nice shots. The lighting, the softness of the buck and the falls behind him in the 1st picture make me think of Bambi all grown up And I agree w/ you about the white stripe, it does look like a painted on mouth.
Thanks for the kind words. I wish the fence wasn't in the way of that first shot but I was afraid to get any closer before taking my first shots...didn't want to spook it.
I ended up being able to get a few feet closer (close enough to use that fence to steady my camera since I didn't have a tripod with me). Best part is, that shot was taken maybe 300 yards from my cabin so there's hope for future chances to do better.
Here's a nature shot I took yesterday that bucks the trend of having a bird in it.
The white stripe under the buck's chin looks like a cartoonish "mouth" when the buck is seen straight on:
Nice looking Buck, how close where you when you took those shots ?
He doesn't even look startled at all ........ Skippy
Harry http://behret.smugmug.com/NANPA member How many photographers does it take to change a light bulb? 50. One to change the bulb, and forty-nine to say, "I could have done that better!"
The first shot was taken maybe 30-40 ft from the buck (wild guess at the distace). I was able to get to maybe 20 ft for the second shot. The first shot was at full zoom on my 70-200mm Nikon lens. The second was I think at half zoom since I was closer.
The buck was kind enough to stand there during the second shot while I played around with various camera settings to see what would give me the best results.
I might have been able to get closer except that fence in the first shot is the boundary to a neighbor's yard and without their permission, I won't cross the fence.
Harry & Jen - thanks for the kind words! That's the first wildlife shot I've taken that I liked enough to consider printing (small though just in case).
Great shot, Thwack. Excellent exposure and composition.
Good looking buck too. Although he looks like he's about to charge.:eek1
Cheers,
-joel
Thanks for the kind words on the pic.
The only charging I saw that buck doing was chasing around a doe that was nearby. I thought the rut season was still a ways away but I should try to find out since the bucks can get very aggressive that time of year.
This guy was one of the medium sized bucks that roam the area. I've seen 10 and 12 point bucks out here and lots of "spikes" as well (buck-wannabees). None of my shots of the big bucks have been "good" yet.
I caught this one under some trees in the shadows on a partially gloomy day which made for good lighting even though it was mid-afternoon when I took the shot.
I'm hoping to get a good a shot of one of the big bucks but they're not as easy to get that close to (I guess you don't live to be a 10 point buck without developing a strong sense of self-preservation).
Wikipedia says California Mule Deer rut in the Autumn so hopefully I missed the aggressive time of year.
Then again, Wikipedia also says they're supposed to shed their antlers in winter and that hasn't happened yet around here. I'll have to watch for bald bucks in the near future I guess.
Wikipedia's entry for regular Mule Deer (not the more precise California Mule Deer) says antlers are shed after mating season and gives a range of mid-Jan to mid-April (though it's not clear if that's the range for growing new antlers, shedding the old ones, or the mating season itself).
So far, none of the bucks around here have appeared aggressive towards people. The larger bucks are pretty shy though the Does around here seem only slightly cautious around people. They'll get between their fawns and people but never seem to try to chase people away.
I think there are enough houses around here that they're fairly used to people though with wildlife, you can never be too certain (or too careful).
Comments
cheers,
C.
***********************************
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I ended up being able to get a few feet closer (close enough to use that fence to steady my camera since I didn't have a tripod with me). Best part is, that shot was taken maybe 300 yards from my cabin so there's hope for future chances to do better.
Nice looking Buck, how close where you when you took those shots ?
He doesn't even look startled at all ........ Skippy
Skippy (Australia) - Moderator of "HOLY MACRO" and "OTHER COOL SHOTS"
ALBUM http://ozzieskip.smugmug.com/
:skippy Everyone has the right to be stupid, but some people just abuse the privilege :dgrin
Gale
www.pbase.com/techwish
http://behret.smugmug.com/ NANPA member
How many photographers does it take to change a light bulb? 50. One to change the bulb, and forty-nine to say, "I could have done that better!"
Gallery of mine...caution, it's under CONSTANT construction! | Photo Journal
In the right light, at the right time, everything is extraordinary. ~Aaron Rose
The first shot was taken maybe 30-40 ft from the buck (wild guess at the distace). I was able to get to maybe 20 ft for the second shot. The first shot was at full zoom on my 70-200mm Nikon lens. The second was I think at half zoom since I was closer.
The buck was kind enough to stand there during the second shot while I played around with various camera settings to see what would give me the best results.
I might have been able to get closer except that fence in the first shot is the boundary to a neighbor's yard and without their permission, I won't cross the fence.
Good looking buck too. Although he looks like he's about to charge.:eek1
Cheers,
-joel
Link to my Smugmug site
Thanks for the kind words on the pic.
The only charging I saw that buck doing was chasing around a doe that was nearby. I thought the rut season was still a ways away but I should try to find out since the bucks can get very aggressive that time of year.
This guy was one of the medium sized bucks that roam the area. I've seen 10 and 12 point bucks out here and lots of "spikes" as well (buck-wannabees). None of my shots of the big bucks have been "good" yet.
I caught this one under some trees in the shadows on a partially gloomy day which made for good lighting even though it was mid-afternoon when I took the shot.
I'm hoping to get a good a shot of one of the big bucks but they're not as easy to get that close to (I guess you don't live to be a 10 point buck without developing a strong sense of self-preservation).
Then again, Wikipedia also says they're supposed to shed their antlers in winter and that hasn't happened yet around here. I'll have to watch for bald bucks in the near future I guess.
Wikipedia's entry for regular Mule Deer (not the more precise California Mule Deer) says antlers are shed after mating season and gives a range of mid-Jan to mid-April (though it's not clear if that's the range for growing new antlers, shedding the old ones, or the mating season itself).
So far, none of the bucks around here have appeared aggressive towards people. The larger bucks are pretty shy though the Does around here seem only slightly cautious around people. They'll get between their fawns and people but never seem to try to chase people away.
I think there are enough houses around here that they're fairly used to people though with wildlife, you can never be too certain (or too careful).
Dave