Rat Snake(Canon S2IS, f/3.5 at 1/100 s focal length 72 mm)
King Cobra(Canon S2IS, f/3.5 at 1/40 s focal length 108 mm)
King Cobra(Canon S2IS, f/3.5 at 1/40 s focal length 69 mm)
Russels Viper(Canon S2IS, f/3.5 at 1/120 s focal length 72 mm)
Well i know a lot of you who see these snaps will not like them. To tell you the truth, i hated snakes before i went on this shoot. I guess this can be attributed to an underlying fear that comes to be associated with anything that is dark, slithery and poisonous. This shoot however changed my perception drastically. Snakes are beautiful creatures. Left alone , they rarely harm humans. Most of them are non-poisonous. They move like greased lightning. They are as graceful as a ballet dancer in movement.
The rat snake is a beauty! Its white underbelly is spotless and she is very graceful and slender. She is non venomous and mostly feeds on small creatures in the undergrowth like rats, frogs , etc. The Russels Viper is a highly poisonous snake. One bite can leave you paralysed for life, if not cause death. Its body has an intricate pattern of scales and patterns.
However nothing compares to the king of all snakes ...the King Cobra! This snake can grow upto 15-20 ft in length. One bite usually means instant death. Less than 3 ml of its venom is enough to kill an adult human in a minute. I am told that this guy can stand up to a quarter of his length. That means if a 5ft tall human is confronted with a 20 ft long cobra, the snake can literally look the guy face to face....Scary or what?!! Capturing this snake made the hair on my neck stand up. It made me go weak in the knees to think that this 12ft long creature was just one foot away from me. The diversity in nature never ceases to amaze me... Although my fear of snakes hasn't left me, i have a new found respect for these creatures. If i can describe them in two words it would be SLICK and POTENT!
The rat snake is a beauty! Its white underbelly is spotless and she is very graceful and slender. She is non venomous and mostly feeds on small creatures in the undergrowth like rats, frogs , etc. The Russels Viper is a highly poisonous snake. One bite can leave you paralysed for life, if not cause death. Its body has an intricate pattern of scales and patterns.
However nothing compares to the king of all snakes ...the King Cobra! This snake can grow upto 15-20 ft in length. One bite usually means instant death. Less than 3 ml of its venom is enough to kill an adult human in a minute. I am told that this guy can stand up to a quarter of his length. That means if a 5ft tall human is confronted with a 20 ft long cobra, the snake can literally look the guy face to face....Scary or what?!! Capturing this snake made the hair on my neck stand up. It made me go weak in the knees to think that this 12ft long creature was just one foot away from me. The diversity in nature never ceases to amaze me... Although my fear of snakes hasn't left me, i have a new found respect for these creatures. If i can describe them in two words it would be SLICK and POTENT!
Great shots, but I still wouldn't want to get too close :).
ReplyDeleteU seem to be spending all ur weekends in bannerghatta ;)....Nice pics anoop
ReplyDeleteahh scary how close were you?
ReplyDeletecool stuff... yelli? banner?
ReplyDelete--
kuku
Another excellent batch of pictures.
ReplyDeleteSnakes, Spiders and Scropians, they never cease to amaze me, the facts behind their poisons even more so. Sad that more powerful humans just go on killing them as a preemptive strike.. more Dubya's than needed!
As amazing the snpas are, I will still fear them....U have done such a wonderful work!
ReplyDelete@aditi: a few feet away :) but luckily in a protected area.
ReplyDelete@kuku : yessir...these are from bannerghatta
@hemanth: i completely agree..ppl kill snakes even though they might be harmless..ppl have this wrong notion that all snakes are poisonous and their only business is to attack ppl!!
When it comes to serpents, I'd still have my camera in my bag and run for my life :D
ReplyDeleteNice pics!
ReplyDeletewhoa!! scary but well.. awesome snaps!! :)
ReplyDeleteexp liked the wiper.. :)
ReplyDelete@ 72 mm you must have been very close to the snakes. Are these crops or full frame pictures? Have you done any PP?? Nonetheless a good treat for the eyes!! Thanks for sharing
ReplyDeleteYIKES!!! Keep those things as far away from me as possible!
ReplyDeleteOther than that lovely capture.
You're brave Anoop.
Great shot Anoop!! The detail is excellent.
ReplyDeleteIm afraid I hate snakes :( even tho I stepped on one mighty snake when I was abt 7yrs old but it didnt attack me...
ReplyDeleteKeshi.
@sudhi: Yes i was pretty close..maybe 2-3 ft...luckily it was a protected area...so there was no danger :) ..these are full frame shots...i dont do PP
ReplyDeleteBeautiful Pictures..
ReplyDeleteI just love the king cobra.. It`s such a magnificent animal. I really envy you for your ability to make such a beautiful collection.
With Best Regards,
Srijith.
wow....great collection and perspective!!
ReplyDeleteGreat shots, excellent details
ReplyDeleteYour photos are wonderful! (even the ones of the snake! :) )
ReplyDeletei know some people cant look at snakes even its only on tv. I envy your experience. Perhaps one day I'll get to study them as close as you did (not looking forward ..haha)
ReplyDeleteof all the shots, my fave has to be the 2nd photo. It shows a diff. perspective of king cobra ..Fantastic!
Dude sme really amazing stuff....
ReplyDeleteI have to say this...the first shot of the rat snake....MIND BLOWING!!!!
ReplyDeleteI almost shrieked when I saw it.I have this fear of snakes!!!
hahah enjoy ur weekend...hope to see more shots soon :)
quite a scary sub.............cant think of shooting them..........
ReplyDeleteanyway as always excellent closeups........
No matter how much I don't like snakes, they really are beautiful creatures and magnificant in these shots you took.
ReplyDeleteI have had a snake around my neck even though I faced my fears they are still not the most lovable creatures on earth and make people quisy... :) The textures you showed in the picturs are amazing.
beautiful pictures... i wonder what it feels like to look back on ur handiwork and realise how talented you are!
ReplyDeleteAmazing pics and splendid facts !!! Nature never seizes to amaze us..
ReplyDelete:))
..Me
amazing snaps..the first one is....i dont have words..wat does protected area mean..is tht for u or snakes?
ReplyDelete@sarvajith : both ways :)
ReplyDelete