Snake help

[studlymonkey]

So, how do you guys get snakes to slow down. I mainly only get headshots because bull snakes move so fast. Do you guys have a technique of getting them calmed down. Do you catch em before you shoot, or do you let them do their own thing and hope they don't wiggle away?

[Mike Markov]

I used to shoot a lot of snakes. My technique was to hand walk the snakes until they simmer down. That works for the most part. Then after they simmer down I would place them on a tress branch and get my shots.

[MCAsan]

shoot them at colder temps...first thing in the morning.

[Hardrock40]

Hand walk the snakes? I think thats self explanatory but no way in Hatti will I grab a snake in the wild or else where.

Was driving down a dirt/gravel road about a month ago , there was this huge snake just starting across in front of us. I swerved to miss it then got stopped. Yelled out GET IT! we all jumped out and they ran that way while I got out the camera.

Thought the GF's son was going to catch it but it got off the road pretty fast. Only one place it could have hid was in a small brush pile. Nobody would go look.

[studlymonkey]

I like photographing rattle snakes cause they just stare you down! I need to get out photographing snakes again. Lately its been hard finding them in the morning and super easy to find mid day, but they are a little bitey then!

[MCAsan]

On a recent trip to South Africa I was able to shoot a few boomslang, green mamba and black mamba in the trees. In the trees they will not move far...but you have to carefully shoot through all the branches...while looking out for other snakes.

We also saw and shot puff adders and a couple of cobra on the ground. Of all the snakes, the puff adders seem to have the worst attitudes.

I hope you enjoy this shot of a green mamba.

[Hardrock40]

Yea thats kind of scary. Too close to certain death.

[Joe Ravenstein]

Carry a CO2 fire extinguisher, that will slow them down without killing them. Oh and spray the snake with the CO2, the frost will melt fast and you can get your shot.

[studlymonkey]

Originally Posted by MCAsan

On a recent trip to South Africa I was able to shoot a few boomslang, green mamba and black mamba in the trees. In the trees they will not move far...but you have to carefully shoot through all the branches...while looking out for other snakes.

We also saw and shot puff adders and a couple of cobra on the ground. Of all the snakes, the puff adders seem to have the worst attitudes.

I hope you enjoy this shot of a green mamba.

That is amazing! What precautions did you have to make sure he didn't bite you?

[MCAsan]

I shot him in the morning when he was relatively cold and slow. I made sure he was not coiled so he did not have a way to strike more than a inch or so. I was well out of his striking range at that moment. I also made dang sure he was the only snake anywhere near me. The last thing I wanted was to shoot him only to be nailed by another snake in the tree.

[Hardrock40]

That green mamba gives me a new idea. A double barrel shotgun camera mount. LOL
But I doubt I could even react fast enough.

[Mike]

Originally Posted by Joe Ravenstein

Carry a CO2 fire extinguisher, that will slow them down without killing them. Oh and spray the snake with the CO2, the frost will melt fast and you can get your shot.

Isn't that just a little unfair on the snake?

[studlymonkey]

Originally Posted by MCAsan

I shot him in the morning when he was relatively cold and slow. I made sure he was not coiled so he did not have a way to strike more than a inch or so. I was well out of his striking range at that moment. I also made dang sure he was the only snake anywhere near me. The last thing I wanted was to shoot him only to be nailed by another snake in the tree.

Ive learned to watch out for other snakes when photographing rattlesnakes. Did you use your 100-400 for that shot? I also learned to bring someone along who can hear rattlesnakes. My buddy (who use to be infantry in the army) and he just stood there next to a rattlesnake like nothing was happening, cause he couldn't hear that frequency.

[studlymonkey]

Originally Posted by Mike

Isn't that just a little unfair on the snake?

That was my thoughts, Im not into harming snakes to photograph them. Seems cruel to me.

[MCAsan]

Did you use your 100-400 for that shot?

Nope, I used my 100L macro. Yes, I was close...but not too close to a snake that was not coiled. Had the snake been coiled where it could have struck at me.....the 100-400 would have been a safer choice.