Posted by Paul Thomas on October 28, 2008 at 10:44 AM
Wild Red Deer on the fringe of Cannock Chase. Taken early(-ish) on Sunday morning just as the rain cleared.
The Red Deer of Cannock Chase are a passion of mine. Difficult to locate and even more difficult to get within camera range of, they're like spirits of the forest and it's always a big adrenaline rush every time I see one (which is about 1 in 10 outings). Yet they will often come right up to the edge of the conurbation. I've wanted to get a shot like this for some time to show an animal which most people associate with the Scottish highlands in close proximity to the suburbs of the West Midlands. It says a lot more about the reality of life for these animals than a captive stag roaring in his manicured deer park ever could. The fence is a big part of the story too. There's loads of fences all over the Chase and the deer have to negotiate them on a daily basis. Sometimes they don't succeed and the consequences of failure can be fatal.
Techs: E-510, 50-200 + 1.4X TC, ISO 800, 1/100th @ f5.6, cropped about 15%, slight levels adjustment, Noise Ninja and a good helping of field craft to get the shot in the first place.
An excellent 'story' image Paul. Certainly shows how 'natural' images dont have to be the perfect 'idealised' picture we often see. As with all things in life, there is a need for variety. It's a shame the eyes of the deer on the right are obscured.
Robert
A really interesting picture that tells a story. I guess with even more perseverance (and some luck) you might get a shot of one jumping a fence with buildings in the background.
Cheers
Terry
Posted by Mike Smith on October 28, 2008 at 1:52 PM
Interesting given the recent thread on the Canon 100-400 being soft with a 1.4 tc, that the Oly equivelent is holding up rather well - have you invested in the SWD yet? the lack of motor noise is really a bonus for this type of shot
Probaly quite a marketable shot for your local wildlife trust
Posted by Danny Green on October 29, 2008 at 12:10 PM
Nice one Paul and nice story I had a guy with me the other day from your way and he had spent three weeks trying to capture images of deer on the chase but to no avail. I have spent my life at Bradgate and Deer are my favourite subjects but I would never get the images I have by working on wild ones and as I am in the business of making images you have to take the easy option, that said I do work dam hard every day during the rut staking out favourite places.
Danny
Posted by Paul Thomas on October 30, 2008 at 12:11 PM
Terry, she did jump the fence just afterwards but I was too slow to catch anything but her rear end disappearing into the long grass
Mike, the 50-200 was designed from the outset to perform well when used with a TC. I doubt that Canon had TCs in mind when designed their 100-400 so maybe it's not surprising that it doesn't do so well. Haven't upgraded to SWD as I find the focusing speed of my existing lens to be adequate for my purposes (very good keeper rate from Gigrin and from the Tour of Britain cycle race). I don't find focus noise to be a problem under these circumstances as I'm downwind (essential if you want to get close to virtually any wild mammal) and that tends to carry the sound away from the deer. They're more likely to hear the sound of the shutter than the focus motor.
Danny, finding anything on the Chase can be looking for a needle in a haystack. I can well understand why pro photographers couldn't afford to spend that amount of time to get a image.
Discussion
5 repliesThe Red Deer of Cannock Chase are a passion of mine. Difficult to locate and even more difficult to get within camera range of, they're like spirits of the forest and it's always a big adrenaline rush every time I see one (which is about 1 in 10 outings). Yet they will often come right up to the edge of the conurbation. I've wanted to get a shot like this for some time to show an animal which most people associate with the Scottish highlands in close proximity to the suburbs of the West Midlands. It says a lot more about the reality of life for these animals than a captive stag roaring in his manicured deer park ever could. The fence is a big part of the story too. There's loads of fences all over the Chase and the deer have to negotiate them on a daily basis. Sometimes they don't succeed and the consequences of failure can be fatal.
Techs: E-510, 50-200 + 1.4X TC, ISO 800, 1/100th @ f5.6, cropped about 15%, slight levels adjustment, Noise Ninja and a good helping of field craft to get the shot in the first place.
Paul
Robert
Cheers
Terry
Probaly quite a marketable shot for your local wildlife trust
Danny
Mike, the 50-200 was designed from the outset to perform well when used with a TC. I doubt that Canon had TCs in mind when designed their 100-400 so maybe it's not surprising that it doesn't do so well. Haven't upgraded to SWD as I find the focusing speed of my existing lens to be adequate for my purposes (very good keeper rate from Gigrin and from the Tour of Britain cycle race). I don't find focus noise to be a problem under these circumstances as I'm downwind (essential if you want to get close to virtually any wild mammal) and that tends to carry the sound away from the deer. They're more likely to hear the sound of the shutter than the focus motor.
Danny, finding anything on the Chase can be looking for a needle in a haystack. I can well understand why pro photographers couldn't afford to spend that amount of time to get a image.
Paul