You looking at me?!
Sep, 2019Views
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jackiegoodwin
November 22, 2019
Beautiful - thank you for entering your lovely photo into my challenge "animals of any kind" - good luck
PRO+
Duncan-Martin
December 17, 2019
Sorry, just seen this message. Thank you, that's very kind of you to say.
Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Behind The Lens
Location
The deer of Rannoch Moor, Scotland have a complex life. Throughout the year the young bucks often group together, separated from the main herd by the alpha stag. Some end up roaming vast moorland alone for many years before attempting to dominate the alpha stag in the rutting season. I wanted this image, a part of a short series, to show the solitude aspect of the male deers life, as well as the harsh environment they live in. The images were shot in early Autumn at the start of the rutting season. Mountain grasses show their poor nutritional value in the bleached Autumnal colours, adding to the hardship they face as they keep their distance from the main rut in the lower sections of the moor.Time
After a long, arduous climb up this spectacular mountain overlooking Rannoch Moor, I could finally see the deer that I was after. It was getting towards early evening and I was pressed for time to get down to the deer. An overnight stop on the mountain was not an option, so after a rapid decent to the deer and a slow approach to let them get used to us, I was finally able to get my shots.Lighting
The lighting was a little tricky as it was heavily overcast with very grey clouds. Although this didn't cast any flattering shadows, it did allow me to get a nice clear shot with the relatively slow shutter speed that I used.Equipment
This was shot using a Nikon D7200 and Nikon AF-S DX 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 G ED VR II lensInspiration
I am always looking to show animals either in their natural environment as with this image, or naturally occurring in an unnatural environment like my fox in a barn shot. The want to portray these beautiful creatures like this is all the inspiration I need to get out of the house.Editing
The only post-processing undertaken was a slight enhancement of the colours, as it was a very grey day, and cropping the image to help with framing, as I only had a 200mm lens and prefer to interfere with wildlife as little as possible.In my camera bag
Normally I carry a variety of equipment to allow for several potential outcomes/situations that I may encounter. Usually I have 2 or 3 lens, tripod, camera body, spare battery or two, spare memory card, and drinks & snacks. On this occasion I also packed a 1st aid kit, emergency foil blanket, fleece jacket, a torch in case we got stranded on the mountain and a GPS with spare batteries in case of low clouds/fog.Feedback
If heading up a mountain, please go with a friend, especially if you don't know the mountain really well and even then it's still a good idea. Take a backpack each with supplies to suit the trip and check the weather forecast for at least the 24hrs after you're due to start the climb and pack accordingly. Too many people get caught out when bad weather moves in earlier than expected. Spare batteries and memory cards are always great, just in case. Also a good variety of lenses, don't take just a tele lens and landscape lens. A macro lens will give amazing detail and are often slightly telephoto, becoming perfect if you see a close-up opportunity that your wider angled lenses might not be ideal for. Lastly, always take appropriate protection for your camera and equipment. Rain covers are essential equipment up mountains as the weather can change from one minute to the next.
