Desert features lead to desert creatures
Instead of going downtown to shoot an Arizona Diamondback game I chose to instead hop in my car and go for a drive into the desert to see if there was any lightning or other cool things to shoot. Little did I know that skipping the Diamondbacks baseball would result in me shooting an ACTUAL Arizona Diamondback.
Nikon D3, 80-200mm, 200iso, f4, 1/200th
I headed east towards the direction most of the monsoom storms originate and just kept driving. About 30 miles later I ended up on some mountain road that was totally made for my car.
Nikon D3, 80-200mm with 1.4 convertor, 200iso, f4, 1/320th
After several miles tearing up the road (and my tires) I ended up on a dirt road through some mountainous terrain in the middle of nowhere. It was close to sunset and there was no cell phone service so instead of driving my low clearance car on the bumpy roads and risking a blown tire (or hundred foot fall off a cliff) I turned around to head back to the safety of paved roads and phone signals.
On the ride back I stopped a few times to fire off some stock images for future use.
Nikon D3, 80-200mm with 1.4 convertor, 200iso, f4, 1/400th
Nikon D3, 80-200mm, 200iso, f4, 1/1000th
Nikon D3, 80-200mm, 200iso, f4, 1/2500th
Nikon D3, 80-200mm, 500iso, f5.6, 1/400th
Nikon D3, 80-200mm, 200iso, f4, 1/2000th
Being out in the middle of nowhere with no humans for miles was a bit eerie. Especially when the only thing I could hear was silence and the occasional bird chirping. I then started to get a creepy “The Hills have Eyes” vibe so I decided to get the hell outta there!
After a few minutes of driving I spotted some small creature walking in the middle of the road. It took me a few seconds to realize what it was but as soon as I figured it out I locked the brakes and got out of the car with my camera in my hand.
Nikon D3, 80-200mm, 4000iso, f2.8, 1/160th
It was a massive tarantula.
I see scorpions a few times a month at my house and have gotten used to them for the most part. In my 20 plus years living in Arizona this was only the second time I had ever seen a tarantula. I fired off some pictures as it crossed the road but once it went into the bushes on the side of the road it was back in the car to head home.
Seriously less than 2 minutes later of driving I came across yet another tarantula. I nailed the brakes again but this time grabbed my body with the fisheye lens to try something a bit different.
I laid the camera on the ground and got very close to the creature as I fired off pictures to try and get a spiders eye view of Mr. Tarantula.
Nikon D3, 14-24mm, 3200iso, f2.8, 1/320th
It probably isn’t the best idea to get as close to tarantulas as I did (at one point the spider was touching the lens) but its not often to have the chance to shoot something this close up.
After finishing up shooting it I hopped back in my car feeling pretty accomplished and glad I took this drive. But it wasn’t over yet!
As I was doing about 60mph down the road I spotted something on the ground and actually nailed the brakes hard enough to skid to a stop. Grabbed the body with the 80-200mm and climbed from my car.
What had me so excited you ask?
Nikon D3, 80-200mm, 4000iso, f5.6, 1/100th
It was about a five or six year old Rattlesnake.
The snake wasn’t coiled up (how they get before they strike) so I felt moderately safe to get within about three feet of it.
Nikon D3, 80-200mm, 5000iso, f5.6, 1/250th
The snake never moved but I could see its eyes following me.
Nikon D3, 80-200mm, 5000iso, f5.6, 1/100th
After a few more pictures I was done, it was also getting pretty dark so getting many more shots would be next to impossible.
As I drove I passed 3 more tarantulas on the road. After further research later I found out they come out of hiding during monsoon season to mate. Thankfully no tarantulas chose to mount me!
I ended up stopping one more time on the way back to the city to take a picture of Canyon Lake as a test shot in the event I ever want to do a portrait shot with an interesting background.
Nikon D3, 24-70mm, 3200iso, f2.8, 1/320th
And with that a suprisingly rewarding drive came to an end. Yet another reason I love living in Arizona…..you never know what you will see.
-Mark J. Rebilas is a freelance sports photographer based in Arizona. His work is seen regularly in Sports Illustrated, ESPN The Magazine, USA Today and many others around the country. Visit www.markjrebilas.com to learn more about his work.
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