Venomous snakes

I don't seek out venomous snakes in the wild. It's simply too dangerous. You would probably never see one until it strikes, and then of course it's too late. The venom from this spiny bush viper, for example, causes massive internal bleeding of organs and there is no antidote. Several people I've encountered in my travels have kept venomous snakes, and only then will I photograph them -- with a long lens -- because they are under someone's control. Even if certain species have predictable behavior, that's no guarantee of safety. During one session in Florida, I suggested to the 23-year old handler that he might be too close to the tail of a desert pit viper. He told me they never strike behind themselves. Within 10 seconds of him saying that, the snake whipped around with lightning speed and struck the young man in the hand. He immediately became flushed and was in serious respiratory distress. He put the snake back into its container, called 911 and told me what to do if he passed out. The paramedics came and saved him but only because the snake, recognizing the size of the handler was too large for a meal, gave him a partial dose of venom. For this shot, my settings were 1/125, f/11, and 1600 ISO, and I used a 100-400mm Canon zoom.