Flickr look back - Snake vs. Catfish @ Great Falls, MD
Here's one from a few months ago. Taken at Great Falls in Maryland, along the Potomac River. I was walking the trail above the Dam and happened to spot the fella as seen below. The snake caught a catfish, and swam it to shore and then kept it out of the water for a few minutes, suffocating it. Then it just slinked back underwater and disappeared.
I've been on flickr now for about 14 or 15 months. When I first started posting it was your usual point and shoot snapshots, vacations, etc. Later I took plane photos and zoo photos mostly. I was so excited I posted a lot of photos.
Looking back on those days, I've learned a lot about photography, nature, presentation, and restraint when deciding to post an image here or not to since then.
I didn't post the above before because it lacks a pop, or color, or something... But it was cool to see and photograph, and now I am posting it.
In my first year I posted over 3,200 images. It almost felt like a foolish race to get things posted. But in reality, I wasn't as good a photographer then as I am now (heck I wouldn't feel comfortable even calling myself a photographer then, capital p or not).
Part of that improvement, a large part of that, has been via feedback on flickr, steering me towards what works and away from what doesn't work. As a result, I've been pulling images from my stream, and it now has less than 2,600 images.
I think posting 1 or two images per day is already tough enough, so really I should have about 800 images that tell all the same stories I've told already, just better, more focused...
Finding a small amount of images to post is hard, both in that it is hard to find those special images to begin with, ones that are better or different than ones I've already posted, and hard still to just say none stands out let me post 5 and see which you folks like best... (I've been cheating lately by posting in the comments of my own photos like this one...)
I'm happy to have 35 or 40 images in explorer, and just feel I need to tighten up my stream, keeping the higher quality images, and deleting others, or making them family only.
By this summer I was already being very selective and posting a few a day at most. For example, I went to Great Falls over 40 times this summer. I've posted about 90 images from there, and I've taken about 10,000 there...
Comments and faves
MemaNH ... retired and loving it!!!, Noinnebcd, Tall Bob, ferran pestaña, and 51 other people added this photo to their favorites.
Nikographer [Jon] (68 months ago | reply)
click for larger view:
TakumaAkiba (68 months ago | reply)
That snake in the smaller image, my friend, looks like a rattlesnake or cottonmouth. Definitely poisonous! Spectacular shots!
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backroadshutterbug (68 months ago | reply)
This is something you just don't see everyday! I think it's a great capture of Nature as it is.Survival of the fittest.Bravo for you to see it.
Nikographer [Jon] (68 months ago | reply)
Really Takuma? I don't know, and if I had to guess would say black snake, but if you can tell from the photos... Wow.. Didn't realize that. Cool! I probably should have been more afraid. I was above him on the river bank, about 15 feet from him when he was working on suffocating that fish.
Yeah shutterbug... Would have been neat to see an eagle then eat the snake, lol...
TakumaAkiba (68 months ago | reply)
Black snakes don't have the kind of pattern on their back as is plainly visible in the smaller image, above. Also, the head is diamond-shaped. Typical of a venomous snake.
You would only be in danger if it didn't have something in it's mouth.
For comparison: Black Snake
martytdx (68 months ago | reply)
Very cool - nice shot, and I hope you keep up posting your finds.
Doug Lloyd (68 months ago | reply)
Cool. I couldnt for the life of me figure this one from the thumb.
Doug
trykemom (68 months ago | reply)
How cool to see this.
friel (68 months ago | reply)
Just to set the record straight. The snake in your photo is not a venomous snake, but is in fact a Northern water snake
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nerodia_sipedon
Nikographer [Jon] (68 months ago | reply)
D'oh!
Shmaktyc ['∫mΛk-tus] (68 months ago | reply)
great picture. you had really great opportunity and you used it well!
Fotomom (68 months ago | reply)
Eww....but very cool.
Also I found your dialog about how Flickr has helped you become a better photographer wonderful. I've been enjoying your photos for only about 4 or 5 months, and I must say they are inspiring. I shall remember this page and use it to encourage me to keep trying. Thanks.
ferran pestaña (68 months ago | reply)
Great shot.
Very good.
