Curious Buck

Although this is not an image that I would take nowadays, not only because my style has significantly changed, but when this buck approached me, I did not maint...
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Although this is not an image that I would take nowadays, not only because my style has significantly changed, but when this buck approached me, I did not maintain the correct distance between us. I don’t ever want to encourage people that it’s ok to get close to wildlife. The younger version of me didn’t understand the importance of this yet, but even so, this encounter changed the trajectory of my life.

I sustained a back injury while pole vaulting in college. Up to that point, I was obsessed with anything that would get my adrenaline going. After my back injury and two ACL surgeries, I struggled with the fact that I was no longer able to do physical activities that put my body at risk. I leaned more into photography, and one day while exploring Yosemite, I came across this buck.

I was crouched in a meadow photographing him, and the sound of the shutter peaked his interest. He made his way over to me as I kept my eyes from meeting his, so he didn’t see me as a threat. As he stood over me and my camera, my heart was racing. I had a wave of adrenaline that I hadn’t felt in a long time. After he walked away, I got up and stood there in awe of what just happened. Being face to face with a wild animal brought a feeling that I couldn’t describe, but desperately wanted to.

When I got home and began editing my set, I struggled to process it in a way that gave the viewer the same feeling I had in that moment. After many failed editing attempts, I finally released it to the world. I remember someone telling me that a photo of a deer never had that effect on them before. I was hooked after that. My goal became to photograph wildlife in a way that captured the viewer’s attention and generated a sense of respect. In essence, I wanted them to have the exact same feeling I had felt in that moment. I wanted to share more impactful experiences with the world.

This buck was the catalyst that set my journey in motion.
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