GARDEN 66 – MUNTJACS, GROOMING (MONO)

 

 

.
A pair of Muntjac Deer, grooming below our kitchen window, in the weak winter sun; 20 Jan 2016.

This is a very close crop, not intended to show these animals’ surroundings at all but, rather, to produce a tight, somewhat graphic composition that virtually fills the frame with their bodies, while positioning their heads at opposing corners of the frame, across a diagonal. 

Although there is very little context here, I’m grateful for the two thin strands of Bramble that fall down either side of the female (the animal in the foreground) – they introduce another, quite different component to the composition and, I think, help give a greater impression of depth.  Restoring their green colour would ruin the shot.

These little deer are not native to Britain, having been introduced here from the Far East.  But being small and unobtrusive, they are now widespread.  Our back garden is very secluded and quiet, especially at this time of year, and these little creatures can often be seen delicately feeding; they have been accompanied in the past by an absolutely delightful fawn.  But they are extremely nervous and flighty, rushing off at the slightest alarm, and so all pictures have be taken through closed windows, which is not ideal.

Click onto this image to open a larger version in a separate window.

D800 with 70-300 Nikkor at 300mm; 1600 ISO; Silver Efex Pro 2, starting at the Strong Infrared Low Contrast preset.
.
.
.