Diamond back water snake, N Texas

[AndyS]

I picked this little guy up on my walk with the dog yesterday. They live in/near water as the name implies. I posted pics of a Rat Snake earlier and commented on how bitey he was but he was downright docile compared to this little guy! Usually if they are handled a snake will calm down once they figure out they aren't going to be harmed or eaten. Not this guy! I had to refrigerate him until he was close to comatose and pose him in my little water feature. It takes maybe a whole minute for him to warm up and become active again so I have about 30 seconds to get pictures that don't look like he's dead.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

1. Fantastic shot, Andy!

So glad you were able to succeed with this little snake.

[AndyS]

2. This is part of a series I'm putting together for an "adopted grandson" from a

different family. He's 8 and had his first dose of nature at camp this summer. I started with this



and told a little story about what it is, how he lives and what may eat him. The water snake is what will eat him and will be the second in the series.

Speaking of being eaten, if you look closely there is a black scar on the snake where the first part of the loop goes over the log. Seems he had a close call, probably from a snowy egret.

[Chainfire]

3. Are you not concerned about the ethics of catching a wild animal, removing it from its home,

refrigerating it to the point of docility in order to take a posed photograph?

[AndyS]

4. No, I'm not. I avoid chilling when I can as it presents a more natural pose but sometimes for the

safety of the subject and myself I resort to it.

Nature does the same things but unlike nature I don't cool them to below 40f and I only do that for brief periods. Here in N Texas he got chilled to 10f last February and in 2021 the temps were in the single digits for more than a week. 2021 culled a LOT of wildlife including white tailed deer, bees and just about every other species. My refrigerator is downright benign compared to what their natural environment puts them through.

My photos are posed as close to what I see in the wild as possible and are used for education and enlightenment. I daresay that having been exposed to my work many people who would have killed a snake on sight will now just let it be.

When I'm finished with the photo session I take the subject back to where I found it and release it. In this case I'll put him back under the log on the beach by the lake where I found him. The same log.

So no, I do not think my ethics are compromised any more than putting a bird feeder up to photograph or simply enjoy song birds.

[Chainfire]

5. You don't see the difference in putting up a bird feeder and capturing and refrigerating

animals to pose for a "nature" photo? I guess everyone has their own views or right and wrong.

[AndyS]

6. I gave my explanation.

If you can't see the similarities between feeding birds in an artificial man made environment that removes them from their natural diet and what I do I guess there are simply differences in outlook. There are wildlife photographers that refuse to use feeders or bait stations and even blinds. We all pretty much don't interfere with the natural flow of life. Coyotes eat rabbits, snakes eat baby mice. It's a sliding scale of intrusion from simply being in their environment all the way to a zoo.

What I do is present my subjects in the best most attractive and the most natural way possible so that others can experience them. I make portraits of wild animals.

I am comfortable with what I do. I do not harm any of my subjects -- except possibly stinging insects, I don't have much affinity for wasps or roaches but spiders I let go. If you aren't comfortable with me and my work there is always ignore.