In a message dated 12/1/2002 8:22:21 PM Eastern Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes:
> Marnie Parker's Displaced Buck did it for me. > Nice shot, and my vote for "Best Juctstaposition". > > How'd you sneak up on 'im? > > -Lon Wow! <blush> <stammer> Thank you! Well, actually the deer around here aren't too hard to photograph. 3 years ago I moved into a large retirement community to take care of my elderly mother (I hid from her neighbors a lot ;-)). And for quite a few years now the deer have been wandering around freely. Initially, after this place was first built, the deer disappeared. Then about ten years later they returned (the undeveloped hills in between the condos were/are their natural habitat). Basically, as more development went on in this county there were fewer and fewer places for them to retreat to, so they came back. Also there is naturally no hunting allowed (too dangerous to the residents). Somehow over time the deer have figured this out and are no longer afraid of humans (in this immediate area). However, I also was on my patio, staying in one place. I shot that buck on that day about eight times and that is the one shot I ended up really liking because his back was to me. In some of the other photos he is looking out of the corner of his eye at me, obviously aware I was there. As long as I stayed on the patio, everything was okay. For him, seeing humans on their back patios is seeing some weird kind of other animal in *it's* natural habitat. They have learned we stay on our patios and just look at them. But if I had moved off the patio or closer then he would have bolted. I've also taken pictures of wild turkeys in my backyard and squirrels. And raccoons at night. None great shots, I still need a good telephoto lens. The squirrels are the most skittish and hardest to photograph. I am still trying. Photographing the animals around here -- that is producing good photographs of the animals around here -- I foresee as an on going project, since I will be staying here when *I* retire. Thank you for the compliment. I am very flattered. Doe aka Marnie Parker
