Having a job participating in the forum reguarly at the moment as two computers won't access the internet at all and my antiquated laptop only opens web pages, with any consistency, as and when it feels like , blimmin computers
On top of all that my monitor has finally died, although thankfully I managed to pick up a perfect condition, big 21" Eizo CRT monitor at the car boot sale last weekend for the bargain price of £1. I think I was somewhat over charged by 50 pence , but not one to grumble or complain I struggled back to the car with my new, but heavy, purchase . It'll keep me going untill I can save the pennies for a new one
Posted by jack chapman on April 14, 2009 at 5:33 PM
that really is beautiful, lovely colours and the detail is outstanding,
i've been trying to photograph these on a site that from the looks of it has a similar terrain to this yours, i hardly ever see them and then all of a sudden they go tearing off into the distance coming out of nowhere, i realise i'm probably way out of my depth in regards to difficulty of species but i enjoy it despite my failures, are you stalking them or staying put when you do these??
Hi Jack,
I stalk them usually, although this particular doe is one I began photographing six years ago and I've spent so much time with her over the years that she'll tollerate my presence, if I'm careful.
Unfortunately staying in one place isn't really an option for me because their home range is absolutely huge and they're rarely in one place for long. So it's a matter of searching for them, which has proved almost impossible in the last couple of years because they've moved to a different part of the heath which has waist high heather and a billion and one places for them to lay-up in out of sight.
I walk an eight or nine mile circuit, sometimes twice a day, and it's just pure luck, and determination, if I happen to be in the right place at the right time. They feed throughout the day in bouts but if they happen to be lying-up when I'm looking for them then my chance of locating them is extremely slim and often impossible.
Despite photo oppurtunities often being quite slim to begin with, it's worth persevering and spending as much time as you possibly can out with a pair of binoculars, preferably at dawn and dusk. You'll then get to know how many deer there are,where they frequent, where their favourite lying up spots are, what there behaviour patterns are and you'll even begin to identify each individual animal and get to know they're temperment and how approachable they may, or may not, be.
Roe like to lie out of the wind and they like the early morning sunshine, so a sheltered east facing slope is a favourite spot just below the brow of the hill.
The more time and effort put into observation at this early stage will pay dividends in the long run and should hopefully give you an idea of where they're likely to be at different times of the year.
Now is a good time to possibly spot them because the bucks will be wandering about looking to find, and establish, a territory. Look for tell-tale fraying on branches and young trees where the buck will be rubbing the velvet off of his antlers at this time of the year. Look for bare patches of ground, often below trees, where the buck (and does) have pawed the ground before lying down. These spots will often be used reguarly.
Best of luck with your deer. I'm sure you'll get the images you're after.
I'll very much look forward to seeing any images you get of them, so please do post them.
Posted by Dave Bartlett on April 14, 2009 at 6:04 PM
I really like that. Beautifully isolated and dof and detail are excellent
Dave
Posted by Major Gilbert on April 14, 2009 at 6:08 PM
Super image Justin the wonderful colours complementing the main subject really well.
Your efforts in stalking etc paid off.
Major.
Posted by John Robinson on April 14, 2009 at 6:58 PM
Thats nice !
If we see these around here they get blasted. Strange that Fallow are culled to a certain level according to scientific research etc but with Roe or Munjac -it's get rid of them.!
Roe are certainly on the increase though.
JR
Posted by John Robinson on April 14, 2009 at 7:17 PM
Justin
Yes you are right. The FC have the idea that they are a pest and you cannot fight it. To be really honest as a biologist, it could be said that the fallow/Muntjac should be removed and the natives such as Roe ,allowed to populate other areas. They will argue that fossil remains now sem to indicate that the fallow are in fact endemic. and were not just intoduced for food by the Normans ( along with the bunnies )
Cheers
Johnr
Justin _my reply sounds daft now. ! You've removed your reply !!
Naughty .
I think your deer is friends with my vole, the way it's tongue is sticking out, great colours and dof, saw one the other night in the bushes, velvet on it's litle antlers, too dark to go after it though..
I never tire of seeing your deer postings Justin and this is no exeption. Superb in every respect. Thanks for the elaborate reply to Jack as well. Most informative. Unfortunately, I have about a squillionth of the time needed by the sounds of things
Oh and I'm amazed this comp works so well without adequate room for it's virtual legs....just goes to show those legs don't always need to be virtually there..... but in a lot of cases they do for the comp to work! Perfectly composed I'd say
Posted by Craig Jones on April 15, 2009 at 12:11 AM
Lovely colours to this photo justin, i really like it, well done
Justin
Yes you are right. The FC have the idea that they are a pest and you cannot fight it. To be really honest as a biologist, it could be said that the fallow/Muntjac should be removed and the natives such as Roe ,allowed to populate other areas. They will argue that fossil remains now sem to indicate that the fallow are in fact endemic. and were not just intoduced for food by the Normans ( along with the bunnies )
Cheers
Johnr
Justin _my reply sounds daft now. ! You've removed your reply !!
Naughty .
Sorry John.
It was pretty late when I posted my reply and there seemed to be no one else active on the forum at the time so I assumed it wouldn't be missed. I also decided to delete it because I didn't want to initiate a discusssion on the rights or wrongs of Roe culling.
To save your post from looking daft and out of context I'll reinstate my reply below:
It's a shame that one feels the need to kill, just because one can.
Thankfully in the area I frequent they're not culled because there aren't enough of them to cause any significant amount of damage.
Beautiful subdued lighting and cracking sharpness.
You hike 9 miles with a 500mm lens? - you're a better man than me!
Posted by Mark Davies on April 15, 2009 at 9:38 AM
Lovely expression and cracking image .As to lugging a 21 inch CRT off the car boot I'll bet it was a walk in the park compared to carrying a 500mm 9 mile.
