One day, when I was out photographing in my ancestral village, a small village near Thirthahalli, in the Western Ghats of Karnataka, this pretty Green Vine Snake appeared in the bushes. It played hide-and-seek for a while. After taking a few head-on shots, I was looking for some unique perspectives.

Suddenly, the snake peeped through a big, heart-shaped leaf. From one particular angle, the leaf covered its entire body, and just the eye was visible. Additionally, the leaf’s patterns formed a foreground with a radiating effect. That is when I knew that this was the magical moment to capture.

I’m watching you

This image was the winner in the ‘Animal Portraits’ category, at Nature in Focus (2016), Bengaluru.