Taking pictures of snakes

They're long and skinny, and need special consideration.

A common problem of snake photography is related to the animal's long, narrow form and our relative height. If you fill the frame with an extended snake, especially when photographed from above, you are likely to end up with a generally uninteresting, poor composition that has a lot of unused space in it and insufficient subject detail.

Your picture's composition can be improved in a number of ways:

• Use a lower shooting angle, as low as ground level itself;
• When possible, shoot from directly or almost directly in front of a moving snake so that its head is dominant in the image;
• Use a telephoto lens to obtain a close-up of the head;
• Photograph the snake when it is in a coiled or semi-coiled position.

Note: Some photographers capture and manipulate snakes prior to photographing them in order to better control the creatures. To learn more, click here or on the "Snake manipulation" link at the page bottom.

LOW LIGHT

Snakes are often encountered in dimly-lit places. When shooting without flash, the low light level may be problematic if you require a small aperture, like ƒ/16, for sufficient depth of field. A sturdy camera support, such as a tripod, is essential for image sharpness at the slow shutter speed that would be required under such conditions. But a normal tripod that is designed for eye level photography won't permit you to shoot from near ground level, where terrestrial snakes are found. A small table-top tripod or one that has legs that spread right out almost flat to the ground can be useful in such a situation. A short monopod is not as effective, but it is good and provides better support than hand-holding at slow shutter speeds. Another solution can sometimes be to place your camera on a solid surface, a rock for example, that still permits you to frame the image. An even better solution may be to use a beanbag for a camera support. It has no legs and can hold your camera steady while draped over a rock or a stump.

If you just cannot give your camera the rock solid support it needs, you will either have to increase the illumination using flash or a reflector, or open your lens' aperture so that you can use a faster shutter speed. Your image will have less depth of field, but may still be an acceptable picture, provided you have focused on the key area - generally the snake's head, more specifically its eyes. Remember that an increase in sharpness by using the next faster shutter speed generally makes up for the relatively slight decrease in depth of field caused by having to open the aperture by one stop. Switching to a higher digital sensitivity setting or a faster film may be necessary.

Move around until the film plane is parallel to the animal's stretched out body when you just can't get the depth of field needed for the snake's full length. Then carefully focus before shooting.

FLASH

Although almost all wildlife is best photographed in natural light, there are times when using flash is the only way to get the picture. Your primary objective should be to illuminate the subject so that it appears as natural-looking as possible in the photograph. Avoid on-camera flash if you can. Its light will appear flat and featureless since it strikes the snake straight on, from the same direction as the lens. A snake has form and texture that are revealed by directional lighting − the kind delivered by an off-camera flash that is held away from the lens and aimed towards the subject. If you hold the flash slightly above the snake at a 25 to 45 degree angle, highlights and shadow areas will look more natural, as if the subject was illuminated by sunshine. Moving the flash to the side will cause shadows to fall on the animal's opposite side, also revealing its form.

It can be cumbersome holding the flash in one hand while attempting to focus and shoot with the other. Purchasing a flash bracket that attaches to your camera and that holds the flash well away from the lens will solve the problem, freeing up your hand. You can also have your assistant hold the flash while you compose and shoot.

Many photographers will employ more than one flash unit, placing the primary flash above and in front of the snake with the secondary flash providing sidelighting or backlighting.

Diffusing flash will soften its illumination, introducing some light into shadow areas while still retaining a sense of three-dimensionality. The effect is similar to the illumination from an overcast sky. Diffusion can be achieved by bouncing the flash off of a white surface (e.g. a small sheet of white styrofoam) or by shining its light through diaphanous material.

If your subject is naturally back-lit, the use of fill flash is recommended. Don't have that capability? A reflector placed near the camera and aimed at the snake will also do a nice job of fill lighting.

LENS SELECTION

Wide-angle or normal lenses are generally impractical for photographing snakes in the wild. You would have to be quite close to the snake to fill the frame, something the snake would probably not allow. A telephoto lens will permit you to keep your distance (a snake can strike a third to half of its length) while properly framing the animal. 100 mm is about the minimum focal length. A 135 mm to 300 mm lens will generally result in more successful images, and within this range, a 200 mm lens may be your best choice for all-around effectiveness. Small enough to handle easily, a 200 mm lens is less expensive than the longer telephotos and well-suited to the size of your subject and the typical distances from which you will photograph it. The greater subject distance afforded by a 200 mm lens also has an advantage in that the camera angle is less severe than when using a shorter lens. The image size at twice the distance remains the same as with a 100 mm lens, but your camera is more parallel to the ground.

The angle of view of a 200 mm lens is narrower than it is for lenses with shorter focal lengths, which means that there will be less background area in the image. This can very helpful if the background is cluttered and distracts from the subject. If you change your shooting position, even slightly, you will also change the background, making it easier to choose one that makes the snake stand out more.

THE SNAKE PORTRAIT

Some key pointers:

• Ensure that the snake's head is in the frame, and that you can see at least one eye.
• Watch for moments when its tongue is extended to add further interest to the shot, but don't wait to capture tongues in all of your snake pictures since the interest diminishes with over-use.
• If you can, move around to capture different views.
• Move slowly so as not to cause alarm.
• The snake may follow your movement with its head or it may remain stock still. In either event, you can capture attractive pictures against different backdrops and with new lighting angles.
• A backdrop that contrasts with the snake's coloration will cause it to stand out. If the snake's overall tones match those of the background, there may be insufficient tonal separation to properly see the creature.
• A natural-looking background will contribute a lot to the picture, but watch out that it is not too cluttered with too many branches, leaves or other materials. Clutter will distract from the subject.
• Getting down low to include sky in the background when possible will eliminate the cluttered look.
• Side lighting or back lighting will bring out the skin texture and body contours.
• Use a zoom lens to fill the frame with just the snake's head, then zoom out to show its surroundings.
• Be prepared for the snake to move away, which may happen quickly or very slowly. Take pictures when it does. Sometimes your best shot may be the last one, taken in a hurry when the snake has almost moved out of range or into cover.