GET AWAY LUNCH w/repost

Awesome shot Craig!! The snake with it's mouth open puts this over the top, congrats!

Neat shot Craig. The light and expression on the snakes face makes all the difference I think.

Sweet action and unique prey item. That snake is not a happy camper. I like the crop. There's only two things I could see you doing to make slight improvements: Tone down the contrast a bit and if it were mine I would do a little cleanup on the bird's eye. I always try to make the eyes look as clear/clean as I can, but that's just me. I would lighten, sharpen, and adjust the catchlight to really make it pop.

Nice shot Craig, good details, I would suggest trying to reduce the contrast a touch, the meal really makes this shot.

Craig

I'm sure glad I am not that snake! Love the open mouth of the snake, how the heron seems to have its eye directly on its prey and your choice of comp. I would reduce contrast on the bird and snake to allow more details in the darks to be visible.

Craig, well done. What a great look at this moment, I am sure glad I am not on the menu. I agree with what the others have suggested. Well Done!!.

What Nate wrote! Well done!

Repost with lightened contrast and brighter catchlight, Thanks for the great suggestions!

Gorgeous head shot, Craig. I love the crisp focus on the snake.

Great Close-up Behavior Photo Craig!!!

Ken Archer

Wonderful image Craig. Love the Snakes open mouth.

Great timing, Craig. Very cool image!

A great capture Craig. I like the repost a lot better. Very cool interaction with that snake. I think I would kill it before eating it, but that's just me.

Good job on the repost.

What an awesome image - I never see these birds with good prey. The fact that the mouth is open on the snake is really impressive - can't get better than this.

- Luke

A great capture and image. The repost looks great.

What a great catch, glad I stopped by Craig.
I liked the other shots on your website as well..The full wrap around by the snake seemed a good last ditch survival effort by the snake ;)
You've done an outstanding job of cashing in on this opportunity,
Well done!

As many Heron w/prey shots as I've taken I've never had one with a snake. Very cool shot. You have some nice sequence shots on your site as well as Howard mentions. Well done!!

This is really cool! I like your other shots, too! Repost is nice. Sweet (well, literally speaking) image! I have no idea how he tastes :) Sharon

What an action shot, very interesting, the repost looks great, well done.

Thanks to everyone for your suggestions (incorporated in the repost,) and comments. I have shot GB Herons for years and a few times with caught snakes but none as close up and detailed as this bird. As mentioned he was standing in a slough at the refuge (the bank close to my car,) and I think he found a nest as he picked 3 snakes off the grassy shoreline within a few feet of each other. While excited about finding him and the first snake (that did not want to go down easily), I was let down in my expectations of good shots as their was heavy grasses. I had to keep moving the car, trying to get clear shots between OOF grass. This image as well as others on my website captured the actions and the finished images are a result of a considerable amount of cloning out grass in each.

Thanks again for viewing and your comments. Craig

The little snake looks a little bit peaved, testimony to the sharpness of this image. Great composition and graphic appeal. Well done Craig.