The Rear Guard
by Peter Cross
I was taking photos this morning of a big buck bedded down and other deer feeding and resting nearby. All of a sudden ears went up, they all looked right, they jumped to their feet and raced off to the left. Within seconds close to what seemed like 50 deer went racing by me all headed left. Seemed like Godzilla had frightened them. This buck was the last deer I saw and he stood there in what seemed like defiant alertness, looking for something to appear. His stance is quite rigid and almost seems like the muscles should be quivering. His nostrils flared. But nothing appeared and after about 2-3 minutes in this pose, he relaxed and moved off. Soon the other deer started to filter back. Curious as to what set them off. Suspect there was a bit of herd mentality involved as well. So, the photo is full frame and I cut back the exposure about .25 stop and made minor +/-10 adjustments to many of the sliders. Warmed the white balance up just a little, added some contrast, and sharpened. Comments and critiques are most welcome.
Tech Info
Canon EOS 60D with EF 70-200mm f/4L at 200mm
1/3200th at f/4.0 and ISO 500
Tripod
Lightroom 5
Comments
2 commentsOne observation I have pertains to the point of view. I see a lot of photographers who shoot hand held at eye height or if using a tripod, it's fully extended. This can give good results, but a sameness can creep into the photos produced over time if this becomes habitual. I read somewhere that European photographers tend to use their tripods unextended generally while N. Americans tend to extend them to their full glory. Maybe some of our European photogs can confirm or dispute this. Anyway, the point I want to raise is that in this photo the grass/forest intersection is at the deer's neck. I wonder if a lower point of view/lower tripod elevation might be more effective. I'm 50+ young myself Peter, so I understand about the argument that getting down and up from the ground "ain't what it used to be".
A while back I suggested to you that when using a 70-200 you could probably dispense with the tripod and give yourself flexibility and maneuverability to move about. With a shutter speed of 1/3200 the tripod is best left back in the Prius. :big grin: I just got a Cotton Carrier (Christmas Gift) and am looking forward to using it with my 70-200, but there are other straps etc. if you don't want to carry the 70-200 by hand. The tripod has its advantages, especially as a compositional aid, but it can get in the way of spontaneity too.