Photographing red deer stags is one of those magical events in life. My good friend and I took up an opportunity recently to go and spend some time taking pictures of red deer in the wild. These deer make great subject matter for photography, but when rutting season is upon them the stags tend to take on a totally different personality.
Photography Tip - How to Photograph Large Wildlife and How Not To
With any photography mission the challenge is always going to be to get as close to the subject matter as is (A) safe and (B) possible, (obviously without allowing yourself to get into any immediate danger) in some cases this is often achieved by using a telephoto zoom lens, but as is more often the case getting closer means clearer and more detailed pictures.
Always have your camera strap round your neck, this way if you have to suddenly take flight you will stand less chance of dropping it, but be sure if you do have to run that you place one hand on the camera otherwise you stand a good chance of it bashing you in the chin or worse.
The photo opportunity was a good one for us as we had bright sunshine and a warm day so we could use an 18 to 70mm wide angle lens with the camera settings left on automatic, though on reflection I wish I had been using my 28 to 200mm lens.
If you are photographing animals, great care should be taken to know the safety levels and whether they have times of the year that they are not approachable at all.
Red Deer Stags are majestic animals and clearly have enough power and energy to take on and defeat several humans at once if they so desired. Most of the year they would be happy for you to get up real close to take some great pictures, but when rutting season arrives you should certainly keep a safe distance between you and them.
Getting as close as we did to the Stags certainly set our heart racing as they fixed their glance at us and started scuffing the ground as if to charge, then swaying their antlers side to side while stabbing the ground with them. This was slightly unnerving, but a great opportunity to capture some great red deer pictures.
On more than one occasion we found ourselves a little more than uncomfortably close and ended up walking away exceptionally fast while trying not to run until at a safe enough distance to do so.
My biggest tip for photographing these great creatures is make sure it is not the rutting season or you could certainly end up with a lot more than a few good pictures as they do not tolerate any kind of friendly attention at this time.
Try to approach from downwind where possible this often gives a little edge and could secure some red deer pictures that you might not have managed had you not have done so. Wear camouflage clothing and carry as little as is possible. Try to have a little base set-up where you can leave the bulk of your equipment and possessions.
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