Autumn Prince

Gallery: WildlifePosted April 28, 2011219 views6 comments

Hi all! I know you've likely seen a ton of mule deer images over the years, and I'm not sure this one particularly stands out from the bunch, but it is one of my personal favourites.

I got up before dawn with three of my kids and we headed out in hopes of catching some rutting elk action in the early light (still chasing that bull elk bugling with steam shot). Sadly we struck out on elk, but I spotted a couple of bucks in the backcountry just as the sun crested a ridge to the east, and I set out in hopes of capturing a few pictures.

A few pictures is all I did manage to capture, including this one as this beautiful buck with near-perfect symmetry alerted to my presence. I crested the ridge below them and was hit by 50mph winds and immediately lost my balance, blowing my perfectly-planned approach! I swung the camera (on monopod) into position and proceeded to fight to keep the subjects in the frame as the wind buffeted the lens. I put the VR on and just fired, hoping I'd pull of a couple at least!

I love the colours and low angle of light here, but have wondered if the shadow being cast onto the buck's neck is a deal breaker. I blended three layers with differing exposures to get as much detail back as possible.

Looking forward to hearing your thoughts and suggestions for improvement! Larger version provided and much better for critique I think. I thought I had over-sharpened the image creating a slight halo on the top of the left side of the antlers, but discovered they appear to be reflecting skylight there in the original RAW file.

With appreciation for your time and comments,

John

Nikon D2X
AF Nikkor 80-400 ED f/4-5.6 VR @ 310mm
ISO 200
1/400sec @ f/5.6
monopod
cropped to approximately 85% of original

Comments

6 comments

Comment posted by Guy Runco on April 28, 2011 at 5:52 PM

Nice one John - the shadow cast onto the neck doesn't bother me at all, nor do I see any halos, but to be honest I'm not wild about the crop (I'll bet you knew I was going to say that though

). Sounds like one of those mornings that you wish would last forever. Thanks for sharing the shot, as well as the experience.

Registered on September 9, 2008, 77 Posts, 705 Comments

Comment posted by Doug Egging on April 28, 2011 at 9:22 PM

I like mule deer, and this is a great one! I love the reddish color to his antlers. Most of the mule deer I see have a gray color to their antlers. Makes me wonder what he rubbed on to clean off the velvet. His neck also appears to show signs that he is beginning to get ready for the rut himself. had to go back to catch the shadow on his neck, so obviously it doesn't bother me. I like this photo the way it is. I wonder how a photo with a greater DOF and slower shutter speed would look to show the harsh winds in the background grasses and trees would look?

Registered on April 26, 2011, 3 Posts, 18 Comments

Comment posted by Ashley Vincent on April 28, 2011 at 11:03 PM

If I could get just one photo of a Mule Deer I'd be very proud if this one was it, all the same, having checked your gallery again to be sure ;^) my personal favourite by a long shot is the Mountain Muley :^)

As nice as this one is, I find the harsh lighting effects a bit too much for my taste John.

Registered on March 1, 2011, 154 Posts, 2083 Comments

Comment posted by Lon Sharp on April 29, 2011 at 10:56 AM

Classical, great buck. I love the inclusion of the steep mountain slope behind him.

Registered on December 9, 2007, 258 Posts, 9892 Comments

Comment posted by Wayne Willison on April 30, 2011 at 7:21 PM

Very well done, John. I guess you really had to work for the shot, all that wind. Love the rack, eye contact, and texutres. Shadow is no problem at all.

Registered on April 10, 2009, 292 Posts, 3967 Comments

Comment posted by Luca Mussato on May 2, 2011 at 3:23 PM

apart from the great details and colors what i like is the steep mountain in the BG. Th shadow on the neck doesn't bother me too.

Luca

Registered on November 14, 2006, 118 Posts, 855 Comments