Andrew Hutchings, Herpetofauna (Firmament and Forest Floor) (ANIMAL 2022)

Wide angle shots of some characters of the Australian reptile landscape. These are three animals seldomly noticed or feared, composed with the light of the sun or moon. The thick-tailed gecko (Underwoodisaurus milii) appears a caricature of a lizard, full of character. The brown tree snake (Boiga irregularis) similarly appears with exaggerated features. It is a mildly venomous rear fanged snake found in eastern and northern coastal Australia and poses no threat to humans. The eastern brown snake (Pseudonaja textilis) is a notorious highly venomous snake, though still comes with an unfair reputation. It took some time, patience and previous training and experience to understand this species before attempting to hold a 15mm lens up to the snake. It was a thrill to see the snake in the wild, to spend some time with it and capture it calmly.

Images have been resized for web display, which may cause some loss of image quality. Note: Original high-resolution images are used for judging.