Nature clicks #195 - Got it!

 

Four deer passed through our front yard at 5:54PM today. No, the deer doesn’t show up earlier during the evening but the sun is much longer above the horizon with the approach of mid February. This is an environmental photo I had in mind for several years already and finally had my chance to make it today.  The sun paints beautifully on the head and legs of the animal and its reflection on the snow leaves no doubt about the late hour of the day. It isn’t a perfect photo, it has a certain softness due to the fact that I had to make this photo behind a closed window because I discovered the group of White-tailed Deer too late. If I would have opened the window, they would had run away and my chance to make the click would have evaporated. It is not easy to isolate a deer from the bird feeders or bushes in our front yard but here pretty much everything came together well, the light, the background, and the gesture of the deer…

Nature clicks #193 - White-tailed Deer

 

As you can see by the golden background, the White-tailed Deer showed up in our yard during the last minutes before the sun finally disappeared behind the ridge yesterday evening. It is a doe with two fawns that hang around in the neighborhood and try desperately to find something to eat. Our bird feeders in the front yard are often on their route. The amount of snow we have on the ground makes it really difficult for them to find anything. This fawn was looking after its mother who had already moved on.

This shot wasn’t easy to make. Exposure was already down to 1/60s at ISO 400 and I didn’t have the speed light with the soft box ready to use when I saw them. In the original image I can see that is not tack sharp but I really like the background for this photo that helps to tell the story.

Snow patterns

 

While here in Eastern Iowa the mild temperatures took care for some of the snow we had on the ground, a fresh layer of the white stuff covered the landscape up in the Northwoods of Wisconsin. It was my traditional ice fishing weekend with friends and as always I took the camera with me. The fishing was good this year but a strong overcast made for gray snow most of the time. Nevertheless, there were some brief moments when the sun was covered only by a thin layer of clouds, creating at least some luminosity.

The patterns of snow on the trees were wonderful and I just tried to integrate them in my compositions. The deer tracks in the snow that covers the ice on Popple River are a different kind of pattern but they add to the story about a nice winter day in a great landscape.

Critters dealing with new snow

 

Winter and its weather have never left us really since December last year and today we were reminded that any thought about spring is ridiculous right now. A winter storm came through today and left plenty of the white stuff on the ground. I could talk about birds that have been here all day long but I also took some images of the critters with four legs that came close to our house today. We have lots of Eastern Gray Squirrels here that try to get a good share of the bird food in the feeders. Most of them are really gray but we also have a few black morphs here in the neighborhood. There is one exception and this little guy has really some color in its fur. We wonder if some Red Squirrel was mixed into the equation. We have never seen a Red Squirrel here up on the ridge but we know there are a few down in the valley. The one I show you is definitely as big as a Gray Squirrel (Red Squirrels are much smaller) and we really wonder how this guy got its color.

Any time the ground is covered with snow there is a good chance that the White-tailed Deer will show up in our yard at dusk. Today we had our usual group of two does and two fawns here. I saw them too late to open the window before they arrived and had to shoot through the glass. It was still snowing and the falling snow messed a few times with the autofocus system in the camera. Daylight lasts much longer now already and this image was made at 1/60 of a second. I know, the books will tell you that you need at least 1/320 of a second if your focal length is 320 mm, as in this picture, but I try to shoot long exposure in order to keep the ISO settings as low as possible for best detail in my photo.

Showing me the tongue

 

I drove half way across Iowa today to meet with a customer and was surprised how little snow was on the ground in the central part of the state. Here in the woods along the Mississippi we still have plenty of snow to make life difficult for many animals that live here during the winter. The White-tailed Deer have a hard time to find enough food and they come right up to the homes here in our neighborhood.

Unfortunately this happens mostly in the dusk, after 4PM, when the light is not very flattering, but I try it anyway to make a click or two. I do not have "the shot" yet. I'm happy if an image is sharp, despite long exposure times. Nevertheless, it does not satisfy me if the background has flaws, like in these pictures where a tree grows out of the head of the deer. The doe seems to tell me with her tongue, Na-na-na-na-na-na....(like the gesture with the middle finger sticking up in the air...), but hey, one of these days I hope to get sharpness and background right!

Tail up!

 

Butt shots are rude, this is a general rule that applies in wildlife photography too. But as always in life there are exceptions from the rule. I have quite a few pictures of White-tailed Deer on my hard drive but what I didn't have until now is the shot of a White-tailed Deer with its signature element, its white tail, up in the air.

Last weekend, deep in the woods of Northern Wisconsin, a group of deer came very close to the cabin of my buddy Bryan. I stayed close to a corner of the building in order to blend in and the deer, only a few yards away, didn't seem to mind my presence for some time. Finally something spooked them and they ran away. Usually that would have bothered me but this time I just pressed the shutter and let the camera rattle with six frames per second. It was already after 4PM, the light was worse than just mediocre, and the autofocus was at its limits. I know there is room for improvement but the motion blur tells the story about a deer on the run. To be honest, I like the second image the best despite its flaws because of its story telling. Got back into the warmth of the cabin with a big smile on my face...

Waiting for the big reflector

Nikon D200, Sigma 50-500 / f4.5-6.3 APO DG HSM

Before someone asks, no we didn't get really much snow yet this winter, except for a few snow flakes last night. They quickly melted away later this morning. This photo is from February 2010, when we had  lots of snow and the White-tailed Deer came really close to the house in desperate search for food. If it comes to driving nobody likes the snow but if we talk about wildlife photography, I at least wish we would have some of the white stuff on the ground. This photo tells the story why I have such weird thoughts. Snow is an excellent natural reflector and it bounces the light up and makes shots like this one real simple.

Relying on luck or being prepared?

Nikon D200, Sigma 50-500 / f4-6.6 APO DG

We had snow on the ground since early December 2009 here in eastern Iowa. The White-tailed deer are hungry and come quite often out of the forest and search for food. Most nights there is not enough light available to get a decent shot of these beautiful animals. I have tried it many times but never retained any real keeper.

A few days ago I was surprised when a group of five deer showed up earlier, shortly after the noon hour. The sun was obscured by only a few clouds, which made for good light. I carefully moved into position, lifted the cover of my hiding-place, which was in this case….. just my bedroom window ;-)…, and started shooting.

With the comfort of warm feet and not having to dress for the outdoors I was able to take the pictures I was waiting for. Was it only luck? I don't think so. The camera and the Sigma 50-500 were mounted on the tripod and ready for action. The battery was charged and an empty flash card was inserted. In other words, I was prepared for this moment. Watching the deer many times before, I knew the day would come when the light would be sufficient for the long lens. I also knew that there would not be much time to prepare when the moment was right. Preparation, and yes, a little bit of luck, too.