A good friend and I were fortunate enough to have an opportunity to be able to go and photograph some wild Red and Fallow Deer; these are the largest known wild animal that still runs free in a few places across the United Kingdom. These deer make great subject matter for photography, but when rutting season is upon them the stags tend to take on a totally different persona…

Tips on How to Photograph Large Wildlife and Tips on How Not To

With any photography mission the challenge is always to get as close a picture as is 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 – 200mm lens.

Red Deer Stags are majestic animals and clearly have enough power and energy to take on and defeat several humans at once especially when it is the rutting season.

Getting as close as we did to the Stags certainly set my heart racing as they fixed their glance at me and started scuffing the ground as if to charge, then started swaying their antlers from side to side while stabbing the ground with them. On more than one occasion we found ourselves a little more than uncomfortable and 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 a picture that you might not have got 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.

By: Clive Anderson

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