A moment of peace

Image Critiques Wildlife Critiques
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A moment of peace
A moment of peace2000×1333 1.22 MB

Last Thursday I kayaked up the Wisconsin a bit and drifted back down - on the way I saw three does lying down on the river’s edge. None were all that bothered about me and my neighbor in our boats and I could drift quite close to them (even a water skier didn’t bother one). Yes, white tails are ubiquitous, but since I’d never seen this behavior before I had to take some time. This pose just looks beatific - like an idealized painting. She and the others were all nursing mothers, but fawns at this stage are too small to follow mom all day, plus it was VERY hot for Wisconsin and they were probably in the shade nearby.

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Technical Details

Is this a composite: No
Lumix G9
P/L 100-400mm f/4-6.3 @ 161mm
f/5 | 1/800 sec | ISO 200
Handheld in kayak with elbows on knees

Lr processed to even out the exposure given the direct sun. A crop. Nothing major.

@the.wire.smith
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Classic pose in a lovely setting, with sunlight very well handled. I hope they were all OK with the heat, and I assume humidity and bugs.

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Beautiful portrait! I never think that any animal is too common to photograph or to observe, by taking them for granted we miss so much! She’s probably trying to stay cool by the water!

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A sweet shot you handled very nicely. It’s interesting how, when one is in a boat, wildlife generally tends to be a lot less alarmed at our presence. I’ve drifted close in a bass boat to bobcats drinking from a lake that you couldn’t get within a mile of, if you were on foot. Beautiful portrait.

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Thanks @Diane_Miller, @vanessa & @terryb - I have a few shots of her kneeling and settling down as well, but this was the shot.

Boats and cars can make good ‘disguises’ sometimes. One of the reasons I love kayaking.

All the deer seemed fine to me - no panting or signs of distress, just a few very hot girls who needed a cooling rest.

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Beautiful capture, looks quite peaceful, hopefully it was not sick.

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She was fine - just hot!

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A very peaceful and pleasing scene with excellent exposure and detail. At 161 mm, you were definitely very close to her! The low viewpoint from the kayak is really nice and makes for strong reflections. A great opportunity and an excellent capture, Kristen!

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Thanks Gary - she was a great model and I agree that the low angle from a kayak gives an intimacy that can’t be matched.

Since I shoot m43 it was a little over 300mm in 35mm terms, but that still isn’t super long. She was about 100 feet away.