Whitetail Deer Portrait

This photograph of a female whitetail deer was taken yesterday at the edge of a meadow. I had been watching her from deep shade and cover as she fed in the open but the scene did not look to be anything special. Plus, the sunlight was strong and harsh. When the doe moved closer to the shade I began to see photo opportunities.

The challenge, then, was getting a nice background. Most of the open meadow was too bright and the contrast with the shade was considerable. I waited and waited until finally the deer moved to a spot with dark trees in the background. Some sunlight filtering through the trees and hitting her face, her head and ears showing well against the dark green, ears perked. Nice.