To post or not to post? For over a week, I have gone back and forth in my mind, trying to decide if I should post this image. Most of my deliberation has centered around the indisputable fact that significant parts of the main subject, a young White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus), are obscured by the leaves and branches. Does the foliage add to the image or detract from it?
Ultimately, I decided that the emotional impact of the fawn’s gentle eyes, staring out at me from behind the curtain of leaves, trumped all other consideration. The leaves actually help to draw attention to those eyes, with their unbelievably long lashes.
What makes a good photo? I think a lot about that question as I go over my images. How heavily do I weigh technical and creative considerations? Most of the time, as was the case here, I’ll decide with my heart.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
I like it I’m glad you posted. I have the same dilemma posting anything I write
It’s nice to know, Eric, that I am not the only one who has this kind of internal struggle about showing the world a piece of me. Generally I post what I like or what interests me. Sometimes I can sense that others may not find it as good as I do–tastes differ after all–but I’m ok with that. I’m an amateur, in the original sense of the word–I do it because I love it.
Good choice – I like this a lot Mike!
Absolutely beautiful. The greens ad depth and mystery to the image.
Thanks. I am beginning to see that many others see the green foliage as you do. I think that sometimes I am my own worst critic.
It’s a beautiful image, touching and engaging. That makes it a successful and effective photograph in my book – as an appreciator of photography rather than a photographer. I’m glad you shared it.
Thanks, Laura. It’s so easy for me to get wrapped up in the technical aspects of photography (I’m geeky like that) that I forget that many viewers simply don’t care about the so-called rules–all they are really concerned with is whether a photo “works” and whether or not they like it. I am slightly surprised by the overwhelmingly positive response to this image that I have received. I think it’s tough to judge one’s own work objectively.
Anyone who has come upon a white tail knows this sideways glance lasts about a second before she’s gone in one leap. I see it as motion frozen, and a chance to hold her glance long enough to see her eyes.
Good choice to post!
Thanks for your words of encouragement, Sammy. All to often the only view I get of a deer is the bobbing white tail. This time I was more fortunate.
I’m no photographer — I consider a photograph of my family a masterpiece if I manage to get everybody’s head in the shot — so you might want to treat my comments with some caution.
In my opinion, the foliage adds to the shot. The head of an animal is mostly what were drawn to when we see it, and that is clearly visible. It is only the body that is obscured, but that just emphasizes the creature’s face and perhaps even gives it a mysterious, “hidden” quality.
Then again, I could be completely wrong.
Thanks so much for your wonderful comments. You articulated well the reasons why I have grown to really like this image (and why I ultimately chose to post it). In many ways the ultimate test of a successful photo is the impact that it has on a viewer.
You’re welcome. It really was a nice photograph. I just wished I could have seen the deer for real. They’re beautiful animals.
I appreciate that you chose to post this gorgeous image, I really love the expression and the eyes are amazing.
Thanks, Charlier.
I am thankful you chose to post, those eyes are so full of expression. posting with your heart is always the best as far as I am concerned.
Thanks so much. I am very much in agreement about following my heart–it’s mostly why I choose to share my photos, which more and more are becoming an extension of who I am.
Glad you posted this image, Mike! I can’t believe you hesitated actually! It draws you in, there is emotion, gentleness, surprise… What is not to love about it?
Sometimes, Chris, I get pulled into the fiction that good photos must be super sharp with unobstructed views of the subject and uncluttered backgrounds. Clearly that is not the case here, but the image does produce an emotional reaction in a way that is much more difficult to describe and is much more subjective. That’s sort of why I had a moment of uncertainty about the shot.
Its a great shot, the foliage frames the fawn. 🙂
Thanks, Ed. As you probably imagine, it was a challenge to find a tunnel through the foliage that gave me a clear view of the fawn’s face. I was leaning and bending in some awkward ways trying to take this shot.
I like this shot because it shows what you would expect to see in the woods. Seeing deer out in the open doesn’t happen that often.
This little one was probably curious.
I think that you are right. The little deer instinctively moved away a bit when it hear me, but then turned and looked my way, probably out of curiosity. I big challenge for me was keeping the shot in focus as I sought an uncluttered visual pass to its face.