The high contrast is really nice! Invest in a fast lens (low f stop number) for your camera. I use a Canon Rebel and have two lenses that I really like for snake pictures. The first is a Canon 50 mm f1.4, which on a cropped sensor camera is closer to a 75 mm lens. It is really good for taking pictures of babies and more artistic shots (when you want to get the bokeh, or background blur). The lens I have been using the most with my camera is a Sigma 17-50 mm f2.8 lens. The wide angle side of the lens with a large aperture produces some great pictures. Enjoy your guy and new camera!