White Tailed Deer
A deer I followed for about 20 minutes.
A deer I followed for about 20 minutes.
Read less
Read less
Sep, 2015Views
2841
Likes
Awards
Action Award
Chatter Award
Zenith Award
Creative Winter Award
Curator's Selection
Top Shot Award 21
Legendary Award
Contest Finalist in Day Or Night Photo Contest
Featured
Staff Favorite
Contest Finalist in It Is A Wild World Photo Contest
Peer Award
Superb Composition
Absolute Masterpiece
Top Choice
Outstanding Creativity
Magnificent Capture
Love it
All Star
Top Ranks
Top 10 rankTop 10 rank week 1
Top 10 rankTop 10 rank week 1
Top 10 rank
Categories
nandicmb
October 09, 2015
Congratulations on your Contest Finalist win in It is A Wild World Photo Contest!
Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Discover more photos See all
Behind The Lens
Location
I took this photo in a forest that's surrounded by neighbourhoods. It always amazes me that there's so much wildlife to see right next to my house, especially in a bigger city. It proves that you don't need to live in some exotic place to get good shots.Time
I took this photo in the middle of the afternoon in spring. It was a good time, because it was still pretty cold, so there weren't many people out, and the deer living in the forest were more willing to walk close to the paths.Lighting
The actual, natural lighting sucked. There would be a nice, soft light on the deer, but as I would go to take a photo, a huge cloud would go in front of the sun, causing the light to become way too bland for my liking. It finally worked out in the end though. When it came to editing, I wanted the photo to look like a fairy tale, and as if you could reach out and touch the deer. The original lighting was a big part of that, and since I don't use anything but natural light when outside, and am personally unable to fix that aspect when editing, I had to follow the deer for quite a bit until I got a shot I was pleased with. Patience is key, but luckily I was enjoying myself, too. Had I not been able to get the shot I was looking for, with the lighting I wanted, I would have gone back another day, to try again.Equipment
I used my trusty Sony A55 and a 55-300mm kit lens for this shot, as I usually do when I'm out and about in the forest. I used my tripod, too, however the shot could have been crisper, as my shutter speed was very slow (though, in my defence, I was still learning practically everything about my camera).Inspiration
Watching deer. I had the intention that day of photographing plants, but instead ran across a group of deer. I watched them for a bit, before they started walking away. They walked up a hill, so I followed, and I was more than pleased to find that it was getting close to sunset, so the deer would walk in and out of the shadows like elusive forest creatures. I wanted to get one shot of this, to try and encapsulate that feeling.Editing
I've played with this photo so many times I couldn't even remember what the original looked like until a few days ago (it was very bland, by the way). I've corrected the colour, as there wasn't much to it before, and I've, unfortunately, added some extra blur effect. I'm still learning, and every time I use a new editing system, I go over board. I recently had to re-edit this photo, as it was asked to be used for something else, and I couldn't bare to have that extra blur on it anymore. It may not look bad to other people (does it? Maybe you didn't even notice until I mentioned it...), but artists are always trying to fix their work. This photo will never be perfect, especially as I continue to learn and develop my style.In my camera bag
I don't have expensive gear. I have one camera body: a Sony A55; and three lenses: a DT 55-300mm, a DT macro, and a 55mm kit lens that I actually just realized has been misplaced and I will now have to go search for it. The order of importance to my needs are in the order listed (obviously. I lost a qlens). I also usually have a Manfrotto tripod, though not lately, as most of my expeditions are when there is plenty of sun and I'm lazy. The other one thing I cannot go without is my camera strap. It's a weird thing to say, but I have Black Rapid sling strap, and it's the best thing ever. I cringe when I see someone with a camera hanging from their neck, because I know how much that hurts after a while.Feedback
Do as I say, not as I do. I took this photo a few years back, and was still learning everything from how my camera worked to how editing was done well. I could have easily made the shutter speed faster and gotten a sharper image. I could have learned more about my camera instead of procrastinating and gotten a better quality shot. I could have realized that by adding a blur effect to my photo I would be haunted by it for the next few years (that's not to say you shouldn't. If you like the effect, add it. I'm not here to tell you what your style is). But the most important thing to consider is patience. I've regretted doing or not doing something in practically every location I don't have immediate access to, most regrets being because I didn't want to wait 5 more minutes for something to appear or disappear, or I simply gave up. If I have a chance to go back to a specific location, I know I'll be able to do better, as I have learned from my mistakes (and other's. I spend a lot of time looking at other people's photos, to better understand what I want in a photo). Also, one last thing, I am a firm believer in not having to use expensive gear. I took this photo with a standard camera body and a hand me down 55-300mm kit lens. Don't believe that you need extremely expensive gear to get a decent shot; you just need some faith in yourself, trust that your gear can get the job done, and some pixie dust (okay, not that last one, but I couldn't resist).
