The Deer of Richmond Park
Adult red deer stags are imposing creatures, the biggest animals still found in the UK. 1/1000s 300mm F2.8 ISO 1000.
For several years now I’ve been telling myself that I’d make it down to Richmond Park in Autumn to photograph the magnificent deer during the rutting season. But like so many other things it just never came into fruition. For one reason or another I was ‘busy’ and each time I said I’d go next year. But with new camera in toe, it was time to actually make it happen and do my first bit of wildlife photography with my Nikon Z8. It’s always a good day when I get to use my 300mm F2.8 lens, even if it is a bit of a monster.
On a clear day you can see out to the City of London from Richmond Park. 1/250s 300mm F2.8 ISO 64.
Very popular for walkers, runners and cyclists, the paths are well worn but you still feel you are many more miles from the city than you really are. 1/1000s 300mm F2.8 ISO 125.
There were plenty of large fungi growing all over the park. Though many had already been nibbled. 1/1600s 300mm F2.8 ISO 500.
I was really pleased with this shot of the drinking moorhen. The bead of water being plucked out of the pond frozen in motion. 1/2000s 300mm F2.8 ISO 200.
I had been to Richmond Park several times before, but only for car photoshoots so I had never properly walked around and therefore had no idea where the deer were most likely to be. The area is not exactly small either and the deer obviously spend a fair bit of time roaming around. What was also slightly disconcerting upon my arrival was a sign warning visitors that in November the pedestrian gates would be closed at night due to the ongoing deer cull. I wondered whether I had arrived a couple of weeks too late.
Eventually I spotted the herd of deer from a distance and made my approach. 1/1000s 300mm F2.8 ISO 800.
The jackdaws proved to be a mild nuisance to the deer who eventually nudged them off. 1/1000s 300mm F2.8 ISO 800.
Young bucks grazing. Future champions perhaps. 1/1000s 300mm F2.8 ISO 1250.
While walking around there were plenty of other things to photograph, principally another of nature’s Autumn bounties, fungi. Large in size as well as large in number. I had brought along my macro lens and tripod but having arrived later than expected and with daylight in short supply I really wanted to focus on finding the deer. Along the way though I did manage to get a great shot of a moorhen having a drink, the drop of water it pulled out of the pond wonderfully frozen with a high shutter speed.
I decided on a monochrome treatment for this backlit shot. Backlighting is definitely something I need to experiment with more. 1/1000s 300mm F2.8 ISO 160.
I also managed to capture this squirrel that stopped right in front of me. 1/1000s 300mm F2.8 ISO 800.
The park also has fallow deer, but I didn’t see very many on the day. 1/1000s 300mm F2.8 ISO 500.
Eventually though I did find them congregating in large numbers which made them easy to spot at a distance. The rutting season must be effectively over as the males bedecked with their big antlers were completely relaxed to be in each other’s company. Some photos I have seen show groups of photographers in the background, but on a weekday it was just me, which made my life a lot easier. Less disturbances and distractions. I got as close as was comfortable for both me and the deer and I worked my way around the herd, mostly trying to pick out individuals or pairs and framing them up as best I could. Initially there wasn’t a lot of interesting behaviour, but luckily for me that would come later.
Many of the deer were in and amongst the bracken. A key reason I had little enthusiasm for going in. 1/1000s 300mm F2.8 ISO 1000.
The arrival of more deer cut off any chance of a backwards retreat and so I had no other options but to exit and approach from the other side. 1/1000s 300mm F2.8 ISO 1000.
The deer are a big attraction to members of the public. 1/1000s 300mm F2.8 ISO 1000.
My approach to the herd had been open, but as I walked around, I arrived at the bracken, which caused me to stop and pause. Being so tall I really had a very poor idea of whether deer were hiding and grazing in there and the last thing I wanted was to cause a panic for me or for them with a surprise encounter. I decided to completely exit and then make a separate approach from the opposite side. It was at this point the sunny skies yielded to the first heavy rain shower which left me sheltering under the tree to prevent myself or my gear getting too wet (while the light was flat and uninteresting).
A stag lazily chases after a doe. 1/1000s 300mm F2.8 ISO 1600.
After the rain shower some of the stags started to roar. 1/1000s 300mm F2.8 ISO 1600.
When the sun broke through again during golden hour, I managed to capture a lot of interesting behaviour. Stags roaring and chasing does, young bucks fighting and deer shaking off the water from the previous shower. The latter made for a great action shot, freezing the water droplets as they fired off the stag’s body. A second rain shower brought my time with the deer to an end, but my day didn’t quite end there.
My favourite deer photo of the day was this one of the stag shaking off the rain water. Caught in the full flow of movement. 1/1000s 300mm F2.8 ISO 1600.
Two younger stags practice fighting, much more serious fights await them in the future. 1/1000s 300mm F2.8 ISO 1600.
On the way back to the tube station I headed over to King Henry’s Mound which gave me great views not just out across suburban London but also to the unobstructed historic view towards St Paul’s Cathedral. And then just when I thought the day really was over, the most amazing sunset occurred. The heavy rain rolled in whilst the setting sun shone through, creating that amazing powerful orange light you only get in storms like these. Ideally, I would have used a 70-200mm lens for this moment, but it wasn’t in my bag, and I was left scrambling to capture what I could without getting my gear soaked. It was an amazing stroke of luck to have had, not just this light, but also been in a good position to make the most of it. A fitting end to a wonderful day out in nature.
The historic view to St Paul’s Cathedral from King Henry’s Mound. 1/400s 300mm F2.8 ISO 1600.
Natural light doesn’t get any better than this, with the whole area engulfed by gold and orange light. 1/400s 300mm F2.8 ISO 160.
Easily the best sunset I had seen for a couple of years. The rain fell like drops of lava with the light shining through. 1/200s 70mm F4.0 ISO 640.
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