New and looking to improve - DPChallenge Forums

Nikon AF-S DX 18-105 f/3.5-5.6 ED VR

07/24/2009 07:46:46 PM · #1

Hi all! I'm new on the forum and am looking to improve my photography skills. I would welcome any comments on this pic I took Monday 7/20 of a visitor to my house. He wasn't very happy to see me!
Eos 50D, ISO 400, 580EX Speedlite, 50mm F1.4@ F3.5. I'm about 3' away, or as I discovered, about 1' out of strike distance.
//www.dpchallenge.com/image.php?IMAGE_ID=809152

Message edited by author 2009-07-24 19:48:21.

in2truth

Nikon D7000

07/24/2009 08:04:13 PM · #2

Did you lay down to get this shot? Are you mad? LOL

Great shot! Really great shot! Considering how terrified you would have been having myself been through the same experience, I'm really impressed with the clarity you managed to achieve of his face.

Was he curled up alseep when you found him? That's the only thing I can think of as to why you would get that close.

Thank God you were outside its reach.

Message edited by author 2009-07-24 20:05:02.

spiritualspatula

Panasonic LUMIX DMC-LX100

Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 24-70mm f/2.8G ED

07/25/2009 10:34:44 AM · #3

Rattlers aren't bad if you know where they are. It's when they sit around and don't make noise that they scare me. As far as strike distance, generally they can strike up to 2/3 their body length.
Anyway, I left a comment for you. Also, as a general tip, any photo you have uploaded to DPC can be thumbnailed super easy.
Go to the image you want, and then in the URL take the number at the very end. Click on the little button at the top of your post, 2nd to the right, insert number. Blammo!

Message edited by author 2009-07-25 11:36:52.

JEason

Fujifilm X10

07/25/2009 11:07:00 AM · #4

Originally posted by spiritualspatula:

It's when they sit around and don't make noise that they scare me.

Isn't that the truth. I was leading my family on a hiking trip in the Great Smokey Mountains and my step-dad (the last person) called us back and told us that we all somehow missed stepping on the rattle snake that was laying across the trail. Nobody saw it at all until he pointed it out... just imagine if one of us stepped on it!

spiritualspatula

Panasonic LUMIX DMC-LX100

Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 24-70mm f/2.8G ED

07/25/2009 11:39:28 AM · #5

Originally posted by JEason:

Originally posted by spiritualspatula:
It's when they sit around and don't make noise that they scare me.

Isn't that the truth. I was leading my family on a hiking trip in the Great Smokey Mountains and my step-dad (the last person) called us back and told us that we all somehow missed stepping on the rattle snake that was laying across the trail. Nobody saw it at all until he pointed it out... just imagine if one of us stepped on it!

The other scary scenario is if you're moving fast and they don't have time to react. That happened to me one time when I was trail running. I was descending a trail and came around a bend with some large rocks and was moving at a pretty good clip. As I went past I caught a bit of motion and heard something as I ran past. That motion was actually a rattler that struck at me as I went past from the side of the trail.
The average person would only think "whoa that was a really close call."
What did I think?
HOLY CRAP WHERE'S MY DAMN CAMERA! ::digging through pack::
Then I thought, hmm...that really was pretty close.....

07/25/2009 03:06:27 PM · #6

He was NOT asleep when I found him. I had just stepped in kitty litter and went outside to shake out my socks. I remember hearing a sound that was familiar and that subconsciously I should be concerned about. I started looking around and right in front of me, literally 8 or 9 feet in front of my door, was this guy letting me know that I was not welcome in my yard. I have substantial snake experience being a veterinarian with a strong exotics bent (at one time my personal reptile collection was substantially larger than the Albuquerque zoo's, and with much more interesting animals) so I was not particularly scared. Besides, my wife is an ER doc so I could get help ASAP if anything happened. He was about 2 1/2' long, and actually a pretty good guy in that he only tried to bite once.
The time of day made it hard to photograph him, as did his position. He was slightly backlit by a faint sunset so that pics without the flash didn't come out well at all. I couldn't get lower either, as he was down a slope from me and going to another side would have wedged me between my son's outdoor jungle jym and the snake leaving me no room for escape if he tried to bite. Thanks for all the input so far!

Canon EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM

07/25/2009 03:07:08 PM · #7

Oh, I was 3' away, or roughly 1' out of strike distance.

SteveJ

Canon EOS-7D

07/25/2009 04:21:20 PM · #8

I tried a little remodelling, if you don't mind? It's not quite right as I only had your photo on here to play with.

I cropped it and had to resize it up, which didn't help. USM and NI, then run through Lightroom 2.4, to add a bit of clarity, vibrance, slight desaturation of yellow, then a light sharpen.

Eta: I didn't enlarge too much, as it is close enough already!! :)

Message edited by author 2009-07-25 16:23:15.

JEason

Fujifilm X10

07/25/2009 04:30:36 PM · #9

Originally posted by spiritualspatula:

HOLY CRAP WHERE'S MY DAMN CAMERA! ::digging through pack::
Then I thought, hmm...that really was pretty close.....

haha, I've done the same thing. It seems like, instinctually, photography is more important than my life sometimes!

Well, I think it is a great shot and an excellent job at seizing the opportunity!