As I was walking along the boardwalk at my local marsh in the early afternoon of a very hot and humid day this weekend, I spotted a deer in the brush, my closest encounter with a deer in a long time.
Immediately I stopped, fearful that I would spook the deer. The deer was close enough that I figured that I could get a good shot. I was wrong. The strong, harsh midday light was coming directly from the side, and despite my efforts to adjust my settings, virtually all of my shots had one side of the deer’s face with blown out highlights and the other side in deep shadows. It might sound artistic, but it wasn’t.
I slowly began to move toward the deer, hoping to get a more favorable lighting situation, when, sure enough, the deer turned around and ran away from me. I thought that all was lost, but then the deer stopped and turned to look back at me. Somehow, the deer had moved to a spot where there was a little shade and I managed to get this shot.
Frankly, my deer, I don’t give a damn that you chose to move away from me—I love you more from a distance.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved
Mike Powell 
Great shot, If you ever get to take a trip to Tennessee write me and I’ll take ya to Cades Cove and you can take all the deer pic ya want, there are a few thousand that live in the park, not to mention the bears..:-)
Bears…oh my.That would be pretty cool. I live in the Virginia suburbs, so deer qualifies as “wildlife” for me.
Ya got to find wildlife where you can find it..:-)
I don’t know how many times I have got the shot when an animal has turned back for that extra look. Good patience to wait for the shade.
Thanks, Lyle. I usually hope for close-up shots, but learned this time that it is not always good to get what you hope for.
Patience rewarded! Really nice shot, Mike, I love the color you got on this shot.