Portrait of a Whitetail

[Steve S]

[Peter Ryan]

Lovely work again Steve. You do have these little critters down to a fine art.

[ScoutR]

Yup, what Peter said. The detail and expression are wonderful and to get it all with such beautiful clean backgrounds is a bonus, but seems to be the norm for you. Please tell me it takes a bit of time and work to find your spots and time waiting to get these shots. No one can be that lucky. BTW, I'm not just talking about the deer. The herons and hummingbirds and all your other wildlife shots are always outstanding, and you get so many good ones that it seems like it must be easy, but my limited experience says otherwise.

Wendy

[jeeperman]

Outstanding!! You do seem to make it look rather easy and I also know that is not the case. Nice work.

[Steve S]

Lovely work again Steve. You do have these little critters down to a fine art.

Thank you peter, whitetails are one of my favorite's and one of the toughest to photograph.

[Steve S]

Yup, what Peter said. The detail and expression are wonderful and to get it all with such beautiful clean backgrounds is a bonus, but seems to be the norm for you. Please tell me it takes a bit of time and work to find your spots and time waiting to get these shots. No one can be that lucky. BTW, I'm not just talking about the deer. The herons and hummingbirds and all your other wildlife shots are always outstanding, and you get so many good ones that it seems like it must be easy, but my limited experience says otherwise

Wendy

Thanks wendy, no it's not that easy. I spend lots of hours with nothing to show for it. I shoot hundreds of shots just for a select few keepers. The slight turn of a head, sparkle in the eye, an expression on the face, etc can change an average shot into a great shot. Which is why i take alot of shots and toss the ones i don't like. You never know what you'll get.

The spots i go to, offer alot of opportunity. Common sense, the more chances, the more keepers you'll get. Having lots of opportunity, gives you the freedom to try different things, resulting in more keepers.

The deer , i shoot in a park. Wild deer, but accustomed to people and will usually let you get within 30 yards or less. I read their body language and it tells me what i can and can't do , as far as approaching them. Sometimes i can get very close. They allow me to move slowly with them like i'm one of the group. I really haven't figured out why some let me get that close , but it is a real treat when it happens. These last few shots came from a group that allowed me to get close. Real Close, around 10 feet or so.

The herons are shot over a nest site. (again lots of opportunity) I have to work my tail off for those pics. I have to hike up a REALLY STEEP hill carrying over 50 pounds of gear. When i get there, i have to climb 30 feet up a tree and set a platform to stand on to take the pics. A ton of work, but well worth it in my oppinion.

The hummers are the easiest. I shoot them over a feeder in the back yard.


What does it take for a great shot?

Good equipment..............no matter how many shots you take with a kit lens, you're just not going to get great color/contrast/sharpness. A good prime lens makes a world of difference.

Great light............... when the light is flat, you're not going to get good results.

Good background

Fill the frame......................GET CLOSE!!!!!!!!!!

Great Exposure.

Focus on the eyes.

Get down to the subjects level

[Steve S]

Outstanding!! You do seem to make it look rather easy and I also know that is not the case. Nice work.

Thank you Paul.