Photographing snakes - set up advice

[steve nunn]

Hi,

Need some advice really. I am going on a trip to photograph snakes/lizards. Any advice on the best set up to use? I have a 10D, 100-400 IS, Tamron AF SP 90mm f2.8.

Cheers

[robertwgross]

Uhhh, snakes and lizards!

Chuckwallas are easy to shoot, since they don't move that fast. They tend to be darkish, so you might want to do a touch in exposure compensation. Zebra lizards are pretty fast and tend to hide under desert bushes. You almost have to catch them out in the open. If you are on the desert, you have to keep the glare of the desert surface controlled. Desert iguanas are funny, if you can get them with their head stuck down into the sand.

Snakes can be difficult. You don't want to get very close to the average rattler, water moccasin, copperhead, or anything like that. I shot one king snake the other day, but the Mountain kingsnake is much more photogenic.

In California, we have gopher snakes. They have colorations similar to a rattlesnake, yet they are nonvenomous. Plus, they don't move that fast, so I have shot some facial closeups of them out on a trail.

---Bob Gross---

[steve nunn]

Cheers Bob,

Nothing quite so exotic. I will be taking my photos in the UK. We only have 6 species of reptile - 3 snakes - only one of which is posionous. The site I am going to is heathland and will support all of the species. Most of them are fairly dark in colouration. The weather forcast is fairly overcast.

[robertwgross]

On one recent trip, within ten minutes of walking time on the trail, I saw one rattlesnake, one Mountain kingsnake, and one rubber boa. By then, I was a little nervous.

I have a photo of a rattlesnake that I shot at an altitude of 9050 feet. The park rangers claimed that rattlesnakes would not go any higher than 7000 feet, but my photo and the GPS coordinates proved them wrong. That one snake was wearing a tiny oxygen mask, though.

I saw one guy out to shoot photos of a desert iguana. He carried a can of spray-type cooking oil, and he would catch an iguana, spray him down, and then turn him loose for the pose.

---Bob Gross---