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For many years, I've had a list of types of animals I dream of photographing for my clients. At the top of that list was a snake. Almost 12 years in business went by until finally one came to me! My friend Dylan (whose beautiful pup Mr. Bigby I photographed last summer), is a huge animal lover like myself. He's even going to school in hopes of being a veterinarian. He got in touch with me to come by and take photos of his beautiful ball python Loki.
The first thing you notice about Loki are the beautiful markings of his scales. Apparently his is a rare type. Dylan even said there's a spot on Loki that looks like Ghostface from Scream. He and I also have a love of horror movies in common, so I thought that was especially cool!
We set Loki up on a wooden perch against my black backdrop. I knew having him against a dark background would really make his colors pop and look really dramatic. It was amazing to watch him slither and move around the space, and I was fascinated by him. Even after I knew I'd gotten all I needed for the session, I kept shooting because he was just so amazing to watch. Snakes have a reputation for being scary, but Loki was incredibly calm and sweet and I went away from the session with a new desire to not only photograph more snakes, but to have one of my own one day!
Every pet deserves their day in the spotlight and I was so happy I was able to capture some great shots of Loki for Dylan. We even got a few shots of them together. Sadly, not long after our session, Dylan found out Loki was diagnosed with IBS, which is fatal in snakes once it presents symptoms. I'm sad to report that only 2 months after I photographed Loki, he was gone. This is another reminder that we're never guaranteed a long time with our pets, and it's important to make the most of our time with them while we have them. It's an honor to be able to help people remember their beloved pets!
Here are some of my favorite shots we got that day!
Rest in Peace, Loki.
