The snake that tried to eat my camera

The snake that tried to eat my camera!

This we have been running a tour for photojournalist Karl Grobl of Jim Cline Photo tours. Its always a pleasure to meet  Karl,  he is a humanitarian photographer we have be  working with on tours for 5 seasons now . We took his group out on the Tonle  sap lake to Kompong Khleang.  It was good opportunity to try out a new lens, which I bought a few days before, to replace my Nikon 17-55 F2.8 which a managed to break  in Bangkok.

I thought Nikon pro lenses were pretty well indestructible; but due to a total carelessness on my behalf I smashed it against a post in Bangkok  while walking on a narrow path. If I  had the lens shade it on it  would have broken, but would have taken the impact. Anyway I now have a Sigma 17-70 F2.8  which was less than half the price of a replacement Nikon and under the $600 to repair my 5 year old heavily used 17-55 .

We approached a fishing boat and could see  the boatman had just caught a 2 metre long  python. He held it up for us for photos.  I have no fear of snakes but will not mess with any venomous species. Pythons have no venom, but kill their victims by giving them a nasty hug!  I climbed aboard the boat and took a few close up shots. It suddenly lashed out at my camera striking the lens. Maybe it saw it reflection in the glass?

Anyway I have discovered my new Sigma lens has an ANTI SNAKE FILTER!!