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Keywords

beautiful
snake
reptile
garter snake
gentle
Canon 100mm 2.8mm
1-10 Project
10 fingers
harmless
Steve Brien
Photographed by Steve Brien


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1-10 Project: 10 Fingers and a Garter Snake

1-10 Project: 10 Fingers and a Garter Snake
(Invitation to my next project info at the bottom AND I have a new group for our projects: Janet's Photography Projects [temporary name])

I've got folders brimming with finished pictures that I'd like to post at some point, and while I was looking for images which contained numbers of objects from 1-10, I discovered this one, which is among my favorites since it also has a story to go with it.

One morning Steve and I got up and he went down to the kitchen to get breakfast, when I heard him exclaim in surprise. Pulling my clothes on, I dashed down to see what the excitement was alll about.

Pointing to our aluminum recycling can, he said, "Janet, there is a garter snake in that corner behind the can!" He continued his story as we both moved to each side of the can, explaining, " I came into the kitchen and turned on the light, and I found it in the middle of the room! The second it saw me, it raced to find a place to hide...how in the world did it get into the kitchen???!" I shook my head in wonder. "I have no idea...maybe there is a small hole under the cabinets?" Steve moved the can while I guarded one side, and quickly and gently, Steve reached in and grabbed the harmless snake behind the head to keep it from possibly biting and lifted it up, supporting its sinuous body in his other hand. It tried to escape, but like me, Steve's owned snakes and we've caught many wild garter snakes as kids and know how to hold them safely and securely. It calmed down quickly when it found it could not get away, the rest of its body intertwined around Steve's fingers. We appreciated its lovely markings for a moment and then I traded with him so I could hold it too. Snakes feel wonderful to hold. They have lovely textures and it's amazing to feel them moving along with thier muscular, ungulating bodies. Steve got my camera and took some pictures of me holding it, and then we walked outside and released it about 100 feet from the house. From the time we discovered it to the time we released it was only about 10 minutes, because we wanted to cause it as little stress as possible.

I am delighted by this image and am so happy that I can use it for my final picture in my 1-10 Project!

A big thanks to my Project Buddies: Chrissy, Valfal (Valerie), Jenny McIntyre, Rachel, and Lynne, it was really wonderful having you along on this adventure! Great creativity and lots of fun!!

This 1-10 Project was Chrissy's idea, and she also thought about doing a series of colors. The other day, Lynne approached me with a color theme too, with the addition of a rainbow scheme with enough colors that a weekly project will carry us through nearly to Christmas! I would like to extend an inviatation to anyone who would like to join us on this project! Let me know if you're interested and I'll add you to the list so that folks can see what you've come up with for each week too!

Next project: Color Wheel!
Next Week will be a pictures that features any shade of Red.
The following weeks will be any shade of Pink, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Purple, Brown, and then the non-colors of Black and White.

You can restrict yourself to a single subject or you might like to have a theme, like flowers, things that are a certain shape, or whatever. It just needs to be the color of the week! :) I hope you'll consider joining us! Photography projects are a great way to be inspired and keep the creative juices going!

Explored on September 30, 2014. Highest placement, #2.

Karlena, Ramon Hierro, , Song Ho and 97 other people have particularly liked this photo


