Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Jeff's post below has got me thinking about photography and it's pertinence to our beloved triangulum. I have to imagine that at least a fair number of others have some serious frustrations with photographing these beautiful, yet feisty critters like I do. Those of you who have seen my posts know that I sometimes post the same few photos over and over, with the addition of a few new shots now and then. Well... it all stems back to my crap-tacular camera and me ending up wanting to flush my collection down the toilet by the end of a photo session! Some people obviously have a knack for photography (and the patience to execute it), but I'm not one of those people.

What follows is a series of my best attempts at photography, as well as some photos taken by my good buddy "Jose Ole". Sorry I keep posting your stuff, dude, but it's because I'm in awe of your skills. Maybe this will pry you out of the woodwork to teach us how it's done?

-Cole

L. t. multistrata - Cherry Co., NE (my photos)

Now, the same locality, but "Jose's" Photos. Note the ass-kicking superiority.

I think everyone gets the point, so I'll embarrass myself further with these parting shots:

Thomas Co., NE

Well, when you draw a black square around the snake he knows not to leave that area.LOL! Nice snakes. I don't have the patience either but I am going to make an effort in the near future for my snakes sake. Everyone hates a bad photo of themselves!

Joe,

Thanks for the kind words re: my animals and my attempts at photography! The animals are no doubt nicer than any photo I could take to represent them! Let me know when you're ready to take the "multistrata-leap"...

-Cole

Me with a "bad" trout!

Very cool trout pic!!

Was that on one of your "Dell" expeditions??

I'm thinking the quality cigar scent you're rubbing on the flies is a natural attractant!..LOL!

~Doug
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"Better to be silent and thought a fool, than to open mouth and remove any doubt!"

Between Dell's schedule and mine, we haven't been able to get out fishing together much this year. Hopefully October will bring a lighter load and allow some leisurely time on the river.

The cigar ALWAYS helps, by the way!

-Cole

L. t. gentilis - Lyons, CO

n/p
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"Better to be silent and thought a fool, than to open mouth and remove any doubt!"

Cole I wouldn't be so hard on yourself. You take some great shots of some beautiful milks in nice, natural background settings. I'm too lazy to do the natural setting shots and just shoot them in their cages usually.
Your north american milks and especially your pale shots have always blown me away.
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Randy Whittington

Those words mean a lot coming from someone with as nice of a collection as you do!

-Cole

Clearly, Ole needs to get a girl friend and stop burrowing around under rockpiles for that perfect photo subject! On the other hand, the photos are a valuable source of distribution and variance data and we're lucky to have that level of dedication coupled with photo skills.....
You've also provided many excellent photos Cole, easily publishing grade....not that Nat'l Geo will ever call us but if Bassmaster (designing the perfect bass lure) calls, by God, we're ready!
My photos suck, I know it, no comment necessary.....
Jeff

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If Patrick Henry thought that taxation without representation was bad, he should see it with representation.

LOL!!,..you guy's are TOO FUNNY!

Yes, I agree with you and the rest, Cole takes some pretty darn nice shot's of some killer specimen's!

I am also the first to admit,...photographing snakes, and getting "top-shelf" results can be an absolute total PAIN!! sometimes(well, MOST of the time), for a ton of different reasons too.

All I can say is experimentation with different conditions, lighting, different function buttons, and READING THE INSTRUCTION MANUAL thoroughly that comes with a good quality camera are very crucial to getting pleasing results, and even after all THIS is done over and over again, things can STILL suck big-time here and there.....

Oh well, I'm still trying to find different things out all the time too, so don't ANY of you guys feel all alone on this..hahaha!

~Doug

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"Better to be silent and thought a fool, than to open mouth and remove any doubt!"

Nice shot Doug! That snake rocks. Oh, and I agree that Cole does take some nice photos and always kills me by posting those pales!! I am going to break down a get some from him one day.

Thanks Joe!,....glad you like him too. He is one big colorful handful!,...hard to believe he is only an '07 youngster at 58" long and over 2.2 pounds!!

And YES!, you can't go wrong with Cole's animal's either!

~Doug
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"Better to be silent and thought a fool, than to open mouth and remove any doubt!"

Thanks, amigo! I appreciate the kind words. Your photos, subjects (animals), and sense of humor were greatly missed during your "absence" from the forum! Glad to have you back, buddy!

-Cole

Dell with a nice fish from a mid-winter day on the river

Bronze-colored Coluber constrictor from a day in the field

Awesome Cole-Cole!..LOL!

Great Rainbow!

