Snake manipulation

Making the unnatural look natural

Some photographers will catch a snake and bring it to a good location for photography, where it is released. Once released, the photographer or, more often, an assistant will "direct" or herd the snake to a precise spot in order to capture a "natural" looking picture.

FORCING THE SNAKE TO COIL

If a coiled snake picture is wanted, the snake is herded into an opening in a round container (such as a bucket with a hole in the side or an ice cream container) so that the snake will be forced to coil. The size of the snake determines the size of the container. Cupped hands have even been used.

Once it is completely inside, the photographer will wait a few minutes to allow the creature to become settled, then the assistant will slowly lift the container so the photographer can take pictures of a coiled snake.

Even without the use of a round container, a snake that is persistently herded towards the same spot may coil when it finds it just can't get away. As soon as it is coiled, the assistant or the photographer may keep it immobile by dropping a cloth over the snake. Sometimes, the fabric has already been already tossed on the ground, because the photographer knows a snake will often crawl beneath it for the cover it affords, and will usually coil. Once the snake feels secure in its concealment, it will usually remain there, unmoving. This allows the photographer to get set up, focus on the cloth, then pull the cloth away with a stick or a cord attached to the cloth, and take the picture.

These procedures may be effective in obtaining an attractive snake photograph, but they can cause stress to the animal, especially when carried out by inexperienced, untrained people.

If done roughly, they can seriously harm the snake. Most people don't realize how delicately built a snake's skeleton is. It is relatively fragile and can be easily injured by rough handling. One particular action to avoid is pulling on a snake when it is attempting to escape into a hole. It's not difficult to dislocate vertebrae or tear muscles from their site of attachment. Just let the creature go, and it will survive for you to come back another day to photograph it in the open. Getting too close may also cause the snake to strike at the assistant or the photographer.

MYTH - SNAKES CAN TOLERATE ANY AMOUNT OF HEAT - NOT SO!

Another snake-handling procedure that can be harmful, even fatal, to the snake occurs when the snake is placed on a rock or any location in bright sunshine on a hot day. There is a common misconception that snakes are very tolerant of heat, when in fact body temperatures above 90F are quite stressful − even fatal to many species. Forcing a snake to remain exposed in direct sunlight on a warm day in order to photograph it can result in its death. (There are credible accounts of professional wildlife filmmakers killing rattlesnakes by doing exactly that).

An exposed, sun-heated rock or ledge that a snake is placed on may already be so excessively hot that no creature could stand it, let alone one that has no feet to raise its body above the burning surface. Most reptiles seek the relative coolness of a burrow or other shelter rather than endure the heat of the blazing sun. If you attempt to place them in a hot location, you often won't get the picture you want anyway, since snakes will aggressively do their best to escape as quickly as possible. After all, it is a matter of survival to them.

REFRIGERATING A SNAKE TO CONTROL IT

One of the "tricks of the trade" in photographing snakes and other reptiles (and even insects) involves cooling them by placing them for a time in a refrigerator or in a portable cooler filled with ice. Lowering their body temperature causes them to move more slowly, even sluggishly if cold enough, making it easier to position them for photography.

This method is often used with fast-moving venomous snakes. Some over-zealous photographers or their assistants have actually frozen snakes when attempting this technique, while others have been misled by the degree of cooling or the snake's recovery time and learned, to their horror, that the snake was still very fast in spite of its refrigeration period. Does it make for good photographs? It might, but some snakes droop their heads and actually look sluggish or dazed when they have been refrigerated.

OUR OPINION?

Photographing wildlife is best achieved when creatures are neither manipulated nor disturbed, but are permitted to carry on as they normally would in their natural habitat. It may be more difficult and challenging, but your photographs, especially the great ones, are so much more satisfying.