green tree python
Oct, 2017Views
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pixelmac
Feb 27
Luckily, there was a glass pane between the python and me. I also had a quite strong arachnophobia. But taking pictures of spiders at least reduced the feeling. So whenever I see a spider, I think about how to best photograph it and it helps to reduce my fears ...
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Behind The Lens
Location
I took this photo at the Wilhelma Zoo in Stuttgart, Germany. At that time, I lived quite near to the zoo and had a year pass, so I could go every now and then to the zoo, but for a shorter time. I often went there early in the morning just after opening and left before the majority of visitors would come. With this strategy, it was easier to set up a tripod in front of the terrariumTime
On that day, I didn't go in the morning, instead I went there in the afternoon. It was December, so the zoo wasn't that filled anyway. I took the picture at 2:30 pm, but as the room was lighted with artifical light anyway, the time of day didn't matter. Only the amount of other visitors was relevant.Lighting
I don't like to use flash on animals (and I think it was forbidden anyways), so I only used the available (artifical) light. As this green tree python was just relaxing and didn't move at all, I was able to use the base ISO of my camera and a 3 second exposure.Equipment
I took the photo in 2007. At that time, I used a Nikon D200. For this shot, I used a 70-200/2.8 VR. As the picture is a non-cropped close-up, I probably used a closeup lens (Canon 500D). In order to get (most of) the head sharp, I stepped down to f13. As I used a stable tripod, the exposure time of 3 seconds was no issue.Inspiration
I like taking animal portraits in the zoo (or wherever else I find animals...). So when I saw that snake lying on a branch in good visibility, I just had to take that shot.Editing
The picture is almost straight out of the camera, only some minor white balance and contrast adjustments in Lightroom.In my camera bag
As I got more and more DSLR equipment and lenses over time, and mirrorless cameras with smaller sensors got better (i.e. good enough), I switch to Olympus and the micro four thirds system. I have an extensive set of lenses (from 8 to 1000mm) and other equipment, as I have quite diverse photographic interests. So the content of my bag (or backpack) very much depends on what I want to photograph. For wildlife, I used my OM Systems OM-1 with the 150-400/f4.5. When I meet some hobby models for a shot, I have a big backpack with several lenses (including fast primes) and flashes. When I just want a small camera which I can put into my coat pocket, I use a Pen-F with a 17mm/f1.8...Feedback
When you go to the zoo, you never know what photos you will get this time. It all depends on the time of day, feeding times, the mood of the animals, some luck etc. So if you do not live too far away from a zoo, it is best to get a year ticket, and go more often (even for a shorter time) to the zoo...
