Big Boy Portrait

Jerry, considering the conditions you describe this is a very good image of a white tail buck in heavy woods IMHO. I do wish the left antler was not partly behind the tree trunk. Also like the alert pose you caught him it. I would guess he may have another year or 2 of good antler growth. Thanks for sharing.

Hi Jerry,

Both the rack and the thick neck on this fella definitely say "big" - so an apt name for him. I enjoyed your description of your personal relationship with this guy - having these kind or relationships with animals is a huge bonus that can come with wildlife photography.

I like your choice to go vertical on this shot and I quite like that both part of its left antler and ear are obscured - to me that helps convey a "peekaboo" feel to the image. Exposure saturation, etc. all seem good and while I know you had no choice but to shoot wide open, it did produce a nice soft background. My main "nits" with the image are the out-of-focus elements that are in front of the "important bits" in the shot - that thin tree/branch in front of the large tree on the right, and the branches that overlap the body of the buck.

Thanks for sharing this one...cheers...

Brad

Everyone, thanks for the comments.

Brad,

I appreciate the critique. As usual, it was spot on. I was thinking about what both you and I said about the relationship we have with some of the wildlife we photograph. I've come to realize that a very big aspect of wildlife photography, at least for me, is the connection with the subject that sometimes happens. That connection is not always there, as when I photograph far away and my subject doesn't even know I am there. However, ever so often, I am close to an animal and he knows I'm there. This happened in Yellowstone last September when I photographed a large bull elk and a large bull bison. They both knew I was there as I was rather close. We locked eyes a few times and it was exhilarating. It is such a privilege to be allowed and accepted (perhaps just tolerated) into their world for a short time.

Hi Jerry,

You say: "I've come to realize that a very big aspect of wildlife photography, at least for me, is the connection with the subject that sometimes happens."

I could not agree MORE! I have seen that connection - when experienced for the first time by photographers - have a massive impact on them. In a few rare cases I have seen that special first connection change the course of a person's life (where they left the business world to pursue either a life in photography or a life in conservation).

The more time I spend in conservation efforts (mostly carnivore conservation in my case) the more I realize that the relationship humans have with wildlife drives how we treat them (from allowing trophy hunting or not through to how we classify them - such as deciding if wolves are vermin, economically valuable fur-bearers, or ecologically important and majestic animals) infinitely more than does our scientific knowledge of them. Anyone can read that a grizzly (or wolf, etc.) is critical to the structure of an ecosystem, but until they have had the experience of looking one in the eye, or hearing them breathe, it's just "academic" knowledge, and not passion. Wildlife photography can give you that, AND the photography can (in rare instances) bestow that on the viewers of those special images. To me that's what it's all about...

Cheers...

Brad

Jerry and Brad, could not agree more! I spent more than 30 years working with animals on almost a daily basis, but still thrill to see a wild turkey or bighorn sheep in the wild. Great comments.

Quite an impressive animal with great eye contact, the oof trees etc can be viewed as distracting but also give the feeling of viewing the animal through a window in the forest. Great job handholding at that low shutter speed

Hello Jerry

Well framed , wild image capture! the framing does give a peekaboo feel and the beautiful subject assists with the overall feeling.

Enjoy the conversations Stirred up here!

Bill

Great image, Jerry. If it were mine, it would be a keeper. I, too, agree about the special relationships we some times have with certain animals. I recently saw a program on PBS, that documented how a guy in Wyoming got befriended by a small herd of mule deer. It was a 2 way street but the deer (particularly one deer) set the process in motion. Quite a powerful message. I could relate a lot to what was going on between them, particularly the early parts. Having worked over 20 years with white-tailed deer in Maine, I thought I knew deer pretty well. Wrong! This program really altered my way of thinking about deer and many other animals. If this shows in your area, it is worth seeing and recording.

I recognized him before opening and reading the text! Fine portrait and for reasons already noted. I hope you find him again this season!