Gaboon Viper Fract

[Andrew McLachlan]

I spent last Friday meandering around the Toronto Zoo photographing all sorts of critters. The frogs weren't so cooperative, but this guy was. I love snakes and these vipers are among my favorites. They have the longest fangs at 2 inches, but they are doubled up so they actually have 4 fangs at 2 inches each...yikes....and produce the highest venom yield for any venomous snake. This is a very large specimen. Naturally I fracted it. Photographed through the glass with off camera flash.

Look forward to comments.

[denise ippolito]

Really cool looking Andrew! Love the processing. Maybe a slice off the top to just show it's skin w/o the BG. Very cool eye.

[Paul Lagasi]

I wondered where you'd gotten this image, I remember seeing a show a few years back, this tall blond man was trying to photograph one of these in the wild...he was saying they are one of the calmest, nonaggressive snakes in the wild....but he was super careful when handling it. A nice job with the frac effect, the eye and skin pattern are super...well done

[Cheryl Slechta]

Andrew, I love the image and fract work but agree with Denise about a little off the top. I have an acquaintance who breeds gaboon vipers, mambos, cobras etc. for their venom. Any time I've gone to visit I spend the whole time looking on the floor in case one has gotten out. I love snakes too but poisonous ones give me the willies

[Maureen Allen]

Very cool image, Andrew. The fract effect is perfect for this. I'm glad you were on the other side of the glass

[Nancy Bell]

I'm glad this is fracted. I think the real thing would be just too realistic! The colors and patterns are lovely.

[Judy Howle]

Another great example of your fract effect Andrew! I have a good friend who is a herpetologist and he catches snakes and holds them in one hand and uses his pocket camera to make photos of them... non-poisonous ones of course, but one bit him on the nose and another on the arm. Last year he grabbed a cotton mouth by the tail that was going in some bushes and pulled it out so he could photograph it!

[Andrew McLachlan]

Thanks folks for the comments, most appreciated. Loved hearing all your snake stories. I'll crop a smidge off the top for the fracted version. It is all snake coils, but the fracted version does create the illusion of the background.