DenaKel (68 months ago | reply)
Yikes!!! That looks like the same snake we saw when we went there. I email DNR and they said it was a Northern Water Snake
Edgar Thissen (68 months ago | reply)
Great shot Jon, it's a wonderful opportunaty you'd here and you managed to take it. Well done!
About the dialog: A good photographer is VERY critical about his/her own work and knows that censorship is maybe of more importance than you can imagine.
lemperleconnie (68 months ago | reply)
Wow! This is a spectacular capture!
This image has been invited for submission at the Animal Kingdom group! The Animal Kingdom group allows for only the finest images of creatures to be submitted. By invite only; please read rules!
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TriPoodle [deleted] (68 months ago | reply)
Nature is so amazing! Bravo for capturing this moment!
OldUncleMe (68 months ago | reply)
Good moment in time.
/..
somesai (68 months ago | reply)
wow! interesting photo
tammyjq41 (68 months ago | reply)
This is an amazing shot!
Abdullah Alashiri >>> in Germany (67 months ago | reply)
Amzing shot !!!
Great Job ..
Night Heron (67 months ago | reply)
Fantastic!
backroadshutterbug (67 months ago | reply)
That would be just to awesome if an Eagle had been around Jon...I think the snake was a cottonmouth but not sure.
Simba on 17th (67 months ago | reply)
Raw nature, pure and immaculate - there is your POP!
Jon, your comments are thought provoking, I plan to re-read them several times.
pinklassy3 (67 months ago | reply)
Wow...this is a cool image....You know you are so right, you have come a long way since I have been viewing your stream..I really enjoy your captures, and you are a really good "Photographer"
I hope to one day be as good as you are now....You got me thinking now, maybe I should clean up my photo stream, and start off a little fresh....I have been flickring for almost two years, pro for not quite a year, that anniversary will be Dec.4th.
But you really got some great idea's of posting..Thanks for sharing all you have with us Jon!
98EXL (67 months ago | reply)
sweet picture man, that catfish got pwn3d!
Jumbo22 (61 months ago | reply)
This is absolutely incredible…brilliant sighting and capture!
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canhdongxanh (61 months ago | reply)
difficult to take this pic already. nice shot
very cool.
Mozambique - Moments (58 months ago | reply)
I agree with Jumbo22... Please consider posting to our group
Born Free, Living Free
Your animal is truly FREE!
Please add this beautiful image to Born Free, Living Free , a group dedicated to the photography of wildlife in their natural habitat.
Please also check out our discussions on the wilderness areas in the world.
Hanifasblessed [deleted] (54 months ago | reply)
Incredible!
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Found in a search. (?)
HGHjim (53 months ago | reply)
Hi, I'm an admin for a group called Herpetology / Everything REPTILE & AMPHIBIAN, and we'd love to have your photo added to the group.
ADD ALL YOUR REPTILE PHOTOS & CHECK OUT OUR PHOTO CONTEST !
Sakura!! (53 months ago | reply)
wow ive never seen a snake eat fish
jessie~ "global non-compliance" [deleted] (52 months ago | reply)
disturbing. great!
Sakura!! (52 months ago | reply)
Hi, I'm an admin for a group called snake bate, and we'd love to have your photo added to the group.
Naseer Ommer (51 months ago | reply)
Amazing capture n a real bad time for de Snake, its NOT an easy task to strangulate the cat fish!!!!
Well documented
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zxgirl (50 months ago | reply)
Oh my!!! Amazing catch on both your parts! But he's caught that fish at totally the wrong angle - how's he gonna get it flipped around head-first?? Good to know these snakes are out there - I'll have to keep an eye out! I've only seen a snake out there once while I was hiking.
The Rapscallion (44 months ago | reply)
good times.
Neil_Henderson (41 months ago | reply)
You are invited to join us
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danilew (36 months ago | reply)
Jon... WOW!
WayneofFlick (34 months ago | reply)
I have never seen anything like this... amazing!
digital kid2007 (34 months ago | reply)
Your Photo Has Inspired Me!!!
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Pregilla (31 months ago | reply)
Hi, I'm an admin for a group called Snakes eating in nature, and we'd love to have this added to the group!