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Glenn Wheeler
01-09-2008, 11:29 AM
Found this southern copperhead (Agkistrodon contortrix) while co-leading a spring photo workshop. Several of us got some great images of him.

He was pretty wet and cold, therefore moving pretty slow. I picked him up out of the leaves and placed him on the mossy rock. I'd have to reposition him for each new "pose" and even gently tickled his nose a couple of times to get him to flick his tongue. I never claimed to be bright. :D

This photo always gets a reaction, from "Cool" to "HOLY $#&@!!" to "YUCK!".

This was shot with a Canon 1DMark II, Sigma 105mm Macro, ISO 100, 1/13 sec at f/5, Tripod, no flash.

Glenn Wheeler
01-09-2008, 11:33 AM
Forgot to remove the annoying white spots before posting. My normal copy of this image doesn't have those so prominently....

Lance Warley
01-09-2008, 11:47 AM
You tickled his nose?

Glenn Wheeler
01-09-2008, 12:59 PM
Yep, the workshop partcipants wanted him to flick his tongue. He couldn't move much, so I wasn't in much danger...

Jasper Doest
01-10-2008, 03:58 AM
Hi GlenI admire your honisty....but I am not really sure about you tickling its nose in front of a bunch of workshop participants. I've send you a pm regarding that. As for the photograph I think this is a bit too big in frame. If you would have used a smaller focal lenght you could have shown the nice setting and have a bit more DOF. Also I find the composition a bit awkard...with the head so close to the edge of the frame.

D. Robert Franz
01-10-2008, 08:52 AM
Copperheads are beautiful snakes for sure. I know it can be difficult but I like to shoot snakes for eye level, now thats low... I like the colors here. The snake going from in focus to OOF and back into focus is a bit distracting. The implied motion of the snake is out of the frame since it's positioned so close to the edge of the frame. FYI I've found snake photography to be very difficult..

Glenn Wheeler
01-10-2008, 09:12 AM
Hey guys, thanks for your comments. Jasper, I answered your PM as well.

I have several frames of this guy, but purposefully used this image with the tight crop and close framing on the left to add to the tension of the viewer. It may not have worked in this case.

I understand your comments and agree, but wanted to quantify why I posted this particular one.

I should also follow up to Jasper's comment about the workshop participants just to clarify. When I first saw this snake, he was hidden in the leaf litter and had literally been stepped on by at least two workshop participants. Luckily for them, it was pretty cold and rainy and his response time was WAY slow. I actually moved him to the spot he was photographed for his safety. Both because he had been stepped on and also because a couple of workshop participants were literally about to kill the snake. Many folks have a very deep fear of snakes, especially venomous ones, and let that fear override other thoughts.

Thus I moved the snake and used the opportunity as both a photo op and an educational opportunity for the participants. Several of them had never seen a live copperhead so we talked about behavior, habitat, benefit to the environment and more. When we left the remote area, the snake was safe and sound and so were all of the participants.

Thanks again, and yes D. Robert, snake photography can be tough for sure. I'll try and post one of my other snake images later...

Glenn Wheeler
http://www.glennwheeler.com
http://www.photoroadtrips.com

James Shadle
01-10-2008, 09:15 PM
Glenn,
What a beautiful snake.
Well exposed and nice and sharp.
IMO the composition could be improved with a looser crop, offering a less cramped feel.

You mentioned putting the snake on a rock. Personally I might have opted for a longer lens and a lower angle (if possible).

Thanks for the explanation about your "snake wrangling";)

James

Larry Daniel
01-10-2008, 09:18 PM
Great close up Glenn. Remind me not to join you on any snake photo workshops.
:)

Lisa Giroux
07-04-2009, 07:43 PM
Glenn,

I'm new to the forum but I'm from where you are :-) Used to live in Jasper, Arkansas, now live in Newfoundland, Canada. I love the copperhead pic. I want to get a copperhead tattoo as a reminder of my roots...

Lisa Giroux (used to be Kilgore)
Codroy Valley, Newfoundland