FINALLY made a light box.

Chewbecca

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#1
And I mainly made one because I wanted to get shots of my geckos for when I start breeding and selling the geckos.

Funny thing is...I got a clear sterilite container, white and black poster board, went and bought special bulbs used for photography and the lamps to put them in.
Got it ALL set up and decided to get Pablo, my most laid back gecko.

Then I watched my gecko frantically hide in the props.
That's when it occurred to me: Maybe my NOCTURNAL geckos don't appreciate having 3 BRIGHT bulbs shining in their faces.
D'OH!

So I was frustrated, trying to figure out how I can photograph my geckos in my light box without causing them a TON of stress.

Then I read online how another gecko owner gets shot of his geckos.
He uses white laminate (well I have poster board, so that should work), and...and external flash bounced off the ceiling.
An external flash????
Why I've got one of those (actually I have two)!!!

So, with my hopes not up TOO high, I slapped my SB600 with my lumiquest soft box attached onto my camera.
Walked into my dark living room (ONLY light going into the room was whatever tiny amount was creeping in from the kitchen).
And I pointed my flash head up towards the ceiling.
After minor PP work (mainly some adjustment in curves), this is what I got:

Pablo on his leaf:



"I get u, camera-lady!"



Crackity Jones:



Hunky Dory:



Ummagumma:




Meddle:




Svetlana (gargoyle gecko):













***one more***
 
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#4
What fantastic shots! How could anyone NOT fall head over heals in love with those little creatures. Look at their little upturned fingers....OMG, they're something else..
 

Beanie

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#8
OMG! Awesome!! The white background photos are awesome, but I really like that black background too. I love them both. D=
 

Chewbecca

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#10
Thanks, guys!

I have 6 rhacodactylus geckos (4 crested geckos, 1 chahoua, and 1 gargoyle gecko) and 7 leopard geckos, and 10 leopard gecko eggs incubating.:D
And I am currently trying to breed 2 more of my leopard geckos, and I'm REALLY hoping I get some eggs.

Here is a pic of my light box. I DO NOT have the two lamps on there anymore. I simply have one lamp clipped on the bottom, but I only use it to clip the poster board in place. I do not use the lamp light at all. I place the gecko in the light box, in the dark room, and I use my SB600 flash bounced upwards.
I do very minor post processing in gimp in curves just to lighten the background some. I also added contrast to a couple of them.
 

Chewbecca

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#16
Thanks, guys!!!
Wow, I thought for sure I'd get no replies.


I won't be breeding together ANY of these crested geckos. I am NOT breeding Crackity Jones because, while I ADORE him because he's a sweet heart, he simply does not have desirable structure. He has VERY SMALL crests. And while I think he's adorable and cute as a button, I'd be hard pressed to probably find any of his off spring homes. It's like with dogs: Just because you think your dog is cute, and your dog has the best personality EVER, does NOT mean you should go and breed your dog.

My other crested geckos are ALL from the same mom and dad, so I won't be breeding them together. I do, however, most likely have plans to get each one of them a mate in the future. I have a while to think about it since they are all still way too small and too young to breed.

I'd be a FOOL NOT to have breeding plans for Svetlana and Pablo, though.
Svetlana is a GORGEOUS example of a gargoyle gecko, and I have the PERFECT mate in mind for her. But she probably won't be bred for another year or year and a half. She still has LOTS of growing to do.
And Pablo, IF, for some odd reason, Pablo ends up being a "she", she won't be bred for another 2 1/2 years because chewies take so long to mature.
And while I'd like to see a little more red in his coloration, I'm still going to breed him.
Chewies are in high demand in the rhacodactylus gecko world. Especially PI chewies like Pablo. And if he had a lack of desired coloration, an iffy temperament, was a poor eater, AND had undesirable structure, I'd probably not breed him.
But he's the best **** gecko on the planet. He has AWESOME structure. He's a SWEETHEART. He has a solid temperament and he is an awesome eater. He adjusts SUPER well, and he's just an all around happy guy.
These are what you get from...about 95-97% of chewies out there, but I have read that some people have gotten some iffy chewies, but it's definitely NOT the norm.
He's not jumpy either. He comes from a VERY reputable breeder who is known for having awesome animals.

So, at the Tinley Park show in October, I'll be looking for a future mate for Pablo and a future mate for Svetlana. Though, I am probably going to be asking Pablo's breeder if he has an unrelated chewie mate when the time comes.
Neither one right now are truly sexable, though, but by then I should for sure know their genders.
 

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