A Last Look?

Gallery: WildlifePosted December 16, 2014150 views5 comments

This is the first deer I saw today. He was all alone in a part of the nature area with no other deer today. He got up as I approached and hobbled away. Definitely favoring his right rear leg. I saw no obvious sign of damage, so am hoping it might just be a sprain from combat with another buck. Hope so. I wouldn't want to lose this guy as he has great genes to pass along. Big full body and a great rack. I like these moody kind of mornings. Sun not up yet, misty from overnight rain, and just wet. I'm wondering if he's taking a last look at this area. I know many don't like rear end shots but I kind of like a picture like this that shows us his perspective. I did very little to this. No cropping as it's soft so I didn't want anything to be made larger. I warmed it up a little to correct the grass color and added contrast to help make the antlers and body pop a bit more. I tinkered with some of the other sliders but they didn't improve the photo, so I left it as you see it. I'd appreciate your comments and critiques.

Tech Info

Canon EOS 60D with EF 70-200mm f/4 at 200mm
1/100th at f/4.0 and ISO 1000
tripod
Lightroom 5

Comments

5 comments

Comment posted by Jerry Austin on December 17, 2014 at 8:00 AM

Great capture Peter. Love the moody sense here. This is indeed an impressive buck. I see a little noise in the background that I would selectively deal with. It is a shame about the vegetation in the foreground. However, I am no stranger to dense vegetation sometimes being in the way when you photograph deer. Well done.

Registered on January 6, 2012, 651 Posts, 3448 Comments

Comment posted by John Tobias on December 17, 2014 at 8:07 PM

Regardless of the softness, this IMHO is a fine image. Moody, a good ending to your series on these deer. One suggestion would be to crop some off of the left side, cutting off the OOF tree, just to see what it would look like.

thanks for sharing.

Registered on September 12, 2009, 2120 Posts, 6455 Comments

Comment posted by Richard Sandor on December 18, 2014 at 9:30 AM

Peter: I think this is a good example of the mood created by the conditions takes the shot from average to very good. So even with the deer facing away and bushes in front of it, it still works. Nicely done. There appears to be a slight magenta cast to the scene only monitor. Richard

Registered on January 12, 2014, 453 Posts, 1625 Comments

Comment posted by Lon Sharp on December 18, 2014 at 10:02 AM

The soft background is a huge factor. I find this to be successful, conveying mood and sense of place. Now it we had some other poses and views of face with those same elements...

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

Comment posted by William Bickle on December 18, 2014 at 6:46 PM

Hello Peter

Nice moody capture! I like the way you have explained the scene & Really like the rear look!

Great Job

Bill

Registered on June 13, 2011, 183 Posts, 1702 Comments