Forest Buck

Gallery: WildlifePosted September 7, 2013155 views10 comments

Hi! I photographed this mule deer buck in Waterton Lakes National Park last month. I was on a drive with my family when we spotted two nice bucks grazing in a meadow in the mountains. My dad and sister and I hiked up through the forest and hoped that they would still be there when we got there. They were! This picture is taken right after we stepped out of the forest and the buck gave us a good look before continuing to feed.

It was SO hard to find a break in all the grass and trees to get a clear view of him but I was happy this one worked out. I had to be super still becaue there wasn't much light and I had only brought a monopod because of the hike.

I really like his alert look and all the velvet on his incredible antlers.

Thank you for looking!

Nikon D300
Nikkor AF-S 300mm f/4 IF-ED with TC-14EII teleconverter
ISO 640
1/160sec @ f/7.1
-0.3EV
monopod

Dad's notes:
Converted from RAW using Phase One Capture One Pro 7
minimal cropping to remove etraneous OOF foilage from bottom and balance overall feel.

If you have time, the LARGER version shows a lot more detail, especially wonderful texture on the antlers.

Comments

10 comments

Comment posted by Peter Cross on September 7, 2013 at 12:32 AM

Great shot, Josiah. I'd certainly be happy if this was my photo. You caught him just right: looking straight at you and a pretty clean BG. I like the little bit of backlighting you had which sets off the antlers really well. I think you exposure was right on as the colors look very real and the brightness seems about right. Looking forward to more stuff from you and the rest of your family.

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

Comment posted by Kathy Barnhart on September 7, 2013 at 1:34 AM

Very impressive, Josiah. This is a beautiful photo and I love the regal look of this guy. The flowers in the background add a nice touch. Great work.

Registered on November 11, 2011, 404 Posts, 1639 Comments

Comment posted by Vincent Grafhorst on September 7, 2013 at 11:14 AM

Beautiful portrait Josiah. Like you said the detail on the velvet antlers particularly is a main focal point of this image. Nice inclusion of the colourful habitat too, although ideally the BG would be a bit more OOF, moreover the brighter branches are a little distracting. But DOF is always a trade-off in case like these.

Registered on February 24, 2006, 504 Posts, 7203 Comments

Comment posted by Ken Archer on September 7, 2013 at 5:28 PM

Awesome close-up portrait of this handsome fellow Josiah. Nice work capturing all that wonderful detail, excellent exposure too. I like that little piece of grass between his lips. Hopefully you guys will get some more time with him this fall, looks like he's going to be a trophy buck.

Registered on October 28, 2004, 222 Posts, 6683 Comments

Comment posted by John Tobias on September 8, 2013 at 7:31 AM

Neat photo Josiah, I do like the direct look at this guy. For me, I would like the deer to be just a tad darker. Thanks for sharing, hope you get a shot of this guy when his antlers are hard.

Registered on September 12, 2009, 2120 Posts, 6455 Comments

Comment posted by Patricia Brundage on September 8, 2013 at 7:47 AM

Nice capture Josiah. Well done.

Registered on March 23, 2006, 1111 Posts, 6531 Comments

Comment posted by Jenaya Launstein on September 8, 2013 at 11:45 AM

Sweet image! Definitely looks like he's gonna be a monster! We gotta find this guy again, hey? Great detail in the image, but the larger version needs to be seen to be fully appreciated!!

Registered on February 8, 2011, 254 Posts, 1302 Comments

Comment posted by Marlise Launstein on September 18, 2013 at 12:57 PM

Great shot jo! I like how the deer is looking directly at you and I like how sharp it is.

Registered on August 31, 2011, 28 Posts, 175 Comments

Comment posted by Lon Sharp on September 18, 2013 at 8:31 PM

Now, to find him with polished antlers!