We have some fallow deer, very close to our home. They are living wild in a nature reserve, where anyone can roam (as long as you keep to the official footpaths).
I say "some fallow deer, but there could be between 50 and 150, which are spread out over a fifteen square mile area of woodland, pastures and most importantly - coppicing.
Until last week, I had never seen any, but I was out in the fields snapping butterflies, and I could hear movement in the woods behind me. I carried on, and ran into a farm worker, who confirmed that I had probably heard deer.
I then went off the beaten track in amongst the forest and coppicing. I had the camera set on autofocus (big mistake), and as I approached a large coppice of young growth, all hell let loose. About thirty yards ahead of me, three fallow deer (Quite dark markings) bolted out of the coppice and ran across the track and into the forest. The autofocus could not cope, and I was left with one very fuzzy image of a rump exiting stage right.
How do I go about stalking and capturing these deer on camera? Is it a matter of going to the same spot, and waiting, or should I move around, looking for tracks?
Should I keep the camera on Manual focus, and combine that with a high ISO and reasonable aperture?
I really want a few pictures of these timid creatures, because I have told a few local people about them, and they seriously doubt me.
Andy
I say "some fallow deer, but there could be between 50 and 150, which are spread out over a fifteen square mile area of woodland, pastures and most importantly - coppicing.
Until last week, I had never seen any, but I was out in the fields snapping butterflies, and I could hear movement in the woods behind me. I carried on, and ran into a farm worker, who confirmed that I had probably heard deer.
I then went off the beaten track in amongst the forest and coppicing. I had the camera set on autofocus (big mistake), and as I approached a large coppice of young growth, all hell let loose. About thirty yards ahead of me, three fallow deer (Quite dark markings) bolted out of the coppice and ran across the track and into the forest. The autofocus could not cope, and I was left with one very fuzzy image of a rump exiting stage right.
How do I go about stalking and capturing these deer on camera? Is it a matter of going to the same spot, and waiting, or should I move around, looking for tracks?
Should I keep the camera on Manual focus, and combine that with a high ISO and reasonable aperture?
I really want a few pictures of these timid creatures, because I have told a few local people about them, and they seriously doubt me.
Andy