Wildlife photographer Ben Sutcliffe leads our New Forest deer photography workshop in Hampshire with fallow and red deer being our main subjects.
The New Forest is arguably at its finest in Autumn. The ancient woodlands transform into a spectacular colour chart of reds and oranges. The seasonal backdrop coincides with prime deer watching as during the rutting (mating) season deer can be easier to find.
Stags fight for the attention of the females, so sparring is sometimes seen between the larger males and the younger ones who attempt to muscle in on their territory. The males will be alert, so can be photographed standing tall as well as bellowing loudly to assert their dominance.
Keeping the group small will enable us to capture the best images and remain as inconspicuous as possible. The different locations and species should provide you with a lovely array of images for your portfolio. The New Forest provides stunning scenery for images, with heathland and forest areas providing very different opportunities and the autumn colours add warm tones, which complement the deer.
Typical Itinerary
-
Day 1:
Full day of deer photography
We will meet at the New Forest early in the morning and aim to explore the ancient forest in search of fallow deer. If we are lucky, the sun should provide some lovely dappled light through the trees and in the area we visit there is some beautiful ancient, open woodland (primarily made up of English oak).
There are some paths, but we may also venture further into the forest so make sure you have good footwear and are able to walk on uneven ground. The fallow deer can occur anywhere in the forest, but the setting should provide some lovely images. We also have the chance of seeing roe deer, but they are notoriously shy.
We will then drive for about 10 minutes to our next location. Here we will search for red deer, which are likely to be found in more open heathland (particularly during the rut), so we will be using different tactics and settings for this. We may need to walk long distances to find them and, again, the ground may be uneven. Although the heather is no longer in flower, the remnants of the flowers provide a lovely autumnal hue, which when combined with the oak, beech and pine trees, make for some beautiful autumnal backdrops for images.
