In June 2020, I photographed Florida’s leading female python hunters and spent the night in the Everglades with Anne Gorden-Vega—an art educator turned absolute legend. At 61, she’d captured more Burmese pythons that year than the other 37 state hunters combined. Casual.

We rolled out at sunset, giant lights blasting the swamp like a football stadium. She scanned for iridescent scales with expert precision. I scanned with vibes. We crawled along at 6 mph, no bravado, no theatrics—just calm women who look like they’d remind you to sharpen your pencil and then wrestle a 7-foot snake after dark.

The pay isn’t glamorous. Some nights you catch nothing. But Anne talked less about money and more about the wildlife disappearing—the urgency that keeps her out there until 2 a.m.

I left at 10:30, wildly impressed and slightly humbled. If photography ever fails me, I will not become a python hunter. But I would make an elite truck companion. Cheerleader. Moral support. Snack director. I’ve always been great at snacks.

Mary Beth Koeth for Flamingo Magazine