I found this little snake in the woodpile. Judging from the size, it was probably born last year. There is a rattlesnake den very close by where they congregate in the winter. This one is probably working it's way toward hibernating there. I found it the evening before and went back in the morning while it was cold to shoot some macro footage. Not an opportunity that you get every day! By the time I was finished, he was a lot warmer and more feisty. I'm a lot more nervous thinking about it now than I was at the time, but I played it pretty safe. At one point I was focusing the lens with a stick :)
Tripod: Vanguard 263 AGH. Been through lots of dirt and moisture and still works perfectly. The head is not a video head. You can make pans with it if you shoot them multiple times until you get a good one. I also make tilting moving shots which works if you get all the tensions just right and have a steady hand, but it's not made for any of that and no substitute for a good video head. But I don't own a video head and I get by tolerably well with this. The pistol grip is really great for setting up still shots quickly.
The lens is a Nikon 55mm 2.8 MIcro-Nikkor. The very close ups also use an added extender tube to reach 1:1 magnification. I love this lens. It has great color and it's nice and sharp. My favorite all around lens so far out of the ones I've owned. Built like a tank. The camera is a Sony NEX5T. It has issues, but it's been pretty great really and will take any lens if you have an adapter.
