Jonathan Steinbeck, A dragon's view on the world (ANIMALS 2025)

I came across this juvenile Gippsland Water Dragon in Canberra. Initially it was on a concrete ledge around some plants and it was not too concerned by me photographing it. Although after a few minutes it must have had enough of me and moved a little way to some steps where it stopped. Almost immediately, it detected the movement of people passing along the top of the steps and turned to face that way. It appeared to watch for a while as people walked backwards and forwards in the gap at the top of the steps. Of course, nobody noticed the lizard, and it too eventually walked off into the plants on its left. I took several photographs of the lizard and people at the top of the stairs but this was the image that I think worked best. I like this photograph because it shows a visual connection between the water dragon and the women passing at the top. The stairs also help lead the viewer's gaze to where the lizard is looking.

Images have been resized for web display, which may cause some loss of image quality. Note: Original high-resolution images are used for judging.