Deer Pictures

[DuncanE]

Just wanted to get some feedback on these pictures I took a couple of weeks back when visiting Richmond Park. This is my first real go at wildlife photgraphy (other than zoo and snatched shots to get an ID) and my first major attempt at lightroom editing.





Both rather frustrated as their advances were not particularly welcomed at the time.

[ron1863]

Nice, like the first one best.

[mh68]

First one for me too...nice framing in both though.In the first shot i would have maybe used more shadow enhancement so the outline of the deer at its back end didnt become a bit lost against the dark background,and maybe reducing the highlights in shot 2 to draw more detail out of the white ear.
How are you finding Lightroom?

Mark H

[matt_xyz]

they're both very nicely composed shots and you did well to capture the deer mid-roar.

Both are perhaps a touch soft, this may be because they're heavily cropped or may be a degree of camera shake, or maybe they simply require a bit more sharpening in Lightroom (after resizing). Definitely nice images though.

Matt

[Ollie]

Nice shots, I agree with Matt they could do with a touch more sharpness but apart from that I would be very happy if they were mine.
Roger

[stirling]

They look good to me,thanks for showing.
Best from mike.

[DuncanE]

Thanks for the comments. This is the first time I've realy shown off any photos outside close friends and family. Its nice to hear (or read in this case) the views of others.

The photos were not meant to be as good as they are as I was only going to go there to have a look and plan a future visit. I was using my monopod for the first time in anger so there was a little camera shake.

Mark: Lightroom is great, unfortunatly its only the trial and I'm likely not to get the full version til after the new Year. Its certainly alot easier to adjust RAW pictures than my elements 4.

As for sharpening, I never know how far to go. the first pic the amount was set to 51, radius 1.0, Detail 53 and masking 15. The second, amount 90, radius 1.2, detail 59 and masking 33. The good thing is that they are in RAW and while I have the trial I can try again and non-discructive too. that said the originals do look slightly sharper than the posts. I'll see what they look like printed and go from there.

[mh68]

You can normally tell when youve overdone the sharpening when halos appear round edges on the shot, and straight edges become jagged (known as aliasing).I spent some time when I first got Lightroom, trying varying sharpening parameters and exporting the image at viewing size,then checking the result.It took a while before i was happy with the resulting image but once I was, i just saved the settings as a Lightroom preset and now to sharpen my shots it just takes one click to apply the preset to the image.Not sure why, but I`ve found i can add more sharpening to a shot in Lightroom,without halos or aliasing,than I can with other programs.

Mark H

[kiwi]

yey! i love deer i remember when i live in our farmhouse a few years back i was only around 6 or 7 years old i used to go to wander at the top of the hill to go into the woods a fields to see Rabbits and hares then one day one i was up there i was on a border between a daffodil field and a barley field and i saw a Fallow Deer you know the ones with white spots and it didn't have antlers it looked at me for a while then ran off it was amazing, i ran to tell my parents but know one believed me.

[juliejam]

Great shots...your lucky to get shots of them ..while at Ashridge a few weekends ago I was able to see quite a few of them but mainly in the shadows..and as you are able to roam around amongst them they seem to hear or see you and run off...not a chance for me to take a pic..

Julie

[DuncanE]

Originally Posted by juliejam

Great shots...your lucky to get shots of them ..while at Ashridge a few weekends ago I was able to see quite a few of them but mainly in the shadows..and as you are able to roam around amongst them they seem to hear or see you and run off...not a chance for me to take a pic..

Julie

I suppose its just down to location - one place they don't care if u stand next to them the other one sniff of you and they do a runner. Or in my sister's case around the time these were shot is to walk straight through you unless you move out of the way.

One thing I think I'll remember from the trip was not the wildlife as such, but while sat watching a herd near Richmond Gate my wife let out a sigh and said "oh dear"... very apt I thought.

[hannahpanda]

Excellent pictures! Especially the first one

[altyfc]

For a first attempt, these are excellent IMO! Well done.

If I had to choose between the two, I'd go for the first also.

[DuncanE]

Originally Posted by altyfc

For a first attempt, these are excellent IMO! Well done.

If I had to choose between the two, I'd go for the first also.

I'd agree with every one on that I think i got the exposure more correct than the other. But the colours in the second do give a great autumnal feel.. well for me anyway.

The second also shows one of the classic stag behavours of wearing musky mud (He did stink quite strongly!)... and he had more hinds

[animalb]

Funny I like the second one best! The composition is better on the first, but I like his face in the second.
I always seem to leave my camera at home when a 'good shot' appears! I had a rural Fox run towards me once, I was calling it because I thought it was my dog! I've also had wild deer stand right infront of me, but never with my camera damn. But they're caught in my head

[DuncanE]

Originally Posted by animalb

Funny I like the second one best! The composition is better on the first, but I like his face in the second.
I always seem to leave my camera at home when a 'good shot' appears! I had a rural Fox run towards me once, I was calling it because I thought it was my dog! I've also had wild deer stand right infront of me, but never with my camera damn. But they're caught in my head

Its always when you leave your camer at home happens to me all the time.

[demicav]

I think they are great shots, I would be happy if they were mine.

[Hoppingmad]

Originally Posted by DuncanE

Just wanted to get some feedback on these pictures I took a couple of weeks back when visiting Richmond Park. This is my first real go at wildlife photgraphy (other than zoo and snatched shots to get an ID) and my first major attempt at lightroom editing.





Both rather frustrated as their advances were not particularly welcomed at the time.

I'm impressed. Like the first one but they are both really good. I took some photos recently at Richmond Park and was really pleased with them but all of the deer are just "posing" not doing anything as exciting as this. Thanks for sharing.

[big bill]

Like most of the others its the first one that does it for me ,I think if you could select the deer using the lasso tool in elements and feather the selection bt 2px then darken the background it would allow the deer stand out from the background,I know its a long and labourious job but it could improve and seperate it from the back ground..
Great shots though thanks for sharing them.
Cheers ....Bill

[woodla]

I really like your photographs. I am a forester based in Shropshire and I am writing an article regarding deer management in Wales with a view to having it published in the September issue of "Gamewise" the magazine of the Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust. Could I have your permission to use the photos for possible publication? I will, of course, include your name beneath the photos.

regards

Martin B. Jones

[DuncanE]

Originally Posted by woodla

I really like your photographs. I am a forester based in Shropshire and I am writing an article regarding deer management in Wales with a view to having it published in the September issue of "Gamewise" the magazine of the Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust. Could I have your permission to use the photos for possible publication? I will, of course, include your name beneath the photos.

regards

Martin B. Jones

I've sent you a Private Message.