This morning I wanted to see if I could finally photograph and [more importantly] find a male white-tailed deer. I know they can be common in some places, but all too often I have found a doe (female) or a male who has lost his antlers. Finally I got the buck I wanted.
My first go at finding them was actually successful; just not photographically. I decided to walk around the area for the heck of it and see if I could find any deer. An area I had already canvased. Not expecting much I took my time, but was a bit lax with my attention. As soon as I turned the bend we were practically face to face. I’d say a good 8ft. Just this beautiful specimen of the genetic pool that needs to be preserved (geeky?) I froze and didn’t want to surprise him with any sudden moves. My one mistake was looking him in eyes. They tend to notice that and I think it makes them more nervous then if I look past them. He trotted a bit off, but then after I slowly set my tripod down he booked! A bit of a let down, but I was surprised after a walk down a different trail to find this buck. He was a bit skiddish at first, but we traded places slowly following each other snapping a few images as we went. Sticking it out really did pay of.
Working between the branches was really tough. Some as you can see really couldn’t be avoided. A huge part was also making sure you didn’t step on branches as you walked. The foliage was making more then enough noise, but as soon as that branch breaks they bolt. A different technique I was doing was a bit taboo. I used auto ISO. I normally try to stick to a 200-400 ISO range. However after some recent experimentation with it I have really liked the results. I find that color noise is really non existent. Noise can exist (not color noise), but when were talking the forest and places like I was in I don’t feel it distracts at all. The only thing I would say is it can make things slightly softer around the edges. An issue that doesn’t bother me as I can get the minimum shutter speed I need. I personally am growing on the idea of ‘having the shot then not having it at all.’ I don’t think it will take over my work flow in anyway, but it will definitely be included from time to time. Especially with highly variable locations like a dense forest.
A tad more artistic maybe, or even telling a story of the light that morning. As the sun rises and its rays shoot through the branches creating a high contrast scene. Sharp light can be damaging to images, but if you let it fall on what you want and not on what you don’t want you can use it to tell a story. Something I have been experimenting with when it comes to mid-day sun.
After my encounter with the deer I headed out to a separate local. I really loved the reflection of this immature ring-billed gull. I waited until he turned his head (as his other eye was damaged unfortunately.) The blues and the light winds made for some fantastic reflections. A beautiful way to end a session.
