Western Rattlesnake

Gallery: WildlifePosted September 20, 201619,808 views4 comments

I was hiking with a friend at the Joseph Grant County Park in San Jose, CA when we were startled by the rattle of this snake. Fortunately it was nice enough to alert us to its presence before we got too close. The light is a bit harsh as the sun was behind the snake and it was late in the day and I didn't have a lot of options to move around. I was still pleased that there was some light on the snake's eyes. After about 15 shots the snake moved off into a pile of dead tree branches. This was the only one with the tongue out.

Nikon D800, ISO 640, 1/500, f/11
Nikkor 80-400 AF-S @ 400. Handheld.
Slight crop. Highlights toned down plus micro contrast boosted a bit with the clarity slider in LR.

Clinton

Comments

4 comments

Comment posted by Ed Williams on September 20, 2016 at 5:08 PM

Nice detail and color in the large version Clinton. DOF is really good for the main focal point, the triangular, sharp toothy thing. It is also nice that it was on a grassy area instead of a roadway.

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

Comment posted by Kathy Barnhart on September 21, 2016 at 4:26 PM

Yikes, it looks ready to strike, so kudos for getting this shot while staying safe. In a shot like this, you take whatever light you can get, and it really doesn't look that harsh to me. I like very much that the rattles are back lit and very prominent in the image, and while they are blurred, they convey movement and sound!

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

Comment posted by Brad Hill on September 21, 2016 at 8:31 PM

Hi Clinton,

Harsh light indeed, but quite nicely handled. I like how the light pattern almost highlights the bends in the body...but it is a bit of a shame that a little more wasn't striking the head (the head is almost lost when you first look at the image). But obviously there was nothing you could do about that...

Cheers...

Brad

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

Comment posted by Mark Seaver on September 24, 2016 at 4:56 PM

It seems like this is rattlesnake summer. Another good look at a rattler poised and ready to strike. The pose and your dof look good as does the highlight in the rattles. I'd suggest doing some dodging of the dark tones for a better look at it's head. It looks like you've handled the highlights well

Registered on January 23, 2011, 1103 Posts, 17270 Comments