A Golden Moment
A mother black-tailed deer and her 2 fawns share a quiet moment together at Pt Lobos State Reserve near Monterey, California...
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A mother black-tailed deer and her 2 fawns share a quiet moment together at Pt Lobos State Reserve near Monterey, California
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May, 2015Views
2038
Likes
Awards
Winner in Animals And Emotion Photo Challenge
Winner in Artistic Editing Photo Challenge
Absolute Masterpiece
Peer Award
Superb Composition
Top Choice
Outstanding Creativity
All Star
Magnificent Capture
Superior Skill
Love it
Genius
Emotions
Impressed
Top Ranks
Top 20 rankTop 20 rank week 1
Top 30 rankTop 30 rank week 1
Top 10 rank week 1
Categories
Platinum
mcampi
May 25, 2015
Great capture and very nice post processing. I love the warm feeling you get from looking at this picture. You outdid yourself. Very nice.
JulesB
May 26, 2015
What an outstanding shot Nina...love the effects that make them pop...fantastic!!!!
Platinum
PRO+
Platinum
Platinum
Platinum
p_eileenbaltz
August 21, 2015
Magical image!!! Congratulations on your well-deserved Challenge Win.:)
PRO
DorisSeybold
August 21, 2015
Congrats on this award Nina!!! well deserved - wonderful photo and edit!!
Platinum
trainwoman
August 21, 2015
Wonderful win on this photo....so deserved. I'm VERY happy for you dear woman..
Platinum
KayBrewer
August 22, 2015
Absolutely beautiful, Nina. Live the glow, the stance of the deer, and the pure sweetness. A well-deserved challenge win.
Platinum
PRO+
dgerrans
February 25, 2018
Hi Nina, I am a friend of Mark's from work. Your photos are wonderful. I love this one of the deer.
Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
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Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was at Pt. Lobos State Reserve located on the Monterey Peninsula on the Pacific coast. It is not far from our home, so we visit this area frequently as there are always wonderful opportunities for some great photography! Many deer live here and on this particular day we were fortunate to come across a large group of does and fawns who were grazing in a grove of trees.Time
This particular photo was taken around 4 p.m. Late afternoon and early evening is usually a good time for wildlife photography as the animals will usually come out into the open to feed, increasing the likelihood that you will be able to get some nice clear shots.Lighting
We always try to visit this area towards the end of the day when the light is more "golden" and warmer. It not only makes for better wildlife photos, but we are also often rewarded with a wonderful sunset over the ocean.Equipment
On this particular day I was shooting with a Nikon D200 camera with a Nikkor 80-250mm f/2.8 lens. Since we were hiking, I was only taking handheld shots. No tripod was used.Inspiration
My passion lies in landscape and wildlife photography so I am always on the lookout for photo opportunities, especially in this area. When we came across this doe and her two older fawns we were fortunate that they just happened to be standing in a semi-open area of nice, warm light. The deer at Pt. Lobos are quite tame as they are used to seeing humans so they did not run off when we approached. It was a photo in the making!Editing
Even though the deer were standing in an area of beautiful lighting, the background wasn't particularly attractive due to a lot of dead trees caused by California's drought. Therefore, I felt this photo deserved something a little more special. I wanted to highlight the tender moment without any other distractions. I first used Lightroom 4 to make some minor adjustments for contrast, clarity and warmth. I then took the photo into Photoshop CS6 where I separated the subjects from the original background by brushing through texture and background layers and using blending modes. My goal was to create this soft, warm effect that I felt embraced the mood of the moment captured.In my camera bag
Since taking this photo I have upgraded to a Nikon D750 full frame camera with a Nikkor 24-120mm f/4 lens. My additional lens is a Nikkor 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 zoom. I always have 2 64gb memory cards in my camera with a 32gb spare in my bag. Additionally, I always carry a spare battery, UV and polarizing filters for both lenses, a round Tiffen ND filter, a lightweight carbon fiber tripod, a battery charger and lens cleaner and cloths.Feedback
With most wildlife photography early morning or late afternoon are usually the best times to shoot as the light is so much softer and warmer. But more importantly, the animals are usually out feeding during those times so your chances of an encounter are much greater than during the middle of the day. And of course, patience, a sharp eye and a good zoom lens are always a plus!
