Eunectes notaeus (Anaconda)

Eunectes notaeus (common names: Anaconda, Water boa)

Unlike most people I know, I don't have a problem with reptiles and snakes in particular. When Spyros showed me this anaconda I was impressed by the way it had fitted its whole body in a large bowl full of water. Indeed, there were coils on coils and the relatively small head always alert, possibly looking for food. Having a digital camera is a nice thing. The animal stayed under the water surface and the first couple of shots were a failure, first because of the shadow by the metal frame of the terrarium and second because of the reflection of the flash on the water surface. Naturally, my expensive circular polarizer filter was at home so I had to take the shot at an angle to eliminate the reflection of the flash. This meant utilizing an extremely narrow "frame" since the low angle brought my camera almost at the same level with the metal frame. I used f/8 to get some descent depth of field and get the maximum from sharp lens I used. The detail on the eyes of the anaconda rewarded me.
 
Photo by George J. Reclos

Shooting Data:
 
Camera: Nikon D2X
Lens:  Nikkor AF 50mm f1.8D
Sensitivity: ISO 100
Shutter speed - aperture: 1/60 sec, f/8 Aperture priority mode
Flash: SB-800 in i-TTL mode
Image: JPEG edited in Photoshop CS2, levels adjusted, smart sharpening added and resized. Photo taken at Zoofilia.