43 comments - The latest ones
 Don Sutherland
Don Sutherland club
Stunning capture and clarity.
9 years ago.
 Stormlizard
Stormlizard club
Wonderful photo with a nice tale to go with it.
9 years ago.
 Rabbitroundtheworld
Rabbitroundtheworld
a nice tale and a nice tail :-)
9 years ago.
 Stan Askew
Stan Askew club
great photo !!!
9 years ago.
 Thérèse
Thérèse
superbe
9 years ago.
 cavanas
cavanas
Magnifica !!
9 years ago.
 My Awake Gottica (m.a.g)
My Awake Gottica (m.…
coolllllllllllllllllllll!!!!!!!! :)
9 years ago.
 Nora Caracci
Nora Caracci club
what a brilliant catch, superb shot !
9 years ago.
 natur' ELLE
natur' ELLE club
très beau serpent !! ********** j'♥ pas cet animal !
9 years ago.
 William Sutherland
William Sutherland club
Phenomenal shot!
9 years ago.
 Pam J
Pam J club
Beautiful little lad !
9 years ago.
 Chrissy
Chrissy club
a wonderful finish for our project with a lovely story and a perfect picture. i love it!
9 years ago.
 .t.a.o.n.
.t.a.o.n.
i like snakes, i love this photo !
9 years ago.
 Annemarie
Annemarie club
wow.....thats beautiful janet
again a happy belated BD:)
9 years ago.
 Léopold
Léopold club
Oui en autant qu'il tourne sa petite langue 7 fois ou plus avant de la sortir !
9 years ago.
 Eunice Perkins
Eunice Perkins club
Lovely photo! I'd love to hold one!
9 years ago.
 Krisonteme
Krisonteme club
Ça c'est une chose que je ne ferai ....JAMAIS ........
9 years ago.
 Rafael
Rafael club
Yo también hice algo semejante !
Un foto magnífica ! ***
9 years ago.
 (*NIKonGT*)
(*NIKonGT*)
Breathtaking Picture, outstanding details too!
9 years ago.
 Clive Kirby
Clive Kirby
Nicely focused image. Great story to accompany it.
9 years ago.
 Valfal
Valfal
What a wonderful photo to end the 1-10 Project with, Janet! I do love snakes (a trait that passed down to my grandson, lol), and these little garter snakes are among my favorites. What a beautifully photographed image!

I have so enjoyed participating in this project. It challenged me to be creative, and to a large degree, I think I've succeeded. Thank you for inviting me to participate, and I would love to be a part of the Color Wheel Project! I love bright colors, so this should be a great excuse to search for colorful things to photograph :))
9 years ago.
 Jan
Jan
stunning shot - amazing clarity
i.spy.group.
9 years ago.
 Mike Coombes
Mike Coombes club
Great picture and great story. Its many years since I last handled a snake, but they are lovely - like one long silky muscle!
9 years ago.
 Soeradjoen (limited time)
Soeradjoen (limited… club
Very beautiful!
9 years ago.
 Puzzler4879
Puzzler4879
Beautiful snake, beautiful hands, and a terrific shot! Congrats on a well deserved Explore!
9 years ago.
 Valérie D
Valérie D
So nice ++++ Congratulations
9 years ago.
 Proxar
Proxar
!!! just beautiful
9 years ago.
 Jean
Jean
Pin sharp and what beautiful curving shapes.
9 years ago.
 Treasa Ui Cionaodha
Treasa Ui Cionaodha
Stunning shot of this snake. Well done Janet. Congratulations on Explore this one well deserves it. Regards Tess.
9 years ago.
 Keith Burton
Keith Burton club
This has been a superb series Janet - and how like you to end it with such a splendid shot with, as usual, a lovely story to go with it. Well done :)
9 years ago.
 Sami Serola (inactive)
Sami Serola (inactiv… club
Great catch! =D
9 years ago.
 PaulOClassic©
PaulOClassic©
No thanks!!

Great shot, however!! ;0))
9 years ago.
 Heide
Heide club
A wonderful snake.
The picture is outstanding.
9 years ago. Edited 9 years ago.
 Fizgig
Fizgig
Great catch =)
9 years ago.
 Sylvie Coeffic
Sylvie Coeffic
************** :-)
9 years ago.
 Misou 49
Misou 49 club
Une prise fantastique !
9 years ago.
 Bruno Suignard
Bruno Suignard
excellent!!***********************************
9 years ago.
 sunlight
sunlight club
Great ! *******
8 years ago.
 rod bally
rod bally
Such a beautiful capture
8 years ago.
 Song Ho
Song Ho
Wonderful~~!!
8 years ago.
 Andrew Trundlewagon
Andrew Trundlewagon club
I was wondering what the red dot on the rear side of the head is?
8 years ago.
 Andrew Trundlewagon
Andrew Trundlewagon club
I was wondering what the red spot on the rear side of the head is?
8 years ago.

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