Emerald Boa
Jan, 2015Views
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Contest Finalist in The Green Color In Nature Photo Contest
Runner Up in 1000 Phobias Photo Contest
Contest Finalist in 1000 Phobias Photo Contest
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Behind The Lens
Location
Captured at the herpetarium at Moody Gardens in Galveston, TX.Time
As is often the case with exhibits of this sort, the interior is kept quite dark. So even though we were there in the early afternoon the mood and lighting were nocturnal.Lighting
The challenge here is that I had to shoot through glass, and had no control over where the subject was positioned. Anyone who has been to a zoo knows the animals often find seclusion when they are resting or sleeping. But I was lucky enough to find it resting on a branch in full view, which meant that my biggest concern was reflections in the glass. Fortunately that was not much of a problem here.Equipment
This image was captured with a Nikon D5100 and a Nikon 105mm macro lens, hand-held, no flash.Inspiration
When viewing a snake curled up such as this, I am always intrigued by the lines of the body, the texture of the skin, and of course the eye(s). Since I don't anticipate getting to a rain forest any time soon, when this opportunity presented itself I was quite happy.Editing
I use Lightroom for basic edits, adjusting exposure, and noise reduction. In Photoshop I take advantage of Topaz Labs filters, especially Clarity and Detail, and masking to darken the edges and add further drama to the image.In my camera bag
I am 3 years into my D5100 and it has been a reliable companion. I keep a Tamron 28-75 f/2.8 lens, along with (usually) my 150mm macro lens. I have recently acquired an 85 f/1.8, which I also love. All that, plus a speedlite and stand, remote, wireless trigger, and batteries. Never, never go without extra batteries.Feedback
One often hears that one should "get it right in the camera" but honestly, sometimes conditions don't allow for that. If I had taken the ligthting conditions as they were, this image would never have happened. I think it's important to know how to post process to bring out the vision that one had when one captured the image. Work on your basic skills (holding still when pressing the shutter) and focus on composition (move around to get your best shot). Then take advantage of what LR and PS allow to create something you're really happy with.
