water snake huddle

Gallery: WildlifePosted October 5, 2017154 views9 comments

This is a departure from most of the pictures and the wildlife gallery, still it does meet the requirements anything other than birds. I was hiking one day near a neighborhood Lake. I sat down to take a rest and as I looked around I noticed tree near the edge of the water. Its roots seem to be moving. I walked over and to my surprise found this pod of yellow bellied water snakes poking their head out of the base of the tree. They were quite photogenic I think you'll agree.... all were smiling and looking at the camera. Feedback is always appreciated
1/250
F 10
iso 1250
Canon 7d ii
Canon 100 400 L

Comments

9 comments

Comment posted by Ed Williams on October 5, 2017 at 8:06 PM

Wow! What a great view of this crowd of snakes Ry. This is the kind of thing you see on documentaries and wonder if it is real. Cool.

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

Comment posted by Jim Gavin on October 5, 2017 at 8:37 PM

I have never been fortunate to experience a unique (to me anyway) scene like this, and you captured it very well. Just think, you could have decided to rest on the roots of this tree and had quite a surprise. Was there something (like to eat) that captured their attention?

Registered on August 14, 2008, 293 Posts, 1250 Comments

Comment posted by Sharron Sims on October 7, 2017 at 1:36 PM

What a unique image! Ten snakes together all facing the same direction seems very unusual to me. Nice job capturing this unexpected moment.

Registered on April 28, 2014, 54 Posts, 166 Comments

Comment posted by Barbara Graham on October 7, 2017 at 8:55 PM

Wow! I have never seen anything like this. Great job to get this shot!

Registered on July 27, 2010, 1310 Posts, 5035 Comments

Comment posted by John Tobias on October 8, 2017 at 10:50 PM

A most unusual image! Nicely seen and taken. I do think some of the snakes, those more in the center could have the highlights just a bit darker if possible. Where was this taken and when? I wonder if these snakes were coming out of hibernation or if this may have been a group of males following a female. Thanks for sharing.

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

Comment posted by Mark Seaver on October 9, 2017 at 2:05 PM

This is a great catch on this pod of snakes. The dof keeps the front ones nicely sharp. I do think that some additional dodging and burning would enhance this well. Burning-in the bright root in the lower left corner would reduce the attention it gets, processing for some extra contrast in the snakes would give them a bit more pop, and some subtle dodging in the dark area where they're emerging would let that last head catch a bit more attention.

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

Comment posted by Max Waugh on October 9, 2017 at 7:08 PM

A remarkable moment to witness. Nice job stopping down in order to get more of the subjects in focus, Ry.

Max

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

Comment posted by Lon Sharp on October 10, 2017 at 10:49 AM

Wow, what an appearance by a mass of snakes! I agree with Mark that some selective tweaks would make this pop even more. On a more basic approach, perhaps just lowering exposure about a 1/3 stop would reduce some brightness and add drama. This is well taken and deserves finding the best processing! Thumbs up.

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

Comment posted by Charlie VanTassel on October 10, 2017 at 4:36 PM

What an opportunity. I never knew they did this. Talk about being in the right spot at the right time. And good for you to jump up to f10. I agree that you could pull the brightness down a touch. Incredible photo. devil

Registered on October 18, 2006, 644 Posts, 4801 Comments