Photographer Gets Bitten By A Deadly Black Mamba, Still Manages To Finish The Photoshoot

[IronLionZion]

https://www.boredpanda.com/snake-photographer-bitten-got-shot-mark-laita/

Snakes. While many quite rightly fear them, these misunderstood creatures are undeniably beautiful in their own right. Photographer Mark Laita set out to capture that beauty for his book Serpentine.

The book is a collection of beautifully lit snakes against a black background, in order to best bring out the stunning colors and textures of the serpents. And while it may be of great interest to snake lovers and herpetologists alike, the author insists the work is to be viewed as art. “My intention was to explore color, shape and movement, using snakes as a subject, but of course herpetologists will probably enjoy these photographs as well,” he told Wired.

One of the snakes selected for the book was the deadly black mamba, a highly aggressive and venomous snake from the African continent. Despite safety precautions during the shoot, an accident occurred while the owner went to retrieve the snake with a hook. The hook instead snagged a red photographic cable that was nearby, this spooked the mamba which then lashed out at the photographer’s leg. Blood began to gush from the wound and Laita immediately feared the worst. “Oh f**k,” was his initial reaction, according to an interview with Strange Behaviors.

Despite the snake not having its venom glands removed and therefore being still extremely deadly, Laita did not go to the hospital for anti-venom. This goes against experts’ advice on the matter and was an extremely risky thing to do. Luckily for him, the snake either gave him a ‘dry bite’, in which the snake chose not to inject venom, or the venom was immediately pushed out by the heavy bleeding from the bite. It must’ve been nervous time in the aftermath however, not knowing for sure if any venom had entered his system. “It hurt like hell that night.” Laita recalled. “It was like being stuck with a couple of push pins.”

“Snakes. Why’d it have to be snakes?”

I shared a few photos but there are many more at the link. There are some extraordinary serpents with a lot of exquisite coloring.

[Merlot]

1. How interesting - thanks for posting this

Although the first picture of him getting bit I could have done without!

The rest of the pictures are beautiful.

[Arkansas Granny]

2. The photos are stunning, but I think a little protective gear might have been in order.

They make lightweight shin guards that people wear when hiking or hunting in snake country. Also, had that been me, I would have made a bee line for the nearest hospital with anti venom. The results of that bite could have been fatal.

[Not Ruth]

3. "did not go to the hospital for anti-venom"

So he was an idiot?

[IronLionZion]

4. There are many reasons why women live longer than men

[cwydro]

5. I know, right?

And saying “It was like being stuck with a couple of push pins”?

I would think a snake bite would hurt WAY more than that.