Snake!

I'm not very good with the animal shots ... but I have a couple from the zoo that I like. There will be some panda shots upcoming. :-) This was taken through glass, using my flash. What thoughts do you have?

Any comments or ratings are appreciated! :-)

Love the detail on the scales. Would like the top of his head and his eye to be a bit sharper, but the glass may be the culprit here. I love that you cropped this so close! Looking forward to the pandas.

 

L

Lou Ann, I would echo Leslie's comment on the sharpness of the snake's eye. The shallow DOF is great and the tight crop works well. Was this at the DC zoo?

Yes - it was at the zoo in DC. It's a fabulous zoo ... and it's FREE!!! :-)

Looks pretty up close and personal. Considering that you took it through glass, I think you did a nice job. Good sharpness in the scales.

His "expression" appears as though you tapped his "shoulder". :-)

This is quite an amazing photo! Gosh, the snake looks so REAL (i know, i know, it is real), and so alert!... Superb.

 

Lou Ann, you are brave! :)

Glass, folks ... remember that there was GLASS between me & him. I wouldn't have even been in the same ROOM if there weren't GLASS there! :-) Oh - and my lens was set at 300mm!

Yeah, good there was glass in between.

 

Your 300 mm gives a beautiful glowing blur around him, really cool!

Oh, Lou Ann, that is close ;-)).some more sharpness was already said, but I like your crop .

A couple of years ago I went to the Luray Zoo for the first time and didn't realize that they had snakes and such. I had my polarizer on my 18-55 lens on my Canon 20D. When I got into the dark area where the snakes were, I popped up the camera flash and shot at an angle to the snakes. I couldn't believe how they came out. Just a thought.

 

Great shot.

Nice shot, Gordon! I used a flash here, but not a filter. I hadn't expected to be spending time inside any of the zoo houses, but it was a hot day and my upstate NY visiting family needed a break from the July weather. I'm amazed that a couple of my snake shots turned out!

Whoa! that reptile looks menacing! I have tried a few zoo shots but found them surprisingly difficult. The animals just did not quite cooperate to get the best shots. How much did you crop to get this close?

Colin - this is the exact crop from the camera. The glass inbetween us allowed me to get very close to the snake. Literally a few inches away. :-) (P.S. It was a lucky shot!)

The experts say that a good photo will convey feelings and emotions in the viewer and this one gives me the "willy's", I think that beady eye is looking right at me and sizing me up for a meal......ish. Good detail and color.

Susan, are there many snakes where you work?

We see a lot of snakes, the ones I'm not real fond of are the rattlesnakes which we see frequently during the summer.

When I first saw this I thought you must be crazy, that clost to a snake, that looks, like he's gonna eat you for dinner. But (whooh) thankfully you and he were speratred by glass. You did a great job behind the glass with this one, and greta clarity for being at 300.. Way to go, Even though he still gives me the eebie jeebies.:). Cole

Thanks, Cole - actually, he gives me the eebie geebies myself! :-)