Rattlesnake (_NBP5252)

I am generally wary of attempting to photograph animals that can kill me. Although, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to photograph this midget-faded rattlesnake on a trail in Capitol Reef National Park (Utah). The midget-faded rattlesnake is a small subspecies of the western rattlesnake and has extremely toxic venom. They live in burrows and rock crevices and are mostly active at night.

It was late afternoon and this snake was lying coiled up with its rattler tucked away. From the budging mid section, it looked like it might have just fed. The snake seemed calm and its tongue never made an appearance. I made a few documentary photographs that included the whole body of the snake and the less than photogenic surroundings. Then I decided it might be interesting to be at eye level with the subject. By getting low I eliminated the clutter around the snake and created a photograph that has more impact.

My tripod was setup flat on the ground. I used a 300mm lens with a 1.7x teleconverter (for the all important working distance) and I was at the minimum focusing distance that my lens allows (5 feet). And no, not a pixel was cropped.

Stay away from venomous snakes and have a happy new year!

~Image updated periodically~