Almost stepped on this guy

[jukas]

I ran into this fellow on a recent hike in a wash, he was much calmer about the entire thing than I was. Any constructive comments are appreciated.

http://www.fallenchaos.com/images/crw_2051-web.jpg

[lonnycaughron]

you got to love them rattlesnakes. would like to see the shot with entire body (or one that shows the rattles). other wise nice pic. maybe a little more dof so that more of the body is in focus.

lonny

[MattSEG]

Good shot...nice if there was more contrast but you can't control that. I hope you were using the 300.

[jukas]

Lonny,

I actually found him just after sunset as I was hiking back to the truck, the was sleeping and coiled up absorbing the radient heat from the ground. I was actually walked over to a rocky side of the wash as the movement of what turned out to be a female desert tortise caught my eye, when I almost stepped on this guy. I was already losing a lot of light, so I couldn't stop the lens down for a better DoF.

I've posted another shot of him, fully coiled showing the entire body, he was sitting on his rattles, and while I'm comfortable working with rattlesnakes, I didn't feel like disturbing him since I was already an intruder.


Matt,

I didn't do a ton of post processing to this shot, but it does have more contrast than as shot. I did some quick level and curves work since it was shot just after sunset most of the colors were pretty washed out out of the camera. I used the 70-200 L at 200mm for the first image and 90mm for the second. Both at f/5.6

http://www.fallenchaos.com/images/crw_2052-web.jpg

[Ballen Photo]

Matt, Nice catch. Too bad it's rattles weren't showing, but oh, well, not your fault. 8)
-Bruce

[ssim]

Those are really nice shots. Man are you lucky. OK, I have a thing about shooting rattlesnakes. I grew up around them and they really don't bother me all that much unless I can hear them and can't see them.

I found a couple this summer. One just would coil up for me no matter what I did. Picked him up with a snake stick and all. The other guy did coil up but it was late in the day and the sun wasn't great.

Both of these guys were on the back country roads late in the day and that is an easy place to find them at that time of day. The last one was quite easy to keep on the road and coiled up. He is here
http://www.pbase.com/ssim/image/32791912

Once again very nice captures.

[hlp]

great shot (first one)....i like the way you chose to focus on it's head....it's body blends into the image .....your picture capture the essence of this master of camoufflage...... the second shot is a ....look i took a picture of a rattle....it has no interest what so ever....i'm shure you see the difference.....having fun is what counts....

[jukas]

great shot (first one)....i like the way you chose to focus on it's head....it's body blends into the image .....your picture capture the essence of this master of camoufflage...... the second shot is a ....look i took a picture of a rattle....it has no interest what so ever....i'm shure you see the difference.....having fun is what counts....

Thanks, I much prefer the first image as well, with the eye as the focal point. I only added the 2nd image because Lonny said he'd like to see a fully body shot.

Back when I was still shooting slide film, the second fully body shot would be what I always called just a "record shot" nothing I'd want hanging on my wall, but a nice reminder of where I've been and what I've seen :lol:

I might have to argue about a pic of a rattler having no interest, but they hold a special place in my heart :wink:

[rick barclay]

As long as they don't hold a place in your ankle...

[tofuboy]

Too bad it's rattles weren't showing, but oh, well, not your fault.

Well, he could have always pissed it off in some way. ^^;; Very nice photo, it reminded me of one time I was out hiking around in Eastern Washington. My friend and I were TRYING to find a rattler, but gave up after hiking around for a few hours, and on our way back... one happened to find us. We never would have seen it if it didn't slither across the trail.

[lonnycaughron]

jesse here is one that rubbed up against my foot while i was trying to get a picture of a red wing black bird. after i cleaned out my pants i had to take his picture while he was trying to act all big and mean. just wished i would have moved some of the grass out of the way! (wait. . . i'm not that big of an idiot)

http://www.pbase.com/lonnycaughron/image/29619085.jpg

lonny

[Ballen Photo]

Too bad it's rattles weren't showing, but oh, well, not your fault.

Well, he could have always pissed it off in some way. ^^;; Very nice photo, it reminded me of one time I was out hiking around in Eastern Washington. My friend and I were TRYING to find a rattler, but gave up after hiking around for a few hours, and on our way back... one happened to find us. We never would have seen it if it didn't slither across the trail.

I just reread my post, and hope it wasn't taken wrong, as I think these shots are GREAT! Especially the first shot where emphasis was put on the head. I like these shots whether or not the rattles are showing. I just like to see rattles on rattle snakes. :roll:
PS, Do you Guys know they(Rattle Snakes) are also good to eat? :shock: :lol:
-Bruce

[lonnycaughron]

PS, Do you Guys know they(Rattle Snakes) are also good to eat? :shock: :lol:
-Bruce

they are good to eat. if it wasn't for all of them little bones :shock: :D :D :D

lonny

[tofuboy]

PS, Do you Guys know they(Rattle Snakes) are also good to eat? :shock: :lol:
-Bruce

That's what I hear... actually, the rattler that found my friend and I also found it's end :D One freaky thing about that thing, after we skinned and gutted it, it's body was still moving... for quite some time too... pretty crazy. My friend and his family ate it, he saved me a piece and brought if over, but I wasn't too sure how good left over rattle snake would be x_x;;

[cgratti]

A snakes body will move for up to 14 hours after it is dead.

[jukas]

jesse here is one that rubbed up against my foot while i was trying to get a picture of a red wing black bird. after i cleaned out my pants i had to take his picture while he was trying to act all big and mean. just wished i would have moved some of the grass out of the way! (wait. . . i'm not that big of an idiot)

lonny

Nice pic, that fellow's had a hard life!

I've found that Atrox (and rattlers in general) have gotten a pretty bad rap and that most of them really want nothing more than to be left alone, and given the chance will do everything they can to get away. Only about every 10th one I run across is even willing to put up a defensive display or strike.

Once while doing field research, I was releasing an atrox, and when I hooked him out of the bucket and placed him on the ground, instead of going for the shade of the nearly creosote bush, the decided he'd rather curl up in the shadow right up against my boot. Now that was a pucker factor!

Usually within about the first 30 seconds I can tell if a particular snake is going to be decent or a pain in the ass to work with :D