hognose snake

Spring is on and all kinds of cool creatures are out. This snake was photographed at Rocky Mountain Arsenal today. The hognose markings are very close to a rattlesnake and the image shows the "hognose" feature. They are native to the shortgrass prairie.

I used a D200 at 400 ISO. F5.6 and 1/320th with a Nikon 70-180mm macro and beanbag for support.

I would appreciate your input on how to make more of the eye black and eliminate the photographer's reflection.

Thanks!

Dave Showalter

I would zoom in the picture very, very close until all I could see was the eye. Next, use one of the lassos to select only the eye. Create a new layer from the selection...zoom out to see the whole picture while only the eye is selected. Finally, while the eye layer is selected, adjust the highlights/shadows of the eye untill it suits your look. You might also lower the brightness or increase contrast while the eye is selected. All of these directions are based on the assumption that you are using Photoshop.

I'm just curious. But would a polarizer have alolowed you to cut out the reflection?

RichieV

Good idea...........I could have used a polarizer, but it was a fast-paced situation with an animal that wanted to burrow into the grass. I would have also needed to increase the ISO equivalent beyond 400, which I didn't want to do. I tried several angles and despite the shade, the translucence in the eyeball created a reflection.

Dave Showalter