GRASS SNAKE (BUORM) SWIMMING IN A LOCAL POND

The first snake to come swimming past me.

D3s, 200-400 4,0, 400 mm, extension tubes, f6,3, 1/250, ISO 1600

OK, here comes "wild ideas about local snake photography, part 2" : I`ve had this wild idea (or should we say wet idea) for some time now : to try to do close ups on a grass snakes (buorm / Natrix natrix) swimming in its natural habitat : freshwater ponds. It may not sound like such a wild idea, but close ups on wild snakes with camera in water level is no easy match. I`ve been planning this continuously from early spring, finding possible locations etc. I also had to find a warm day to be sure to find the snakes the snakes in the water, a day with absolutely no wind to support the reflections in the water that I wanted, and preferably a day with good lighting conditions with no direct sunshine. I also realized that I would have to get down there myself, literally submerged in the marshy, muddy pond with all its plentiful of "Alice in Wonderland-creatures" !!!!.... and, by using a wetsuit, stay down there for quite a long time. This is the easy part. The easy part is also to place my camera with the 200-400 lens with extension tubes on a plate of XPS, floating just above the water level to give that extremely low level in eye-hight with the snakes. The hard part is to make a snake swim by at a suitable range!

PS : I am probably the first human to be swimming around in that pond. And I had to try several times as well. Luckily the neighbours didn`t see me !!

Again : Thanks to Paal !!!

After a dive the snake suddenly pops up with only the head visible on the green waters surface

D3s, 200-400 4,0, 400 mm, extension tubes, f6,3, 1/200, ISO 1600

Obviously suspicious on my presence

D3s, 200-400 4,0, 400 mm, f6,3, extension tubes, 1/500, -0,67, ISO 1600

Smelling me !!

D3s, 200-400 4,0, 400 mm, extension tubes, f6,3, 1/200, ISO 1600

Disappearing in the spooky Amazon-jungle...

D3s, 200-400 4,0, 400 mm, extension tubes, f6,3, 1/640, -0,67, ISO 1600

D3s, 200-400 4,0, 400 mm, extension tubes, f6,3, 1/250, -0,67, ISO 1600

Continuously smelling me

D3s, 200-400 4,0, 400 mm, extension tubes, f6,3, 1/1000, -0,67, ISO 1600

As the snake is exposed in direct sunshine, heavy underexposing gives the black background

D3s, 200-400 4,0, 400 mm, extension tubes, f6,3, 1/2000, -0,67, ISO 1600