Photo of the Month 5/'11

Awesome shot! Personally though, I think all wildflower photos are manly. Glad we don't have those in northern California (at least, as far as I know).

This is awesome.

Wow, What a shot, Steve. Really well done, and wonderful colors, but you can keep him.

Nick Bristol
Lone Rock, WI

Amazing Steve. "You never see the same thing twice".

Wow, great shot! I don't think I'd even be thinking about taking photos if this snake popped up near me. But your "manliness" paid off!

dude, you are so awesome. And I mean that in a totally manly way. AWESOME!

Steve, the only thing manly about this would be if your pants remained stain-free after this encounter!

Fantastic image - I expect this would be in the running for a wildlife photo of the year somewhere. Holy Frijole!

Lon

This one is such a surprise, not sure what it is from the thumbnail then WOW !! Would not want to find this beauty in my flower shot. Fantastic work!

Can you say surprise factor? This is crazy indeed.

That's a beautiful speciman (I love snakes!!). Looks like he just shed his skin perhaps.

You timed this perfectly, and the gorgeous flowers make for a beautiful FG & BG. Great catch.

Awesome shot. Amazing that you manage to held the camera still to get a sharp picture

This is like a once in a life time shot. Like the creative pose that rattle gave you. Sweet image!

Yikes!! Great composition... from the curvature of the snake's body to his tongue sticking out... Double yikes!!! Glad we don't have critters like that here! Not sure how you kept your composure, as I would've been outta there in a flash. Awesome capture, Steve!!!

Beautiful image. This is awesome. Like Lon said, it is contest winner waiting for a contest. And it would have been quite manly if you walked away with clean shorts.

I have let my dogs run around in the Antelope Valley, not even being aware these things were out there. Not again though. It would be lights out if there was an encounter.

Thanks guys, it was towards the end of the week so my extra pairs of underwear were running low! At this point I felt the poisen was already in me so I just pointed and shot. It's not a wonder I miss all wildlife shots because the settings are almost always way off but it was windy out so the settings were perfect, a lucky shot for sure.

Mark II 70-200 L IS 2.8
F16 1/250 ISO 400

That's a once in a lifetime shot, Steve. Just breathtaking.

Wow this is crazy Steve. Incredibly strong image,you will do well with it. I am glad you were all right. What focal length did you use?

I love this shot Steve! Way to stick it out and get the shot.

Awesome shot Steve. Mojave Greens have a serious attitude problem. I almost stepped on one last year (see link). They typically don’t back down like most rattlers and hold their ground. Nothing like the sound of a nearby rattle to get your blood going.

http://www.naturephotographers.net/imagecritique/ic.cgi?a=vp&pr=145507&CGISESSID=86fe436133abdca42359186de4a28c9d&u=21571

Just seriously too cool, Steve! The flowers are frickin' awesome too. One of your best!

Rudy, I remember your post. I think if I saw it down at my feet I lose my footing and fall directly on it. I'd rather have the telephoto keep me at a safer distance!

The posture of the snake makes this awesome but the setting puts it WAY over the top. GREAT image!

WOW! Fantastic image Steve but YIKES!

I had to check twice to make sure this wasn't posted on 4/1. Wow.. what a great shot!

Guy

Holy hell what a catch. And lucky too eh? Nice!

aF

Steve, this is amazing! Unbelievable catch! Your low DOF, colors, flowers, and sharp snake in the center... it's perfect in every way and very beautiful. It's my favorite shots of yours for sure. Bravo!

Awesome!!!

- Dan.

YIKES!! Has this experience made you think twice about shooting in a wildflower bed?

"killer" shot! Hope I'm never fortunate enough to have a similar experience

This really is the ultimate rattle snake image. Awesome contrast between the tame flowers and the intimidating snake. As stated before this is a once in a lifetime!

WOW!!!! Once in a lifetime shot, Steve, and you nailed it!

Awesome image, Steve. A winner for sure.

I'll only be impressed if you were shooting this with a macro!!! Or maybe a 10mm Actually I would have been a little freaked to be that close. These guys have the nastiest venom of any of our native poisenous species. I don't know if rattler's hiss loudly as well as rattle. But that could have been the whizzing sound you heard. Gopher snakes puff up and breath/hiss quite loudly to put on a big show of intimidation.

Chris

Man, what an incredible shot! One of a kind.

Awesome, Steve! You only live once. Might as well get it over with. The flowers are great as a surounding to this beast.

