Photo Story: Struggle for Survival – Toad and a Snake

Before I start, let me warn you. The images in this blog post may be graphic to some people. This is a photography story about a struggle for survival between a toad and a snake. Read on to find out what happened.

Toad and Snake Struggle for Survival

I was working in my yard doing fall clean up chores when I noticed some strange movement by my rose garden. I walked over to investigate and found that a small snake had bitten and was clamping on to the hindquarters of a rather large toad.

I ran inside to get my camera to photograph the scene. I photographed the scene for the next few moments. I felt a bad for the toad but it was fascinating to watch and photograph this drama of nature.

Although injured, the toad continued to push forward dragging the snake. Meanwhile, the snake continued to latch on to the toad and was trying to find something to wrap its tail around to prevent being dragged by the toad.

So, how did this battle for survival end?

The toad continued to pull the snake until it reached the driveway that was heated by the afternoon sun. When the cold-blooded snake hit the hot driveway, it let go of its prey and the toad escaped.

I removed the snake from my yard as my neighbors have small children that play in the vicinity. When I returned the toad had made it back to the rose garden. I have not seen him again, so I’m not sure if the toad survived the ordeal.

Toad and Snake Photo Details (for the First Photo)

Camera: Canon 5d Mark III
Lens: Canon EF 300mm f/4L Lens
Focal Length: 300mm
ISO: 320
Aperture: f/10.1
Shutter Speed: 1/500 of a second
Exposure Compensation: +0
Lighting: Bright and Sunny Afternoon

Toad and Snake Photo Processing

Cropped the photo in Lightroom 5.
Added detail to the cub and foreground using the Detail Extractor Filter in Color Efex Pro 4
Added contrast and pop to the photo by using the Humming Bird I filter in Topaz Clarity
Selectively lightened and darkened the image using Viveza 2 from the Nik Collection.
Returned to Color Efex Pro 4 using the Darken/Lighten Center filter to highlight the subject.
Selectively sharpened the photo using the Unsharp Mask Filter in Photoshop CC 2014.

Written by Martin Belan

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