“Look like the innocent flower, But be the serpent underneath it.” – Shakespeare’s ‘Macbeth’
Andrew McGibbon
What do you get when you combine exotic snakes, colored paper, and really good lighting? You get Slitherstition, a sssexy ssseries of sssnake portraitsss by Andrew McGibbon.
I have always had a sssoft ssspot for sssnakes. (Okay, I’ll ssstop now.) I was a summer snake sitter (so hard not to essss) at NYU, and I briefly had my own boa, Lord Byron. I used to bring him clubbing with me (to keep the boys away – worked like a charm). I’ve always been fascinated by how alien and beautiful the creatures are, and McGibbon’s work just reinforces that impress(s)ion for me.
Hope you enjoy the glorious shapes, colors and textures he captures in these photos as much as I did!
All photos property of Andrew McGibbon.
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My OBT 
July 11, 2016 at 8:14 am
Stunning images, simple (in looks but i am sure not in execution) but dramatic. I love seeing the shapes the snakes get themselves into. I’m sure one was a pretzel and one was an ampersand. Snake yoga maybe?
I’m also a snake fan (another thing we have in common) but have never had a pet one. Lizards but never a snake. In the UK, we only have two species of snake – grass snakes and adders. Only adders are venomous and they are also not aggressive so even though I once jumped into a nest of them (not deliberately) they all skittered away rather than bite. So living in the US now, I’ve really had to train myself not to just touch snakes silly nilly but try to identify them first. I’m getting better in that regard and so far I’ve only accidentally picked up harmless snakes.
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July 11, 2016 at 8:47 am
Happily, you had the good sense to land in Pennsylvania. There’s only so much (snake) trouble you can get in there.
By the way, I’m starting to suspect you are me. Has anyone ever seen us in the same place at the same time? They have not!
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July 11, 2016 at 9:16 am
Ha ha! Here’s a difference: you know your glitter beards from your shimmering merkins and I don’t.
Yes, happily there aren’t that many nasty biting beasties to get in trouble with in PA – though I’ve had to tackle three black widows so far. Back in 2000, however, visiting the desert southwest, I was terrible for picking things up. My brother-in-law dragged me into a book store and showed me a guide to local flora and fauna and pointed out all the little deadly skull symbols everywhere. I think I still picked up a lizard after that. I really shouldn’t even be terrorizing wildlife by picking it up or touching it anyway, of course. It’s one of my character flaws for curiosity to get the better of me.
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July 11, 2016 at 10:37 am
I’m similarly inclined, except with spiders. When I spot a spider, I will throw with great force (and surprising accuracy) anything at hand, including a friend. As far as I am concerned, they are all black widows and want to kill me. The feeling is mutual.
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July 12, 2016 at 9:36 am
I have a herpetologist cousin getting married this September. Wedding gift?
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July 12, 2016 at 10:01 am
That’s a great idea!
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July 14, 2016 at 3:27 pm
Spending most of my life in Texas I have a knee-jerk reaction to any snake. I know that they are an important part of the ecosystems in which they live and that most of them are no threat to me but I cannot imagine voluntarily having anything to do with one. Earlier this spring I was cleaning house and I picked a dry twig that I believed the dog had tracked in. On the way to the trash I realized that it was a TINY, DEAD snake and I screamed and threw it in the air.
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July 14, 2016 at 3:52 pm
I am a terrible person. That story played out in my head in cartoon form, and I laughed.
I understand that snakes can be dangerous, but my only encounters are with the cute ones. I’m a New Yorker. We have other problems.
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July 14, 2016 at 4:09 pm
I told the story because I hoped I would make you laugh.
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July 14, 2016 at 4:35 pm
Mission accomplished!
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