Coachwhip

Gallery: WildlifePosted August 2, 2012475 views15 comments

I took a break from photography for several months and just now getting back into the groove of things. We have open desert behind our place so you never know what may come wandering by the back porch. It was a Saturday morning and I was trying to photograph some hummingbirds when I spotted this black snake moving through the desert about 50 feet away from me. I removed my camera from the tripod and took a couple of steps forward toward the snake when it spotted me and quickly froze. This kind of surprised me because I have been able to get fairly close to most other desert snakes. When I started forward again the snake darted into a large prickly pear cactus and I lost sight of it. I decided to go around to the other side of this large cactus and kneeled down to check things out when to my surprise the coachwhip was already there checking me out.

Comments and suggestions most welcomed.

Tucson, AZ (07/28/12 11:30 am)
Nikon D7000
Nikkor 300 f4, 1.4 TC
1/640 sec, f8, iso 400, hand held
Raw image processed in PS CS5
Around 60% of original image, cropped 20% from each side.

Comments

15 comments

Comment posted by John Tobias on August 2, 2012 at 7:24 AM

Very nice snake portrait. Sharpness is great! As is the detail in the snakes skin and head. If you look close it appears you may have a self portrait in the eye of the snake. The white areas of the cactus maybe a bit distracting, but not much IMHO. Thanks for sharing.

Registered on September 12, 2009, 2120 Posts, 6455 Comments

Comment posted by Max Waugh on August 2, 2012 at 11:40 AM

I think the white spots add a nice pattern and texture to the surroundings. I also like how the cactus frames the snake. The only thing I'm not sure about is the crop. On one hand, we invariably want to leave room in front of a profile subject. On the other hand, a tighter crop from the left here might frame the snake in a bit better. Tough call, but it's an effective shot either way. Nice job, Jim.

Max

Registered on September 26, 2008, 428 Posts, 2329 Comments

Comment posted by Vincent Grafhorst on August 2, 2012 at 2:01 PM

Wow, what an awesome setting Jim! The fact that this the snake is all black makes this even stronger as it makes it stand out perfectly in these surroundings. I like this a lot.

Registered on February 24, 2006, 504 Posts, 7203 Comments

Comment posted by Eirini Pajak on August 2, 2012 at 3:57 PM

Nice! Great portrait! These guys are near impossible to photograph! You know...I think they are called the coachwhip because supposedly they strike repeatedly...I don't think they are venemous.

Registered on December 13, 2011, 216 Posts, 1671 Comments

Comment posted by Simon Bennett on August 2, 2012 at 4:09 PM

Excellent!

Registered on February 4, 2007, 350 Posts, 4614 Comments

Comment posted by Lon Sharp on August 2, 2012 at 5:21 PM

Two thumbs up! Neat capture and well composed.

Registered on December 9, 2007, 258 Posts, 9892 Comments

Comment posted by Kathy Barnhart on August 2, 2012 at 9:41 PM

Wonderful shot. Love the textures, the colors, and the comp. And the snake itself is so sharp. Great photo!

Registered on November 11, 2011, 404 Posts, 1639 Comments

Comment posted by Ajit Huilgol on August 2, 2012 at 11:13 PM

Beautifully executed, Jim! There is so much detail even though the snake is all black.

Registered on December 19, 2008, 302 Posts, 2055 Comments

Comment posted by Howard Cheek on August 3, 2012 at 9:13 AM

What a great find Jim, excellent exposure/colors..
I especially like the wonderful natural framing here, nice sharp head eye.
Well done & have a great weekend

Registered on July 24, 2008, 1201 Posts, 10758 Comments

Comment posted by Brad Hill on August 3, 2012 at 11:16 AM

Hey Jim,

Very cool! It's rare for me to look at a photo and think "hmmm...wouldn't change anything on that one, even in a perfect world!". But that's how I feel about this one.

While there's lots to like in this image (placement of the snake, sharpness, great dark-on-dark detail, etc.), to me the biggest single thing that distinguishes this shot is how well the near-black snack pops from its much lighter surroundings - great visual contrast there!

Well done - glad to see you're "back" into photography and thanks a bunch for posting this...

Cheers...

Brad

Registered on May 29, 2007, 431 Posts, 6061 Comments

Comment posted by Tonia Graves on August 6, 2012 at 1:10 AM

Jim, love the pose and setting in this! These snakes are famous for not only being highly aware of their surroundings but they are also incredibly fast and will strike repeatedly if caught. They are not venomous but it is still shocking to have such a small thing bite you over & over again! Thanks for sharing this!

Registered on October 29, 2011, 92 Posts, 1035 Comments

Comment posted by SandyRichardsBrown on August 8, 2012 at 3:40 PM

Nice portrait of this fellow, and nice "stalking" to find him.
Congrats on the WP!
Sandy

Registered on November 24, 2003, 3937 Posts, 12909 Comments

Comment posted by Jim DeWitt on August 8, 2012 at 5:20 PM

Great shot, Jim. Good to have you back posting.

Congratulations on the EP.

Registered on August 28, 2006, 1240 Posts, 8506 Comments

Comment posted by Ed Williams on August 8, 2012 at 5:43 PM

Wow! Excellent shot Jim. You got amazing detail in the black snake and great color in the cactus leaves. Nice job, congrats ont he weekly pic.

Registered on December 28, 2010, 636 Posts, 3499 Comments

Comment posted by Richard Ditch on August 10, 2012 at 6:47 PM

Terrific image! We've had one visit the yard a couple years ago here in Phoenix but i was only able to get a few shots through the glass window. They are fast and a difficult subject (at least for me).

Registered on November 1, 2003, 1031 Posts, 12705 Comments