Get Lost Buddy

Gallery: WildlifePosted April 23, 2012103 views7 comments

I hadn't been to the local nature area for about 2 weeks, so thought today would be a good time to go. Fairly quiet in the lush green of spring. I found this black-tailed buck feeding on a small tree and set up to photograph him. He wasn't happy to see me and decided to move off into a more secluded area. But not before giving me this glare that seems to say I wasn't very welcome and to get lost. I did note his antler growth is going well and certainly larger than the 2-3 inch buds I was seeing 2 weeks ago. They do grow fast. I cropped this some to get rid of a very light FG area of grass and to improve the composition. A few other minor adjustments made in PSE10 and sharpened for web. Comments and critiques are welcomed.

Tech info:

Canon 60D with EF 70-200mm f/4L at 200mm
1/160 sec @ f/6.3, ISO 800
tripod

Comments

7 comments

Comment posted by Sally Wood on April 23, 2012 at 7:27 PM

Peter, this is a nice shot, and yes, he does look a bit annoyed.. beautiful detail, and i like the sunlight coming in from the right.

Registered on March 8, 2012, 39 Posts, 509 Comments

Comment posted by John Launstein on April 23, 2012 at 11:30 PM

Hi Peter! I gotta agree...this is a NICE image. Beautiful, natural light and feel to this. Just a great esthetic quality. Great DOF, wonderful balance of grass and habitat, nice alert pose from a good-looking buck. I really like this one.

Registered on April 5, 2011, 223 Posts, 1193 Comments

Comment posted by Peter Cross on April 24, 2012 at 12:52 AM

Thanks for the kind words Sally and John. I wasn't sure how this was going to turn out. He was in the process of moving away and I just was luicky to catch him in this brief pause. I, too, like the sidelighting on this but was worried a first that I would end up with a halo when I sharpened. But it didn't happen, thankfully. While it was a pretty slow morning for me, I did get this keeper which is better than some days with lots of images.

Registered on April 3, 2010, 271 Posts, 1342 Comments

Comment posted by Lon Sharp on April 24, 2012 at 10:58 AM

The side lighting is appealing and you handled it fine. I wonder if you could move him a bit from center by cropping a slice, perhaps on the right side. The angle of the new growth antler suggests he is going to be an impressive specimen!

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

Comment posted by Peter Cross on April 24, 2012 at 11:57 AM

Thanks for your comment, Lon. I debated how to handle the positioning of the deer when I cropped it. If the deer had been facing either way it would have made it an easy decision. But since it was straight on, I decided to keep it close to center. So it ended up being slightly to the left. You suggested cropping off the right which would take more cropping than taking away from the left. If I cropped just inside that deadwood material on the left, I think it would be a more attractive crop. What are your thoughts on that?

Registered on April 3, 2010, 271 Posts, 1342 Comments

Comment posted by Lon Sharp on April 24, 2012 at 9:04 PM

Peter, with many decisions of "best" composition or crop there is no one correct answer. Either side will move the subject off center, which is generally a good choice because centered is more static, meaning less dynamic tension. If you are going for the centered feeling, then I think exact center would work best. However, I saw the crop coming off the right because I find the dark branch on the ground somewhat interesting in that it is clearly behind the deer and in front of the far background, thereby lending a sense of depth to the image. I like the overhanging, in-focus green branch in the upper right and would think if you chose a crop from the right you would want to preserve enough of it to keep the natural framing effect. Experiment!

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

Comment posted by Peter Cross on April 25, 2012 at 12:21 PM

Thanks for the continued input Lon. I'll play around with it. I showed it to the director of the nature center and he wants to use it on their website. It's nice to know others like it. As to the ovehanging greenery you mentioned: That is what he was feeding on when I interupted him. So I, too, would want to keep that in as a part of the story. Thanks again.

Registered on April 3, 2010, 271 Posts, 1342 Comments