In December of 1978, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed hazardous waste management standards that included reduced requirements for several types of large volume wastes.
Sometimes they have a black or olive-brown base color. Some have a lighter tan base color. As with most snakes, the belly is a lighter color, usually a yellowish cream color. Some specimens have lighter-colored bands running the length of their bodies. Refer to the king cobra pictures above.
They were the palest shade of grey I had ever seen in a snake -- almost white, void of markings. They were the absolute exact same color as the ground. My bluish light was probably producing some color distortion, but if so, it was distorting the color of the snakes and the ground in the same way.