Equipment

Photo: Dr Rajbir Kaur Sharma

Here, in this photograph, its me Capt Suresh, photographing an adult Russell’s Viper. My wife, Dr Rajbir , helped me for the safety , as she was the snake handler for the photo session. Our children were watching us from the window of the vehicle. They were not allowed to come out at all, doors were locked and one assistant kept them busy and explaining what was going on.

You can see, I was that close to get some closeups of the face, eyes, nostrils, scales and the fascinating flicker of the tongue, which makes the photographs alive. Remember, never go that close, if you are not following the `rule book’ sincerely by 100%, its not worth. I knew what I wanted and that is the only way to get those closeup shots. I never compromise with safety while handling snakes, never. So, I had planned the shoot very well for the day, with my wife, she had to finish her domestic chores and get free, manage the small kids who were briefed well about how to behave during the shoot and what we were about to do.

If you notice, I am viewing through `angle finder’ and this can lead me to a mistaken judgment for the distance between me and the snake, in case it starts moving forward. But to get the ground level view of the snake through the lens, one needs to place the camera on ground and you all know that its almost impossible to shoot ground level shots with a DSLR, as it has fixed LCD. One needs this angle finder (see the equipment below), to get good ground level view. And this can be dangerous in this scenario, where one is shooting an aggressive venomous snake ready to strike, while viewing through `angle finder’.

I could manage it by following few things: I had my wife (well equipped) to handle snakes for me, I had frozen myself completely, even the focusing was done very gently and I had placed my hand there before the snake was placed in front of me. In fact, the snake was covered under a dark cloth and was unveiled only once I had taken my shooting posture and made myself comfortable. My wife had taken clearance from me, if I was ready and she could unveil the snake. This is the best way to shoot snakes with camera, when it is a well organised shoot.

In the beginning, any snake is timid and tries to hide, but as the shoot progresses, they become aggressive and ready to strike. Give them rest after a while. So, be very careful! Do not try this posture and the equipment till you have everything in place: you have read all the precautions, you have an expert snake handler (well equipped) in place, you have learned adequately about snakes, etc. Please do not compromise with anything, its has to be 100% safety drill. You are free to ask me questions !! If I know, then you will get a reply soon, otherwise it may take sometime, also I need to be around the internet to reply.

Please read the Page `Snake Photography’ for more details about snake photography technique, equipment, etc.