Posted by Colin Pickett on April 15, 2009 at 4:25 PM
Wonderful image Justin nice to see you post again, is the 21 " the depth or is it the screen size.
Hi Mike,
I find it fine on the tripod and carried over the shoulder but the terrain is pretty flat with only a few very small hills.
Doing it nearly every day and often twice a day for nearly two weeks during the Roe rut and combined with the dawn starts certainly takes it's toll though and I don't know about the deer but I'm well and truely fit to drop by the end.
I take my hat off though to those who hike miles in the Scottish hills/mountains looking for wildlife and carrying the big lenses makes anything else pale into insignificance really.
is the 21 " the depth or is it the screen size
Hi Colin
That's the screen size. It's only a CRT monitor but it does the job just fine for the time being.
Calibrates very accurately too so perhaps it's not that old.
Posted by jack chapman on April 15, 2009 at 5:53 PM
thanks for the help Justin, have just spent all day with them, with a few brief sightings, i think i noticed some signs of fraying, though i wasn't a hundred percent sure it wasn't just stripped bark, will post shots if i ever get any but i wouldn't hold your breath
Discussion
19 repliesGitzo 1548/Arca B1.
Raw, levels, hue/saturation.
LARGER VERSION
Hi,
Thought I'd share one from the archives.
Having a job participating in the forum reguarly at the moment as two computers won't access the internet at all and my antiquated laptop only opens web pages, with any consistency, as and when it feels like
On top of all that my monitor has finally died, although thankfully I managed to pick up a perfect condition, big 21" Eizo CRT monitor at the car boot sale last weekend for the bargain price of £1. I think I was somewhat over charged by 50 pence
i've been trying to photograph these on a site that from the looks of it has a similar terrain to this yours, i hardly ever see them and then all of a sudden they go tearing off into the distance coming out of nowhere, i realise i'm probably way out of my depth in regards to difficulty of species but i enjoy it despite my failures, are you stalking them or staying put when you do these??
cheers
Jack
I stalk them usually, although this particular doe is one I began photographing six years ago and I've spent so much time with her over the years that she'll tollerate my presence, if I'm careful.
Unfortunately staying in one place isn't really an option for me because their home range is absolutely huge and they're rarely in one place for long. So it's a matter of searching for them, which has proved almost impossible in the last couple of years because they've moved to a different part of the heath which has waist high heather and a billion and one places for them to lay-up in out of sight.
I walk an eight or nine mile circuit, sometimes twice a day, and it's just pure luck, and determination, if I happen to be in the right place at the right time. They feed throughout the day in bouts but if they happen to be lying-up when I'm looking for them then my chance of locating them is extremely slim and often impossible.
Despite photo oppurtunities often being quite slim to begin with, it's worth persevering and spending as much time as you possibly can out with a pair of binoculars, preferably at dawn and dusk. You'll then get to know how many deer there are,where they frequent, where their favourite lying up spots are, what there behaviour patterns are and you'll even begin to identify each individual animal and get to know they're temperment and how approachable they may, or may not, be.
Roe like to lie out of the wind and they like the early morning sunshine, so a sheltered east facing slope is a favourite spot just below the brow of the hill.
The more time and effort put into observation at this early stage will pay dividends in the long run and should hopefully give you an idea of where they're likely to be at different times of the year.
Now is a good time to possibly spot them because the bucks will be wandering about looking to find, and establish, a territory. Look for tell-tale fraying on branches and young trees where the buck will be rubbing the velvet off of his antlers at this time of the year. Look for bare patches of ground, often below trees, where the buck (and does) have pawed the ground before lying down. These spots will often be used reguarly.
Best of luck with your deer. I'm sure you'll get the images you're after.
I'll very much look forward to seeing any images you get of them, so please do post them.
Dave
Your efforts in stalking etc paid off.
Major.
If we see these around here they get blasted. Strange that Fallow are culled to a certain level according to scientific research etc but with Roe or Munjac -it's get rid of them.!
Roe are certainly on the increase though.
JR
Yes you are right. The FC have the idea that they are a pest and you cannot fight it. To be really honest as a biologist, it could be said that the fallow/Muntjac should be removed and the natives such as Roe ,allowed to populate other areas. They will argue that fossil remains now sem to indicate that the fallow are in fact endemic. and were not just intoduced for food by the Normans ( along with the bunnies )
Cheers
Johnr
Justin _my reply sounds daft now. ! You've removed your reply !!
Naughty .
Made me smile, really like it.
Love the setting and the colour range in this beautiful.
Love it!
Greetings,
Jeroen Stel
Sorry John.
It was pretty late when I posted my reply and there seemed to be no one else active on the forum at the time so I assumed it wouldn't be missed. I also decided to delete it because I didn't want to initiate a discusssion on the rights or wrongs of Roe culling.
To save your post from looking daft and out of context I'll reinstate my reply below:
Thankfully in the area I frequent they're not culled because there aren't enough of them to cause any significant amount of damage.
You hike 9 miles with a 500mm lens? - you're a better man than me!
Nice one
Hi Mike,
I find it fine on the tripod and carried over the shoulder but the terrain is pretty flat with only a few very small hills.
Doing it nearly every day and often twice a day for nearly two weeks during the Roe rut and combined with the dawn starts certainly takes it's toll though and I don't know about the deer but I'm well and truely fit to drop by the end.
I take my hat off though to those who hike miles in the Scottish hills/mountains looking for wildlife and carrying the big lenses
Hi Colin
That's the screen size. It's only a CRT monitor but it does the job just fine for the time being.
Calibrates very accurately too so perhaps it's not that old.
Cheers
Jack