I have been fascinated by snakes ever since I met my husband Bob, no pun intended. He has been handling, rescuing and keeping snakes since he was a little boy. Together we spend the summer months looking for snakes, rescuing them from backyards and shooing them off busy highways and byways. The most common non venomous snake in the area is the Bullsnake or Gopher Snake, which when aroused likes to huff and puff, and mimic its more dangerous cousin, the rattlesnake that also lives in the area.
I came across Huff and Puff on a drive in the San Mateo Mountains. He was stretched out across the road and allowed me to pick him up without complaint. Once in the bucket he began to huff and puff. After taking his photograph I returned him the following week and set him free away from the road. I played with the image until the idea of a headdress emerged. The background was created from the same image.