Deer Photography

Deer photography is difficult because they're always looking for signs of danger - unusual smells, shapes or noises. The slightest hint of danger and they're off at a gallop in the opposite direction, warning other deer as they go. On this page I'm going to explain some of the things that I do that will help you to get great shots of deer.

I saw a small herd of red deer in the distance. Through my binoculars I could see that there was a big stag with 5 or 6 females. There was an old stone wall running close to them which I thought could conceal me and allow me to get nearer to them.

This was my first attempt at deer photography. I hid behind the old wall a considerable distance from the herd. Slowly over the next 20 minutes I moved towards them, concealed by the wall, until I arrived at the point where I'd first seen them.

I wasn't sure whether this was just beginners luck - it didn't matter - I was about to get some great deer shots on my first attempt. I raised my camera and very slowly poked my head over the wall, sure that I wouldn't have been spotted.

I was expecting them all to still be feeding on the grass. How naive I was! They had already moved further away from me and every single one was looking at me as if to say 'nice try'. A second later and they were gone.

Best Time For Deer Photography
I do the majority of my deer photography during the peak of the deer rut. This is a period when the males compete to mate with the females by bellowing a deep throated roar and if necessary, drive away other competing stags. It's the best time of year because the stags are pre-occupied and become easier to approach.

This picture was taken of a stag roaring during the rut. I was a little disappointed to clip the antlers, but it shows the benefits of knowing behaviour. A stag will usually lift its head when roaring so allow space for its antlers. I failed to do this and clipped the antler. It is also proof that a 500mm lens isn't always the best choice. I had worked myself into a good position but could have done with being able to zoom out a bit.

1/100s, f5.6, ISO100, 500mm (500mm)

Getting Started
To get started find a national park which is known to have herds of wild deer. Deer in these places are used to people and it will be a little easier to get closer to them to photograph.

Choose a location and study it. Get to know where and when the deer tend to congregate, where they rest and where they eat. I have two approaches:

Approach 1 - concealment
I find a location where I know the deer either pass through or graze. I get there early morning and just wait. I try to conceal myself as much as possible by sitting / lying under some camouflage netting, or by erecting a popup hide.

Approach 2 - stalk
Stalking deer is extremely difficult. I tend to listen for the roaring and head in that direction. Once the deer are in sight I move very slowly and cautiously. I stop at regular intervals to take a few shots and to allow the deer to become accustomed to me. If they're looking at me I wait until they continue doing what they were doing before moving again. If you see them licking their nose then they've probably caught your scent.

I try to approach them downwind as they have a highly developed sense of smell. Before doing this though, check the lighting. Its no good doing all of this to discover that its the wrong lighting when you finally arrive at the spot to take your photograph.

My favourite conditions are early morning mist because of the magical lighting it creates. The shot below was taken during early morning mist just after sunrise.

1/250s, f5.6, ISO200, 300mm (70-300mm)

Try to get plenty of variety in the shots you take - don't just take full frame shots or head shots. I like to aim for photographs that show behaviour and showing the deer in their environment. For example I spent about an hour and a half with my camera setup in position, waiting for deer to cross the river in the shot below.

1/160s, f2.8, ISO100, 80mm (70-200mm)