Snakes and Stones

Nice tumbles and a cute baby.  What could be better?

Those granite tumbles are very cool. I used to have family in Waltham and Manchester. I loved to go looking at all the great granite up there.

It's funny, I always grew up thinking snakes were pretty mean. Far too many water moccasins where I grew up. I had no idea that reptiles had unique personalities. During the lockdown, I got a chance to know several of the broad nosed skinks that live in my backyard. They get quite large. About 12 or so inched. One of them used to come sunbathe next to my leg. He's a character! I named him Verne.

So nice the combo of rocks and snakes. I think you are a rather skilled photographer. Former herpetologist here, though not into herpetoculture or other than native coloration. Bob Clark and I went to herp grad school in same era, if you know what what he is doing with certain color morphs in mostly retics.

Some of our native species look like rocks to begin with, especially many of our native viperids. You've caused me to think of certain photo ops that might exist with say a western diamondback along side certain repeating rocks with patterns that matched the snake...

I've been a field herper pretty seriously for almost 50 years. When I took up this rock hobby in 2014, it was so weird to be looking for non-living objects in the outdoors when before that was always looking for living things. But since I had so much experience looking for patterns in nature, especially on the ground, finding rocks to tumble is pretty easy. And of course the snakes are still there too! Sometimes find both at once.

Got nailed hard by a ball python in grad school--just once was enough--never trusted that guy again. Amazing how fast they can be when in the mood to teach someone a lesson.

I've missed out on several pictures here recently! I'd say my favorite of the recent ones has to be the "rainbow" pic!

I just saw your new avatar also! I thought my pain meds were tripping me out at first! LOL

Oooh...I'm picking up on the teaser for the iolite pic! I'll be keeping an eye out for that one!

As far as you not changing your avatar...maybe the pain meds are doing better than I thought! LOL

Thanks!

Yes, the snake in the first photo is a Banana variant:  Hypomelanistic Banana Pastel  

Blue-Eyed Leucistic ball pythons are very popular in the pet trade.  There are many gene combinations that can be used to make them--depending upon the genes used you get a varying level of yellowing/grey color or dorsal stripe as they get older.   I used two copies of a 'Lesser' gene (aka Super Lesser) to produce the one in the photo.  Super Lessers are considered to be the 'whitest' blue-eyed ball python.  Even though they are relatively simple to make: some breeders have run into issues where they have produced Super Lessers with deformed eyes--so they are generally avoided.   I have had no issue with any I have produced in the past...though my collection is large enough where I can avoid inbreeding closely related specimens.

Funny how Bob Clark and I were both working on our masters in herpetology at the very same time, in adjacent states, but didn't know each other. He was at Kansas State at Lawrence, and I was at Oklahoma State in Norman. His major professor was the last great field man in Kansas still working, now deceased, Henry Fitch. Mine was the greatest field man in Oklahoma, now deceased, Charles Carpenter. Carpenter and Fitch were best friends, and Bob and I were probably in same room together several times, but didn't meet until later in life. Bob and I have been trying to plan some outings together, probably in Asia, but I've been very busy with a divorce now ended and he is really consumed by his business. He's in Okla City and I'm in Stillwater just a bit more than an hour away. Going to his operation is pretty mind blowing--big snakes of many different color morphs. We are soon going to get together over some cervezas and catch up on old times.

Do you use a light box or what for your photo setups? I've been thinking about trying to photograph some finished rocks, but my first attempts with just a camera on a tripod produced terrible results, especially with colors.

I think the big snakes are really neat to look at, however, I think only the most committed people have the ability to care for them properly throughout their lives.  I have been offered so many different types of large snakes over the years--I feel bad for the poor reptiles being re-homed--I would never buy one or consider breeding them myself.

I'm using a dark room with a black background cloth and hitting the subject with my camera flash--pretty lazy setup---no tripod--I let the camera can do the work...I'm managing the snake.   Sometimes I will get a few LED flashlights and point them at the rocks in different areas if I'm losing too much flash from the camera.  I try to take up to 200 photos in 15 minutes and then pick the best one and tag it.  A lot of the flash is consumed by the background which is made from a cloth coated with vertically aligned nano-tube arrays which convert light to heat.  Nano-tube tech is not currently available to the general public, however, over time more and more companies have explored the ability to produce their own versions (I have one of these test versions-which is rapidly deteriorating).  A company in Waltham, MA claims they will release a paint to the general public using nano-tubes and a stabilizer to affix them to different surfaces...I think they called it 'Singularity', but, after trying the disappointing Black 3.0 (which was also hailed as the next 'best thing')...I am cautiously pessimistic. 

Figured this one out today:  The dark blue sodalite I bought from Brazil is actually chatoyant under bright light--it is not visible under regular lighting--that is why my photos for this particular shoot were a mess...