Here’s looking at you

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Here’s looking at you

April 28, 2013 by Mike Powell

Snake eyes are often cold and menacing, but somehow this snake that I encountered yesterday seems to have warm brown eyes that look almost like he is smiling.

This snake, which I think is a Common Garter Snake (Thamnophis sirtalis), was curled up in some underbrush near the edge of the marsh. It was a real challenge getting a clear view of his head, the more so because I was using my 135-400mm lens that has a minimum focusing distance of almost seven feet (two meters).

For this shot, I used my tripod so that I could get an exposure of 1/30 second at f/9, with the lens zoomed out to about 350mm. I like the fact that I was able to capture some of the beautiful texture of the scales on his skin. You can easily see how I had to look for little sight windows through the brush, which is mostly blurred and hopefully is not too distracting. Finally, I am happy that I managed to capture some of the sinuous curves that help to guide the viewer’s eye to the snake’s head.

Posted in Macro Photography, Nature, Photography, Portraits, Reptiles, wildlife | Tagged Canon Rebel XT, Common Garter snake, garter snake, Huntley Meadows Park, Sigma 135-400mm telephoto zoom lens, snake, snake eyes, Thamnophis sirtalis | 12 Comments

12 Responses

on April 28, 2013 at 5:57 pm | Reply theINFP

I think it’s a great shot, I like the soft sheen on the snake’s scales
- on April 28, 2013 at 6:05 pm | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks. The shot turned out a whole lot better than I had anticipated.
on April 28, 2013 at 6:02 pm | Reply Mjollnir

Beautiful. 😀
- on April 28, 2013 at 6:06 pm | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks. It’s nice to know that I am not the only one who thinks that snakes can be beautiful!
on April 28, 2013 at 6:48 pm | Reply Another Perspective Photography

I love garter snakes, and always think they look friendly! I have a few images myself…somewhere on a hard drive. None this good though- your lens really looks like you’re up close and personal with this guy! I actually really like the blurred foreground and the window between grasses- it adds great depth!
- on April 28, 2013 at 7:04 pm | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks. I seem to have a macro eye, even when I have a long lens on my camera. I could have taken the macro lens out of the bag that I was carrying, but decided to see what I could do with the telephoto. It requires a pretty good amount of light and needs to be stopped down and pulled back from max zoom, but it can give some pretty good result. I have a healthy respect for snakes, even those that look friendly.
on April 28, 2013 at 9:53 pm | Reply krikitarts

A very nice portrait for sure. Yes, there appears to be an anthropomorphic smile, but the intensity of the gaze seems to belie the apparent friendliness. Really nice detail, especially considering the working conditions and the long lens. And the thorns add an extra touch of drama.
on April 28, 2013 at 11:19 pm | Reply Charlie@Seattle Trekker

The detail is absolutely stunning. I have never seen your technique at a higher level.
- on April 29, 2013 at 4:04 am | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks, Charlie.
on April 28, 2013 at 11:28 pm | Reply lylekrahn

You must have had a transforming effect on him!
on April 30, 2013 at 8:02 pm | Reply Sue

Nice crisp detail on the scales. Is it just the light or did this snake actually look blue?
- on April 30, 2013 at 8:12 pm | Reply Mike Powell
  
  I don’t think he looked blue in person, but he was in partial shade and that may have affected the colors.