I was driving A boat through Deer Point lake when I saw and then passed this giant piece of driftwood with an alligator leisurely resting on top. Sensing that the alligator would jump in the water at the first hint of any disturbance I continued past until I could slowly and quietly turn around and maneuver myself to a location of least exposure to the large reptile. After determining the current and wind directions and where they would put me in relation to the alligator and sun, I shut off the motor and began my drift toward the beast. During the drift all I could think about was advice from Mr. Ritchard Gremillion my mentor, "never stop shooting". As I started the drift I slowly picked up my already built up Canon EOS 50D camera, Canon 300f2.8IS lens, Canon circular polarizer, and Canon 2x extender. I Placed the camera in Sports Mode and started shooting. I didn't stop until the alligator was in the water.
Camera settings: Sports Mode, TV 1/500, AV f5.6 , Exposure Compensation 0, ISO 1600, Focal Length 600MM.