Macro shots of blind snake scale margins

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jonathan
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Macro shots of blind snake scale margins

Post by jonathan »

I was hoping for some advice on macro photography. The identification of blind snakes is heavily reliant on the midbody scale count and the supralabial sublimination pattern. Since blind snakes are tiny with tiny scales, these are difficult things to discern in the wild. As a result, most blind snake identification is done in labs on preserved specimens.

However, when I'm on the field in Asia, I usually do not have permission to retain and preserve specimens, nor do I want to kill every blind snake I see. So I'm trying to experiment with ways to ID live blind snakes on site.

Of course, this is difficult. One of the main issues is that blind snake scale margins don't show up clearly in photographs. When I say that I'm looking for “supralabial sublimination pattern”, I'm trying to see something like this (chart taken from Von Wallach's paper on sublimination patterns in blind snakes):

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However, when I made my first attempts to take pictures of these traits, the scale margins I need to see fail to show up. Instead, what you actually see is the gland rows and pigment zones under the scales, which aren't the same as the scale edges themselves:

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Now, in this one photo, somehow by accident you can begin to discern something of the scale margins:

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So my question is – how would I take a photo that would cause those scale margins to be more visible? Is it something about the lighting, flash, angle, exposure, etc.? I'm interested both in answers applicable to a DSLR and answers applicable to a point-and-shoot – I only will have a point-and-shoot, but sometimes I will be with partners with a DSLR and they're interested in this question as well.
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Noah M
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Re: Macro shots of blind snake scale margins

Post by Noah M »

No clue here, but could you use a flash diffuser to soften the lighting, and then in post processing mess around with the contrast to accentuate what it is you are looking for?
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jonathan
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Re: Macro shots of blind snake scale margins

Post by jonathan »

Ah - the idea of playing with the contrast in post processing is an interesting one.
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chrish
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Re: Macro shots of blind snake scale margins

Post by chrish »

I couple of tips I would try:

1. Get the flash off the camera so the flash reflections aren't bounced right into the lens. A diffuser might also help.
2. Don't get so close. You can control the light better from further away. Zoom in to the photo on the computer screen. With a modern camera with 10+ MP you should be able to get a shot of the anterior third of the body and zoom in to count scales. Also, give yourself the optimal amount of DOF. Try around f/16 rather than f/22.
3. Take the photo at high ISO without a flash. If it is night, use a flashlight off to the side. This will reduce reflections. Remember, you aren't trying to get photos for magazine covers, you want details only.
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Jason B
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Re: Macro shots of blind snake scale margins

Post by Jason B »

Avoiding the flash bounce is excellent advice.

Reducing the noise by stabilizing the subject and camera would also bring out detail. If you must use your hands to restrain the animal and snap the photo make sure both hands are resting on something stable. Placing the animal on a piece of foam, lightly pressing it beneath glass might help and using a tripod might help.

-Jb
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jonathan
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Re: Macro shots of blind snake scale margins

Post by jonathan »

chrish and Jason - those are some excellent ideas and I will try them out the next time I get a blind snake in hand.
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cbernz
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Re: Macro shots of blind snake scale margins

Post by cbernz »

Maybe rubbing the snake with a dye or some sort of pigmented powder would highlight the scale margins.
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