A Day on Exmoor - Wildlife photography
In November I booked a day with incredible wildlife photographer Rupert Smith to learn more about capturing the Red Deer here on Exmoor!
Since we moved here a year ago it’s been so exciting to see the Red Deer so often, watch them in the woods and on the moors, and I have been lucky to have had some very close encounters while on walks or out quietly taking photos of mushrooms and moss!
As a portrait photographer I’m normally shooting with pretty short focal lengths (aka, I’m quite close up to my ‘subjects’), so I hired a super tele photo lens around my time with Rupert to help me get shots of deer from afar.
It was one of those typical days of Autumn (or anytime, really!) on a high moor, where the sun shines and vanishes behind grey clouds, winds are strong and drizzle persists!
Despite the changeable weather we found lots of deer and of course saw SO MANY RAINBOWS!
We explored lots of different spots across Exmoor, looking out for Deer, planning how to get into the right place to photograph them without making them aware of our presence, and I managed to get a few photos!
I learned so much from Rupert about how to locate, stalk and photograph the Deer and was inspired by his immense respect and connection with these beautiful animals and the land.
It was really interesting chatting with him while waiting out the rain and getting to know more about his perspectives and career.
It was also refreshing to think in new ways about photography, being in a totally different realm than I’m normally used to.
After our day I went out a few more times while I had this lens and managed to find and photograph deer on my own too, which was really cool. It often strikes me how quiet Exmoor is, both literally as there is sometimes almost no sound, and also sometimes never seeing another human on your walk.
Getting to know this place is nourishing. As I build my mental map of Exmoor I look forward to hiring long lenses again to explore this medium further and develop my own practice of wildlife photography. Here are a few of my favourite photos from the day, including deer the deer as well as some of the other beautiful moments!
Thank you so much Rupert for a brilliant experience! You can check out his stunning work, order prints or book your own day with him on his website at rupertsmithwildlife.co.uk.
