Ssssssnakes Alive!

[John Kasaian]

We went for a family picnic yesterday to Granite Creek, a trail head for access into the Ansel Adams Wilderness. Its where Yosemite National Park rangers used to release renegade bears trapped in the park. As I recall the bears could make it back to the park before the rangers, but thats another story(ever see a bear drink a can of beer?)

I used the opportunity to scout out some locations along the creek above the upper campground. The creek was dry except for a few pools among the rocky stream bed. There is a stretch of streambed that crosses a slab of solid granite(hence the name) where water has worn away several body sized pot holes which makes for a delightful place to ease the rigors of a long hike late in the summer when the water level is safe and the hot granite has warmed it up to a comfortable temperature (this is snow melt, we're talking about!), Too bad the creek had already dried up or I would have let the kids try skinny dipping for the first time. Anyway, I wanted to see what the potholes looked like without water, so we made our way up the rocky streambed exploring to pools rather than taking the trail on the bank. It was a lovely day, so I cautioned the kids about being alert for "buzz worms"

Now hiking up a stream bed composed of basketball sized boulders is pretty slow going so we scrambled back to the trail unitl we came to a huge slab of granite that would have butresses a small waterfall in wetter times. I felt this would be a good photo op so armed with the family Olympus Stylus, I instructed them to give me their best LL Bean look and made my way onto the streambed searching for solid footing.

Then it happened.

It startled me though I quickly indentified the li'l reptile as a friendly(or at least non venomnous) Odd, after twenty years of visiting the area, this was the first time I'd seen a snake there. Of course for the rest of the day the topic of conversation was "Daddy and the snake" which creeped out my Bride who has a morbid fear of the fellows.

Since landscape photography is an outdoor activity and jake the snake lives outdoors, I was wonder if any of you good people had any photo-related snake stories you'd care to share?

Cheers!

[John Cook]

Not too many snakes here in Massachusetts. But once, while photographing near Boston Common, I actually came upon a Republican!

[Ralph Barker]

On a family camping trip years ago in the Trinities west of Redding, I once came across a diamondback sunning himself on a rock in the morning sun. My son was only 2 at the time, so I didn't want to take any chances. A shovel dispatched the still-lethargic rattler, and we had rattlesnake and eggs for breakfast. (Yes, they really do taste something like chicken. ;-) )

Poking around the Mojave when I lived in Bakersfield, it was fairly common to encounter rattlesnakes in the morning or evening hours. But usually by midmorning they had found a cool spot to spend the day. Thus, the trick was to remember not to reach into any cool, dark places during the day. ;-)

[Bill_1856]

LOL, John Cook.

[Matthew Cordery]

Once, while climbing in the ACT in Australia, I came across a 2 meter long black snake sunning himself right in the middle of the trail. Not too many things more evil looking than a completely black snake....

[David R Munson]

I've come across plenty of snakes while photographing, though none were ever venomous. There was one area that I often photographed back in Ohio where I would regularly find and catch a six-foot blacksnake. Always plenty of watersnakes when shooting by a river, too. Most beautiful snake I've seen while photographing, though, was a blue racer. Too fast too catch, though.

[David Mason]

I've seen a number of rattlers in and around Los Angeles. The biggest of all was crossing a road in Griffith Park at night. Perhaps not the longest but by far the fattest snake I have ever seen in the wild. Now this is an urban park that is full of people during the day. Evidently the critter holed up during the day and hunted at night.

[Annie M.]

I spend a lot of time waiting for light and tides... actually this is one of the things about LF photography that I find sublime. Getting everything set up in the predawn light then finding a cozy little place nearby from which to watch the light reveal the world to me once again... I find that even the sounds of the ocean and air change in the presence of light.

On one particularly cool morning I found a lovely spot amid the tangled roots of a large tree. Backrest, footrest and a nice soft leafy hollow for the Annie ass......bliss!! The first light always ignites a profound stirring in my heart.... however..... on this particular morning the stirring appeared to be originating a little lower... at that moment I think I actually accomplished a spontaneous levitation ... and then looking down, there in the impression left by my derriere was a snake with a dapper little yellow racing stripe. Now I always poke around with a stick before I sit down anywhere (except the better restaurants of course).

The snake phoned me a few days later to ask what I'd been up to.... butt that's another story.

[Ben Calwell]

Just remember: "Red next to yellow will kill a fellow; red next to black is a friend of Jack."

[Dan Fromm]

I've never met a live venomous snake in the wild. Did find two very freshly dead Bothrops (Fer-de-Lance, Terciopelo) on roads in Paraguay.

Once met a lovely black rat snake in one of the parks along the Potomac while out photographing flowers with my Nikon. It was a great subject, just sat there while I took closeup pictures of its face. With flash.

My wife and I once came upon an Eastern Hognosed Snake in Hickory Run State Park in PA. It did the whole apprentice cobra routine, just as described in books. Photographed it all. That's where Nikons and such shine.

One day on our honeymoon, she and I were collecting our way up a little watercourse on the slopes of Volcan Irazu. Not photographing at all just then. She asked me to come see a frog that was behaving unnaturally. It just sat there, didn't flee as we approached. So I netted it. And then we knew why it was so strangely passive. A Speckled Racer was swallowing it from the rear.

Cheers,

Dan