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Photo tips please .....

Stephen29

Stephen29

New member
Can anyone out there give some tips on taking decent pictures of snakes. First off when taking photos of them while them in their deli cups, they are always trying to constantly get out. Which I guess is instinct. Secondly my flash on the camera seems to constantly FLOOD OUT the image. But at times when the flash is not on the image seems too dull.

The camera I'm using is an Canon Power Shot SX10 ls 10 mega pixel. I'm sure part of the problem is the person behind the camera.:poke:

Thanks for any tips.
 
I prefer shooting outdoors in natural sunlight. I don't need to use a flash, and it prevents flooding out the colors. It doesn't work as well with white snakes, but they just like being a P.I.T.A. anyways. LOL.
 
Using decent lighting indoors is a must. I don't take photos indoors very often and when I do, I have to be careful with the background color and the lighting and usually end up having to make some corrective adjustments to the photos anyway. But for hatchlings in deli cups, the best time to take their photos without them escaping (most of the time) is soon after they've eaten and they've curled up with a full belly. You'll still get some that make a run for it as soon as you lift the lid, but most are content to stay in the cup so you can take at least one photo.

But as Robbie said, I prefer the outdoors and get the best photos in shaded areas with and without the flash. Direct sunlight also works on with many snakes, but sometimes, there can be too much sun.

And don't be afraid to make some minor adjustments with a good photo software. Reducing the gamma level can fix some of those flash photos and tweaking the color balance can help on those where the color just isn't correct.
 
try to make your pictures outside in shadow areas. no direct sunlight!!!
i always give my snakes a place to hide before i take pictures of them. i´m using one of these "half coconuts", if you now what i mean, or something like that.
place it where you want to take your picture and let your snake hide in there. give it a few seconds to come down an then lift the hide. most of the time the snake is nicely curled up and u can take your picture :)
try it and show us the results ;)

roman
 
Best lighting to shoot in is normally in the morning hours or sunset before the sun is too harsh and overhead. Cloudy or hazy days also make for great lighting. When I shoot indoors, I like to use a cool, cheap lighting set up.

Create a naturalistic looking setup on a piece of cardboard or something like that, then find 1 or 2 desk lamps. Set one up at an angle from behind the snake and raised about 2-3 feet from ground level. Now take 3 white garbage bags and put them between the light source and the snake. This diffuses the light tremendously. Take your other lamp and set it up at about a 45 degree angle in front of the snake (the side you're shooting from) use 1-2 white trash bags this time. This is your main light source so you want it to be stronger.

You have a camera that will let you shoot manual, so shoot automatic ISO, aperature at about f/8, and shutter at about 1/125 to 1/150 of a sec. This should give you pretty good results with a good depth of field to make a sharp image and should be fast enough to take out any movement.

Now, when you're focusing, remember that when you push the shutter down half way it locks your focus point. You can recompose the image with the button held down half way, then push the shutter down the rest of the way to actually take the photo. So, when you're focusing, focus on the snake's eye and then recompose the image as you want it to look before hitting the shutter.

Hope that quick run through helps. I can do more when I'm not typing on my iPhone lol

PR
 
Also take lots and lots and lots of pictures. Sometimes I'll take over 50 pictures and only get a couple that I think are OK. Don't just take one or two, and think you got it or look at them and give up. Also futz around with your settings to learn what they all do and maybe make a cheap light box.
 
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