Crocodile revealing itself from a cloud of dust underwater. These animals are very patient. They are survivors of prehistoric times. Their brains are small, but their instinct is powerful. Crocodiles can wait for a very long time until the exact moment, —which can last just a fraction of a second — when conditions turn to their advantage. Then they strike.

Long exposure shots of wild, live crocodiles are very difficult because they can only be photographed when the sun is up. When the sun is low and it is getting dark, it becomes harder to see these predators camouflaged underwater. That is the perfect opportunity for them to strike. So with additional safety helpers, gray filters on the lens, and the sun just over the horizon I had a very short window opportunity to capture a frame of a wild, living four-meter-long American crocodile in Banco Chinchorro, Mexico. And I failed. So I had to try again. And again. And the next year. Until this finally came out.