I headed back to town confident I had seen all there was to see; the sun had gone to bed and the last of the evening light was lingering, reluctant to follow. A...
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I headed back to town confident I had seen all there was to see; the sun had gone to bed and the last of the evening light was lingering, reluctant to follow. As I drove I noticed something in the road. I identified it right away as a snake but dismissed it immediately as both dead and of the species “Bull”. I drove over it straddling it with my wheels and kept going until my curiosity got the better of me – I did a 3 point turn and headed back. When I reached my scaled friend again, I realized he fulfilled neither of my slit-second assumptions; rather than dead he was very much alive and rather than a being a bull shake he was of the “Rattle” variety (which I have to admit is what I was hoping for). I turned around again and fixed my headlights on the magnificent, deadly creature. He performed perfectly for me and, although he was thoroughly pissed off, he seemed as much afraid of me as I was of him. I was able to keep a safe-but frame filling distance and captured some pretty amazing shots including some excellent footage of his rattling recital. The light was fading fast and I didn’t want to push his tolerance to the limit. We both departed very much alive and I headed home. I entertained a fleeting thought of trying convince the snake to get off the road but convinced myself that his fate beyond our encounter was no longer my concern. I traveled home, high on the experience and giddy to get the shots onto the computer.
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10655
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Awards
Chatter Award
Zenith Award
Top Shot Award 21
Contest Finalist in Snakes Photo Contest
Runner Up in Twisted Photo Contest
Contest Finalist in Twisted Photo Contest
Contest Finalist in Evocative Wildlife Photo Contest
Contest Finalist in Adrenaline Rush Photo Contest
Featured
Contest Finalist in Below My Knees Photo Contest
Contest Finalist in Front And Center Photo Contest
Contest Finalist in 1000 Reptiles Photo Contest
Runner Up in The Art of Wildlife Photography Photo Contest
Contest Finalist in The Art of Wildlife Photography Photo Contest
Peer Award
Superb Composition
Absolute Masterpiece
Top Choice
Magnificent Capture
Outstanding Creativity
Superior Skill
All Star
Genius
Virtuoso
Great Find
Jaw Dropping
Top Ranks
Categories
Stretton
January 10, 2015
Wow!, What a great story behind this amazing photo, the best things happen when we follow our instincts.
Scoutdogs
February 09, 2018
Amazing shot and I loved your narrative of how you got it! Good thing you turned around!
Eduardbetz
March 09, 2020
Fantastic capture and amazing that the Snake posed so beautifully for the shot ! Congratulations !
Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
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Behind The Lens
Location
On a dirt road way out in the middle of no whereTime
Twilight, The sun had just set.Lighting
The quickly dissipating sun made this shot a challenge, to increase my chances I turned on the headlights of my truck and let them light the snake.Equipment
Canon 5D MII 70-200mm lense I set the camera on the ground and used the screen to focus in order to keep a safe distance from the snakeInspiration
I headed back to town confident I had seen all there was to see; the sun had gone to bed and the last of the evening light was lingering, reluctant to follow. As I drove I noticed something in the road. I identified it right away as a snake but dismissed it immediately as both dead and of the species “Bull”. I drove over it straddling it with my wheels and kept going until my curiosity got the better of me – I did a 3 point turn and headed back. When I reached my scaled friend again, I realized he fulfilled neither of my slit-second assumptions; rather than dead he was very much alive and rather than a being a bull shake he was of the “Rattle” variety (which I have to admit is what I was hoping for). I turned around again and fixed my headlights on the magnificent, deadly creature. He performed perfectly for me and, although he was thoroughly pissed off, he seemed as much afraid of me as I was of him. I was able to keep a safe-but frame filling distance and captured some pretty amazing shots including some excellent footage of his rattling recital. The light was fading fast and I didn’t want to push his tolerance to the limit. We both departed very much alive and I headed home. I entertained a fleeting thought of trying convince the snake to get off the road but convinced myself that his fate beyond our encounter was no longer my concern. I traveled home, high on the experience and giddy to get the shots onto the computer.Editing
very little post processing, just a little popping of contrastIn my camera bag
Canon 5D MII, 28-700mm lens, 70-200mm lens - speed light and a remote shutterFeedback
Know the limits of nature and stay just on the edge of safe.