Up close and personal
Goanna basking on a fallen tree. 200 ml lens Nikon D60. Approximately a metre and a half away from me. This was the largest Goanna I saw. Approximately 2 metres in length from nose to tail. He wasnt afraid of any of us and ruled the roost in the camping ground. Croajingolong National Park.
**All proceeds from the sale of this image will go to the Australian Wildlife Appeal currently run on Redbubble.**

Up close and personal belongs to the following groups:
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David Friederich
Wow, Sal…I would love to photograph a guy like this. Wonderful shot!
salsbells69 replied
Thankyou David! He was basking after doing the usual walkthrough of the campsite.
eaglewatcher
Can you get any closer thatn this?? Absolutely stunning!!
salsbells69 replied
Couldnt get much closer with the lens i had. But looking at those claws…didnt really want to! Thanks Michael :))
dinghysailor1
big fella isnt he!! wow! 2m is huge!!
salsbells69 replied
He was big Maggie. Biggest one I saw and the first one up in the morning. He posed no risk to us..preferring to sniff out eskies and tents if you let him. I would hate to cop a bite or scratch from him though!
gayle hoskins-...
He is beautiful. A wonderful capture.
salsbells69 replied
Thankyou Gayle! Glad you think the same as i do. Magnificent specimen!
Tom Newman
Great shot Salsbells, superb detail and DoF :-)
salsbells69 replied
Thankyou very much Tom~!
cdwork
He’s beautiful. What a fantastic detailed shot
salsbells69 replied
Thankyou Cd!!
Marvin Collins
Excellent detail, great shot!!
salsbells69 replied
Marvin ~thankyou very much :))
stevealder
Hi Sal. Fabulous image. Love the detail and true-to-life colours of this prehistoric looking creature. Regards, Steve
salsbells69 replied
Cheers Steve! Thanks so much :))
flamingalfa
Amazing shot! I never realised that they had blue around the face – thanks for the close up and education!
salsbells69 replied
Thankyou! :))) I should put more of a local narrative up about them. Cheers!!
Anne-Marie Lad...
Oh wow! Cool shot, Sal! Fantastic clarity and detail.
salsbells69 replied
Thankyou Anne Marie!!
linaji
Sounds like you have had some fun.. good to see you.. he is quite a beauty and you got so close!
salsbells69 replied
Hey Miss Linaji! Thankyou :)) Fabulous to see you too!
Barbara Sparhawk
You amazing character. “He wasn’t afraid of us” is your standard, and you fearlessly connect with these awesome feral creatures. Swimming monkey, reptiles, I know you’ll be right there when they start cloning dinosaurs. This is a great photograph, beautiful creature and great detail. Frankly, all I saw first were those enormous claws and forked tongue! Thanks for bringing it to us with your plunging in.
salsbells69 replied
Hey Barbara! Thankyou…I always adore reading your awesome comments! Much appreciated XXXX
Larry Davis
I love those tallons.
They’d rip you apart.
Remind me never to give one a hug…....
salsbells69 replied
You can hug me instead Larry! Cheers! They are wonderful reptiles!
Neil Swenser
You could put a saddle on this big boy, great shot sal !
salsbells69 replied
LOL..love that comment~ Thanks Neil!
Rebecca Bryson
Awesome capture, awesome clarity and textures very well done!
salsbells69 replied
Thankyou very much Rebecca! :))
Maree Toogood
Fabulous shot Sal, I think he’s got his eye on you.
salsbells69 replied
Thankyou Maree! He didnt take it off me!
Phil Threlfall
Nice shot Sal
salsbells69 replied
Thankyou very much Phil! :))
Larry Davis
Well, in that case, if ever we meet, hugs are comin’.
salsbells69 replied
Woohoo!!
joak
with claws like that are ye sure it wisny a female!!!!!...great stuff!
salsbells69 replied
LMFAO!!! Great comment big fella. So glad to see you again and in fine form too! :)))
roybarry
OK, the chances of me going camping with you in Aus are diminishing- rapidly…..........
salsbells69 replied
Dont worry..i’ll keep you safe ;)
salsbells69 replied
oh and i saw two tiger snakes and one red bellied black snake that swam in front of me during the river walk :P
BlackLemonz
Great shot Sals, :))
salsbells69 replied
Thankyou very much Steve!:)
reflector
That’s really close to it ! Great shot and lizard !
salsbells69 replied
Thankyou James:))
Sheila Smith
OK I thought the other one was close but this is VERY close. Its a great shot Sal, do you see them regularly? I’m just wondering at what point you desided it was not a threat to you? It looks so like a komodo I think I would be very nervous. Well done my friend.
salsbells69 replied
Thankyou Sheila! They are pretty use to campers. He had flattened out for a sun bake. Only reason I got him so close. Different if he had of been on the move.
barnsis
I don’t know about his teeth but those claws would do a lot of damage, great image.
salsbells69 replied
I wouldnt enjoy a bite. Thier mouths are full of germs etc. Some say thier bites never heal but not sure. Still wouldnt like one though!
pryere
Great shot Sal.
salsbells69 replied
Thankyou very much John! :))
Stacy Rodriguez
GREAT CAPTURE.
salsbells69 replied
Thankyou very much Stacy!:)))
ISMAIL ALAOUI ...
have youu ever visited the komodo island?
do you know austin steven?
great photo?
salsbells69 replied
Hi Ismail. Never have visited komodo island and I dont know austin steven. Great photo..dont know either! thanks for looking and taking the time to comment. :))
ISMAIL ALAOUI ...
great photo=> is only my appreciation,
and austin steeven is a great photograph, and he achieve one of the most beautiful documentaries about lezards, and he cam to komodo island, its a must see video;
i can show you the link to download
IRISHPIX
So beautiful , really classy image..

salsbells69 replied
ahh…why thankyou! Love the compliment ~!!!
genaro1
It’s very nice shot
salsbells69 replied
Thankyou very much genaro1 :))
Lucindawind
fantastic capture ..hes a beauty ..will he bite?
salsbells69 replied
Thankyou Lu :)) He would bite no doubt. But he wouldnt go out of his way to bite you if you know what i mean.
Rusty Woodward...
Ooooooooo! Enter the dragon! He’s lovely though! (I think!!!!) Fabulous photograph!
salsbells69 replied
Thankyou very much Rusty!!
Robert Elliott
wonderful capture Sal and thank you for your support of the wildlife appeal
salsbells69 replied
Thankyou Robert. Its the least i can do. I hope that I can contribute in some way.
Antanas
great capture
salsbells69 replied
Antanas..thankyou :))
jdmphotography
Awesome !
salsbells69 replied
Thankyou!!
kevinmawson
Cool capture Salsbells! They are amazing creature’s.
km.
salsbells69 replied
They are Kevin. Thankyou !
Shoaib .
that thing is scary
haha
brave photo
salsbells69 replied
Thankyou Shoaib! He wasnt that scary…lol!
kangarookid
wowzers
awesome shot, and a beautiful creature indeed!! reptiles have always been a favorite of mine, especially the komodo dragon 8)... love those claws, and the detail of his scales! why, he’s almost cute =)...
salsbells69 replied
Kangarookid..i agree with you! He is very cute!! Thankyou for the fav too :))