For all my fellow Southwestern Photographers and extending even into Northern California and parts of Oregon especially Eastern Oregon, rattlesnakes are fairly common and I have seen many in the field, although no Mojave Greens. Steve I'm really surprised this is your first close up encounter as much time as you spend in the bush on walkabout. By the way Chris is right the Mojave Green is the most deadly of the venomous snakes in North America and it is the combination of nuero and hemo toxins in the venom. The whizz sound you heard its the rattle starting up and the constant rattle is the snake more rhythmically wagging it's sound-maker. By it's pose it is ready to strike but not very far it isn't fully coiled yet. For all us other photographers the Southern Pacific rattler is the species of note a grey and black diamond patterned devil it is much more common and has a large distribution range. You have captured the snake photo of a lifetime, kinda the last thing a field mouse might see before lights out. By the way if you had been bitten it would have been the same for you. If you were invenomnated , sometimes the snake strikes but does not inject, I hope you have your affairs in order and a proper will. All of the other species bites will make you wish you were dead, but may not kill you. So if we venture out into the Antelope Valley or anywhere in the Mojave this spring I think this image is a great warning to be snake aware. They are most active moving at dusk and dawn ( the magic hours for photographers ) and will retreat to a shady areas as the sun rises. For night image makers they are active all night they are crepuscular and nocturnal. Those pits just below the eyes in Steve's incredibly sharp image are the infrared detection sensors of the snake, it is a pit viper after all. So not only did it feel your vibrations Steve it sensed the heat radiating from your 98.6 body. Fortunately your heat signature was large enough it didn't see you as food but it did believe you were a threat. That's why it raised up and began rattling, but happy for you, the equipment was ready, got the shot and both the snake and you are none the worse for the wear.

Paul

I heard a distinct loud whizz sound before I heard the constant rattle

Would that whizzing sound be you peeing your pants?

Great shot, Steve! That snake means business--you were lucky.

--P

Hands down the best wildflower shot I've seen

Didn't know what to think from the thumbnail, this is awesome Steve!

Every once in a while an image gets posted that makes my jaw drop open. Then I yell to my wife, "You gotta see this photo." Happened tonight. One of the best images ever. I'll be seeing this one in the magazines. Sincerest congrats for getting it.

great shot!

Whoa! I might not sleep tonight, Steve. What a picture.

I've never been too thrilled with snake images but this one has it all! Awesome shot and I think the processing is right on. Unbelievable!!!!!!!!!!!

Incredible shot Steve, I cant stop looking at it. A competion winner for sure.

Gary.

Wicked shot Steve!! I think I would have been heading for the hills when this guy showed up. Way to stick it out and catch an amazing shot.

Steve, I saw this yesterday, and man, I think I'd mess myself had I seen that thing. The flowers alone stand strong, but what a change of character for this image with a venomous viper, your talent / luck has no bounds!

Incredible shot, Steven...show it to the next competition, this is a winner for sure

Brigitte

It's fantastic.
I'd love to see the photo that the snake took... you know just to check the manly thing

Holy hell, what a jaw-droppingly incredible shot!!!!! The most incredible nature shot I've seen in a long time. Congrats on making it alive, and with such a killer shot to boot!

HA! you should cross post this in flora (and wildlife, and enviro, and...) Definitely a candidate for photo of the year!

Excellent image!

Super shot Steve!! How you held it together to get such a fantastic shot is beyond me. I think this should be the cover shot for June. Here in Vermont we don't encounter such surprises as this. Just wonderful!! Keep up the great work, and be safe.

I can't stop looking at this... great shot on so many levels. Definitely has that "Adam and Eve" snake-in-paradise theme going on!

Impressive, strong, high impact, Oh, Mommy kind of shot! Outstanding color, dof, and pof on this little bugger. This shot is getting a lot of well deserved buzz.

This is stunning, Steve! I'm glad that you weren't hurt.

Yeah, this is definitely phenomenal.

Well done ! Perfect colorful setting.

Wow, great capture Steve! This same thing happened to me a few years back in a wildflower field in the Gorge, but I didn't end up with a shot like this. Grats!

Amazing!!!!!! What a cool story and a contest winning photo to match.

I'll repeat from what I said at another location:

Holey Shite!!!

That scares the Heck out of me! Killer shot Steve!!!!!!!

2 days ago I was climbing up an obscure plateau/mesa/cliffside in the Grand Canyon to attempt some original locations and almost put my hand right down on one!!! I really lucked out! Then last year I was leading a tour and one came out from a rock (grand canyon again) and almost bit my client! That one I killed with my tripod (I felt bad though) because it was coming at him and his back was to a cliff!

Some scary stuff reminding us to be WAY careful where we are roaming around!!!

Again, scary but really GREAT shot! I'm very impressed. An award winner for sure.

Wildlife and wild flowers, vivid colors and aggressive behavior! Absolutely stunning!

Whoa!!! Freaking amazing shot Steve. Perfect framing on the snake. Fantastic work!!!

Michael

Wicked! Absolutely insane! Definitely the best flora shot I have ever seen . You should go around flora and wildlife galleries with this to get some more credit.

This is an over the top classic. A once in a lifetime shot.

Steve, this is just in-your-face awesome!

I saw this a while ago and knew I wanted to come back and comment when time permitted. This is a phenomenal image, as is quite obvious. I spent several years,working for USGS finding, studying and photographing reptiles and amphibians in the desert, including the six species of rattlesnakes in and around Joshua Tree. I mention this only to emphasize that I fully understand how extraordinary this image is. For all of the components to come together, and have the ability to capture it is a combination of good skill, technique and maybe a little luck:) You certainly captured an epic wildlife moment, congratulations.