Do you think that "bronze" colored racer would be considered a good hypo specimen?, or is that more typical of some of the C.c ssp. in that area??

thanks!

~Doug
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"Better to be silent and thought a fool, than to open mouth and remove any doubt!"

Doug,

I'm honestly not sure what to think of that animal. Most of the racers we see have some strong greenish coloration to them. I'd be tempted to call this particular animal "hypoxanthic", except it still had the bright yellow belly common to our C. c. flaviventris. Interesting critter to find, though!

-Cole

L. t. gentilis - Golden, CO

Ahh!, okay,........I wasn't sure if it was an Eastern Yellow-Belly or not. That certainly explains the coloration....thanks!

~Doug
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"Better to be silent and thought a fool, than to open mouth and remove any doubt!"

I'll let you fill Ole' in on his "needs"... LOL He certainly isn't lacking in the photo-skills department, though!

I'm loving the syspila and gentilis shots! I've got a male from that line of gentilis that is showing some of that same pattern fading. Cool stuff!

I'll call in the next few days. I may be out your direction in the near future.

-Cole

I think one of the reasons you think your photos are bad is because of where the camera is focusing. The ONLY reason I've been able to get any decent shots at all is because my boyfriend has a nice big fancy camera that has a lot of manual adjustments, but MOST IMPORTANTLY: MANUAL FOCUS. All cameras automatically focus on the center of the object in the little dots of the viewfinder. With long 'objects', like snakes, the head is blurry while the spots a few inches down are in sharp focus. Try taking pictures from the top (i know, not very attractive), as in these the entire snake will be in focus, not just the middle of it.
The most important feature to get accurate color is lighting. I've found that natural light usually works best, though indirect light is necessary. Nocturnal Tom on the Kingsnake forum prefers overcast days outside, but I can't work a camera and wrangle a snake in separate hands very well so I found a way around it. I wait until early afternoon on a bright day and go into my living room (which has west-facing windows) and take pictures on the floor, because the light is bright, but indirect.
Hope these little tips from an inexperienced photographer help!

Thanks for the tips! I'm always struggling, and it seems to take me MANY tries to get one shot that's half-way decent. Any hints I can get are much appreciated!

I see below that you posted something about living in MT... Nice! There are several of us here in the state. Where abouts are you? (if you don't mind me asking)

Thanks again
-Cole

Magnus Despain (Dell's son), Ryan Nafts, Bob the Terrier, and me after a successful day of milk-hunting:

Cole,....are those N.A. "monster" milks really that big in your area that you guys have to club them with hammer's first before grabbing them..LOL!

I also think it's great that Dell's son is getting in on some herp action too. These young kids are the future of our loved hobby/trade.

~Doug
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"Better to be silent and thought a fool, than to open mouth and remove any doubt!"

I don't mind at all! I'm a paleontology student at MSU, and I live full time in Bozeman. The only other snake person I know in
Montana is from Malaysia and doesn't like 'the skinny ones' lol! You're more on the plains right?

I live in Billings, about 2 hours from Bozeman. I do quite a bit of work up there, though. Dell Despain (terryd) and Ryan Nafts (deepsea) also live here in Billings.

Paleontology is good stuff! Nice choice! You've got e-mail.

-Cole

Get out of here Cole, your pictures are awesome and your snakes are incredible. I only wish you'd post more pics, I always enjoy seeing your animals. Awesome Pales by the way!

Dave
DNS Reptiles

Dave,

Thanks for the compliments! I've been busy as can be lately, and haven't had much forum-time. It's been a busy summer for me, and it appears that things are not going to slow down anytime soon! I'll do my best to stay active, though!

-Cole

L. t. multistrata - Powder River Co., MT

Take a few hundred pics and you should get a few that turn out ok

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Doug L

That's ALWAYS how I operate, Doug! I just have a hard time getting anything as nice as what you just posted! Killer stuff, man.

-Cole

L. t. gentilis - Golden, CO

Killer Douglas!!!

Very nice Doug!
Dave
DNS Reptiles

I put a few milks together for a comparison shot. I look through the viewfinder and I see lots of green, I snap the shot and the flash turns the yellow white and the green more brown. Is it me? Is it the camera? I think I heard some people talk about this before...maybe it was Rainer?? DK

I think it's the flash. Indirect natural light is best, but if you must use extra light try and get those 'daylight' bulbs and shine them on the snakes, or cover your flash with a piece of printer paper (that gets rid of the shine too). Photography, I'm finding more and more, is really about tricks, not point and shoot!