rattlesnake
Jul, 2016Views
272
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Awards
People's Choice in Snakes Photo Challenge
People's Choice in The World of Reptiles Photo Challenge
Peer Award
Absolute Masterpiece
Magnificent Capture
Outstanding Creativity
Top Choice
Superb Composition
All Star
Superior Skill
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Behind The Lens
Location
I took the picture at the Wilhelma Zoo, Stuttgart, Germany. As I lived only about 20 minutes from the zoo, I went there often. On almost every visit, I got some cool pictures from an animal. The only problem was, I never knew in advance which animal would be the one where I would be lucky. On this occasion, when I checked out the terrarium, I saw the rattlesnake lying near the glass pane, so I had a chance to get a closeup of the head.Time
I took the picture at a quarter past 11, but he time of day didn't really matter for this shot, as the terrarium is in an artifically lit room.Lighting
The artificial light looks always the same in this room, so there's not much to influence (flashlights are forbidden and would be difficult to use anyway, as the snake was behind a glass pane...)Equipment
I used a Nikon D70 with the 2.8/70-200 VR. In order to get that close, I used a Canon 500D close-up lens. As the snake was lying still, I could use my tripod to keep the ISO down (ISO 200, f/11, 1/4 sec).Inspiration
I wanted to capture the patterns of the scales and especially that silver eye.Editing
Only some color corrections (to fix a yellow color cast), some minor adjustments with the shadows and a bit of sharpening.In my camera bag
Affter many years of using Nikon, I switched to the micro four thirds system some years ago. Today, I use an Olympus OMD-EM1 Mk. II. I like different lenses (Using different lenses is the point of a camera which allows to change lenses), so with the new system, the lenses are much lighter in comparison, so I have less to carry. (I have lenses from a fisheye to a super tele).Feedback
When you visit a zoo, you never know in advance which animal will be the most interesting subject of the day. So if possible go more than once, and use a year ticket or similar. This allows you to come early when the animals are not yet stressed by too many visitors and leave before the masses arrive. Sometimes it is worth waiting some time to see if something interesting will happen, sometimes it is better to go to the next animal. After some visits, you get a better feeling when to wait and when to go on...