My only critique would be in calling it a "manly" image. Many of my female herpetologist friends might take offense to that:)

A winner for sure. Wow, what a photo op and you got it. Congrats.

Awesome shot, stunning colors.

WOW...just great, it is a winner for sure...maybe I will try crawling around on my belly some here in Virginia. I have been trying to find rattle snakes to take photos of in the wild..no luck yet..as they say..when you are looking you don't see them..anyway nice shot!!!

Oh, I forgot I have a bad lower back, don't know if I can crawl around like that...lol..

Steve this is WOW!!! Just superb!!

This has got to be one of the most amazing photographs I've ever seen!

Wow, spectacular!!! This is just unreal!!! And the fact that you took some shots before jumping up... man, you are my hero!!!

Just unfreakin'believeable! Wonderful, mindblowing image!

W W!!! Incredible Image Steve

Ken Archer

This is an amazing shot. I'm captivated by the beauty of the entire image as well as the fear of being surprised by this snake. Well done and congrats on the EP

Sick shot! Hope you had a long zoom for this. I don't think I would have hung around. Maybe a touch more contrast - looks a little hazy or washed out, may have been the lighting though, as it looks pretty even, not much in the way of shadows. Congrats!

That is an amazing story andawesome at that! Look at that Manly florel scene you got. I still can't get over how you got it, really? Excellent and congratulations on the WP

Wow! Steve, this is one of the best snake images I have ever seen! I just cannot help wondering why you choose to post this in the Landscape Gallery though? Superb image, congrats!

Congrats on EP, Steve !

Image of a lifetime Steve. I highly suggest you submit this to Nat Geo and any upcoming major contests. This has winner written all over it.

Glad all we have here in Wyo are mostly Prairie Rattlers..although encounters with them are just as unnerving when they happen.

Also, congrats on the EP. Totally worth photo of the year in my opinion, unless someone can top this...which I doubt. How's it feel knowing you'll never take a better shot? j/k ;]

Gorgeous!
Not sure why this isn't in either Flora or wildlife, though.. ?
Congrats on the EP!
Sandy

Whoa! I missed this one, Steve! Wicked different and awesome image! I imagine we'll see this in some kind of publication... congrats on the EP!

Perfection Steve!!!! When I lived in AZ and treated animals bit by rattlesnakes, the worst bites were typically Mojaves.

Congrats on the EP

freakin amazin!

What an amazing setting. A well-deserved weekly pick!

Max

Criminy! I just wet myself looking at this! What do you expect, manly I am not.

How you maintained your composure to get shots just completely mystifies me. The snake is so unspeakably scary looking and threatening in such a gorgeous setting. Truly incredible. This is THE snake image of all time for epitomizing the death-dealing sinister nature for whom it is used as a symbol.

You now have good reason to believe in Guardian Angels. Yours is working hard and deserves some credit for the EP!

Huge congrats in expectation of many publications of this photo and perhaps photo/photographer of the year. WOW!

Stunning

Incredible!! Congrats on the EP. I agree with the recommendations to submit this to a few major contests. It could certainly land some high honors!

i love hate this. I can't stop looking at it, but it makes me want to pee my pants involuntarily.

Wow...that is one unique image.

Thanks...

Nate

Hoo Boy! Just saw this now. What a shot and perfect/lucky timing. This is awesome, Steve. I bet you win an award with this one.

I'm speechless;

Holy Crap!!!!! My eyes almost popped out of my head when I saw this come up on the front page. Well done!!!!!!!

Holy cow, what a great shot Steve. Not sure I would be taking pictures if something like this happen to me.
Congratulations on photo of the month, may be photo of the year.

Ron Huff

Fabulous photograph! Congratulations on your well deserved NPN cover.

Oh Steve - this has got to be the most stunning snake image I've seen in ages. What a beast, and for something so dangerous to be quite so menacing in amongst those pretty meadow flowers just makes my mind run away with the connotations - which is exactly what top class natural history photography is all about.

I shan't be forgetting this image in a hurry I can tell you - simply spectacular in every way imo

I just love this photo. Really nice.

Thanks everyone, it's an honor to have the photo chosen here!

That is one of the most amazing shots I have ever seen. Very well done, that image will stick with me! BTW, if that were me, my camera would still be out there in the flowers somewhere :)

Truly top not Steve, glad you had the 70-200 on instead of the wide angle. :)

I've been waiting to be #100....This is one of the best shots I've ever seen.

Congrat's on NPN Photo of the Month! Once in a lifetime shot and very well deserved.

I'll have to add my kudos! My jaw dropped when I saw the front cover! Just excellent! Congrats on the EP and the Cover and for future awards as well!!!

Steve: Not sure how I missed such a fine Flora shot. The party crasher is pretty cool as well A once in a lifetime moment superbly captured. >=))>

Holy moly

Spectacular, congrats!