Don't you dare

[Kiran Poonacha]

actually he meant no harm :D. he was just readjusting his jaws after polishing off a Toad. you can see the blood on his face.

Canon 40D + 500 mm.

Spec: 1/2500, F 7.1, ISO 400, -1.3.

Sorry forgot to mention: this is a rat snake.

[Harshad Barve]

Kiran bhai
You have struck gold here
awesome pose , blood on mouth, lovely colors and unbeliveble details
works for me all the way
TFS

[Ken Watkins]

Great action captured here, and if this is one of the poisonous Rat Snakes, great bravery as well.

I echo Harshad's opinions totally.

[Fabs Forns]

I love the action, colors, placement in the frame and the bits of green add a lot. Congratulations!

[Subharghya]

Bloody Brilliant Image Kiran :D ... Gr8 pose with open mouth and the blood adds a real drama to the image ... Gr8 Job Man !! I would have loved a tad more space to the right

[Rich Ikerd]

Exceptional Kiran. Not sure I'd be that willing to get down low for this - but then I have a healthy fear of snakes of all kinds.

[gary rouleau]

The tad bit of green to me is a little distracting but not enough to stop me from says WOW!

[Ed Cordes]

Great detail, especially the eye. The blood and other bits of past struggle put this over the top. If I were to wish for a small adjustment it would be for just a tad more DOF

[Bob Malbon]

Kiran, As said above: Super Capture! Bob

[Carl Gandolfo]

Wow, great image!! I hate snakes but can't help but love this image!!

[Roman Kurywczak]

Hi Kiran,
My preference would have been no green at the bottom.....but as Gary mentioned.... this one is still a wow! Very nicely done!

[David Fletcher]

Outstanding shot Kiran! Superlative.

[D. Robert Franz]

Excellent comp and light here. A winner for sure.

[Markus Jais]

Awesome shot. Great action and composition. I like the open mouth.

Markus

[Ákos Lumnitzer]

This is great Bhai, the pose is perfect. Are these venomous?

[Sabyasachi Patra]

Kiran,
Lovely image. I agree with Subharghya about a bit more space at the right. Also, it would have been better without the green leaves at the bottom. A 1.4x with the 500 mm would have been great. Thanks for sharing.

Cheers,
Sabyasachi

[Kiran Poonacha]

Thank you all for your kind words and suggestion...

When I found the rat snake its head was inside a hole and I knew it had made a kill. I positioned myself in such a manner where I could click when snake would comes out with the kill. but it came out only after swallowing the prey. when it felt my presence it lifted its head to have a better look at me. and as he moved forward the adjusted his jaws. this movement messed the DOF and added the green. I some how felt it added well. This is a non venomous Rat Snake. I love snakes a lot.

thanks again for all the encouragement,

Regards,

Kiran.

[Danny Laredo]

Simply stunning Kiran. Fantastic capture and wonderful colors and pose.
A real winner this is.

[sree.kumar.h]

It had prefect meal and you got a perfect shot :). Brilliant!

[John Ippolito]

Unusual, and excellent subject, Kiran. The comp, sharpness, bits of it's last meal and a nice BG take this one over the top, and I don't mind the green at all. Excellent.

[stuart wanuck]

love the image kiran what is the reasoning for adding exp comp -1.3?

[Krishnan]

Cracker image Kiran ! Great shot !

[Juan Aragonés]

She looks really threating with that "cobra-like" pose :-D
The green leaves in the foreground are a bit distracting but I love the composition, light and amazing details of this breathtaking image. Very well done!