Greeting Deer on Christmas

by Jun 28, 2017Adventures, Photography

Connecting with Wild Nature through Photography

Snow frosted the ground, and the morning sun was just cresting over the hills. It was Christmas morning, and through the window of my parents’ house I spotted a beautiful buck walking by. So I quickly grabbed my camera and headed out to say hello.
Camera in hand, and nicely bundled, I squatted low, holding still, with the shutter clicking away. The buck stood stoically about 15 feet away, then he looked my way and gradually started to approach.

As he walked through shadow and light, he dropped his head and continued to come closer. He was slow and curious, and I was clearly feeling more wary than he was.

While continuing to take photos, I also lifted my eyes to truly soak in the experience. Holding out my hand, he stepped closer until he sniffed my fingers with his damp nose. It was truly a beautiful and intimidating experience.

Over the weekend, I had several other opportunities to photograph the deer wandering by my parents’ house, including a beautiful young doe. I was shooting with my 18-135mm lens, right from my parents porch, when one of the deer decided that I was worth investigating. The lighting was perfect for this series, coming in low from behind so that it made her fine white hairs glow.

Even if you don’t get a chance to come face to face with a buck or a deer, photography is a wonderful way to connect with the wild nature that is all around us. 

And, as the photographer, I’m always thankful for those who photograph me too.

~ZieBee

Camera Notes

An interesting challenge that occurred was the contrasting lighting and shooting one handed, as I wanted to reach out to the deer to encourage them to come closer.

For the large buck photos, I was using my Pentax K-3 with a 100mm Macro Lens (by Pentax). The morning light put up quite a challenge, with the brilliant white of the sun on the snow contrasting with the dark shadows from the trees. I wasn’t expecting him to come so close to me, so in hindsight I would have used my 18-135mm Pentax lens.

For the young doe photos, I was using my Pentax K-3 with a 18-135mm Pentax lens.

For all of the photos, I did a small amount of editing the RAW images in Photoshop to optimize exposure and overall lighting.

Location: Redmond, OR (Eagle Crest Resort)

About the Author & Artist

Hello, my name is Mackenzie and I am a multipassionate fusion creative. I love animals, the great outdoors, and creating long lasting, deep connections with the people in my life. It is my goal in life to spread love and laughter, and to help brighten the world one moment at a time. My art, photography, writing, and creative projects bring me great joy to create, curate, and share.

If you have a story to tell, want to start a business, or simply want some new photos taken or new art in your life, please get in touch, I would love to work with you.