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Roe Deer Stag
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Roe Deer Stag

by Ron McCombe

Gallery: WildlifePosted December 9, 200974 views5 comments
These are probably the hardest of the British Deer to photograph, they spook very easy.

This shot was taken near to Coldstream in the Scottish Borders, UK

I had been watching this buck for a few days. I staked out in a field edge early one morning and waited for the buck to appear, and managed to get some reasonable pictures


Canon 50D, Canon 500mm f4 lens, f4, 1/320sec ISO 640

Comments

5 comments
Comment posted by Sally King on December 9, 2009 at 9:40 PM
I love how the deer is surrounded by those beautiful grasses. Nicely framed.
Registered on December 2, 2008, 416 Posts, 4450 Comments
Comment posted by Brad Hill on December 10, 2009 at 10:04 AM
Hi Ron,

I'm with Sally in liking how the grasses surround the deer. I also very much like the simplicity of the scene. It's always a little dangerous to comment on a crop without seeing the original, but I'm wondering if a square crop really works here. To my eye the horizontal lines formed by the seed heads of the grasses - both at level of the deer and in the background - make me think a more standard 3:2 crop (or even a slight pano) might work a little better here. Just a thought...

Cheers...thanks for sharing...

Brad
Registered on May 29, 2007, 431 Posts, 6061 Comments
Comment posted by Vincent Grafhorst on December 10, 2009 at 10:39 AM
Those grasses make this an attractive image Ron. Good details also on the buck. I am with Brad about the crop choice, a longer frame will emphasize the horizontal lines in the grass IMO.
Registered on February 24, 2006, 504 Posts, 7203 Comments
Comment posted by Julia Flanagan on December 10, 2009 at 1:48 PM
Ron, the flow of the grass heads from fg to bg is a big plus in this image. But I imagine the down side of the grasses is that it was no doubt difficult to get a clean shot of his head. You did well there. I might prefer some head turn to get a better view of the antlers and face. And I like the suggestion of a more elongated crop. But overall a fine shot.
Registered on November 13, 2003, 59 Posts, 986 Comments
Comment posted by Jim Hackley on December 11, 2009 at 11:12 AM
Excellent shot, it was worth the effort to me, a very interesting image with the way the grasses surround the deer. I might be inclined to crop just a little of the top and bottom but that is minor.
Wonderful job, well done.
Registered on September 17, 2009, 302 Posts, 5535 Comments