Alert White-Tailed Buck, Shenandoah National Park

When your target subject can be found in a variety of locations, try the location with the most attractive environment first. The low growth in this field turns red and purple in the fall, making it a perfect choice for white-tailed deer photography. And, the subjects were cooperative this afternoon.

One of the cool features deer (and many other animals) possess is the ability to make their hair stand straight out. Yeah, what if people could do that? This buck marched in from far across the field to exert his dominance over another buck I was photographing, and as the dominant buck approached, he raised his hair to appear larger and more intimidating.

While this shot seems not to have required the performance of the Canon EOS R1, this was the only moment the buck looked at me with both ears forward, and the R1's fast continuous frame rate ensured that the perfect look was captured.

Deciding where to place the buck in the frame was continuously on my mind as it approached. Usually, I prefer to leave more space toward the side of the frame the body is facing and more space toward the side the head is looking at.

In this case, the head is facing the camera, calling for a centered framing, and the background has the symmetry that usually supports a centered subject. The deer's body is moderately pointed toward the viewer's left, calling for a little extra space on the left side for an overall balanced image.

Other moments with different angles and background variations called for other framing, and the R1's Eye Control and Eye Detection AF allowed instant changes.

A larger version of this image is available here.