a few more photos because these photos look better than the ones taken on pavement.
I removed my bean bag from my pickup and placed it on the ground. I then rested my Fujifilm X-T3 camera with a Canon EF 100-400 mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II lens attached with a Fringer EF-FX Pro on the bag.
Camera Settings
- AV Mode
- Back-button Focus
- Auto White Balance
- Multi Metering
- Single Point, Continuous Auto Focus
- Aperture f8
- ISO 1600
- Shutter speed – 1/120
- -1.0 exposure value
- Focal Length – 400 mm
Post-processing was with Luminar 3
Wildlife Photography Tip
Make sure your camera is steady and safe. Like I mentioned above, I had time to place a bean bag on the ground so that I could get a steady shot. I was also protecting my equipment from the rocks.