Theres nothing better then being up early to see sights like this 

So i went down to Richmond a few days ago to do a talk on Underwater Photography to Richmond Sub Aqua Club which was a good bit of fun and was hosted in a pub which always makes the speaking interesting! While in the area i decided to get up early and head to Richmond Park to see the Red Deer Stags begin the rut!

You can almost forgets its in London 

Despite living quite close to a deer park in Nottingham i'd never seen deer roar or rut before so was a new experience for me and one i immensely enjoyed. After the glorious sunrise the light went a bit flat but i still went looking for more deer action.

 All the shots are full frame so the animals are quite close!

The deer in the park are very used to people which allows for some unique shots that would be almost impossible in a more wild setting. I was still wary though as these are powerful animals and pumped full of testosterone ready for a fight and had to warn a couple of dog walkers to stay back.

One of the larger dominant stags 

The sound of a red deer roaring is like nothing else i've ever heard, its a primordial noise and over the sunrise seemed like i was in the Cretaceous. Richmond is often over run from wildlife photographers but i was quite surprised to see more deer then togs and had the herd largely to myself.

Almost thought they would start to rut but not quite

No antlers locked while i was there but lots of parallel walking, urinating and vegetation in antlers so would expect it to happen soon.

Top Photography Tips for Richmond Park

1. Get in early! the park is open from 7am so you get a good chance to get some sunrise deer shots.

2. Despite the deer being used to people i still used a long lens (70 - 300mm) rather then my usual choice of a fisheye which could of got messy with the stags.

3. Avoid weekends as the park will be a lot busier and more people to contend with.

4. Read the animals behaviour if its coming towards you slowly back off, see how they are reacting to each other and you can often guess when they are about to lock horns.

5. I opted to be low for most of the shoot to try and emphasise the size of the stags which pretty big (our largest land mammal)

My next blog will be on seals as i'm off to the farne islands diving with them and donna nook for seal pup births!

BBC Wildlife Local Patch Reporter

Jack Perks

@JackPerksPhoto
Facebook: Jack Perks Photography
Website: www.jackperksphotography.com