Black and White Wildlife Fine Art Photos: “The Red Deer Bellowing”

Every year, I return to France to photograph the red deer bellowing. I have a real passion for deer, especially red deer.

There are many other areas in the world where deer are bellowing during the autumn but the one in France has a special place in my heart.

On the one hand, in natural environments, deer are very wild because they are hunted. They have learned to be wary of human beings and especially hunters. Photographing them in their natural environment requires a perfect knowledge of the terrain and their habits. They do not let themselves be approached if they sense a predator nearby.

To photograph them, I use a fixed blind or a cloth photo blind, which is a piece of fabric that allows me to blend in with my environment.

The most interesting for me is to get to know the habits of the deer. I must find out which tracks they use to move around. I need to know where the oak, wild apple, and chestnut trees are, which is where the deer will come to feed.

The bellowing often begins in early fall. The deer emits loud cries or songs that are modulated according to different situations.

There are five kinds of bellows:

• The “short and brief bellow” is used to signal its presence.
• The “bellow of lament” is a melancholic cry that indicates that the deer has not found a female yet.
• The “bellow of defiance” is a powerful cry that the deer utters when it wants to battle another deer.
• The “bellow of pursuit” is a set of light cries that the deer emits when it chases a doe to mate.
• The “bellow of triumph” is the cry given by the winner of a fight.

The season of the bellowing marks the mating season of the red deer.

The old males reconstitute herds of doe. Up to 30 females can be counted. The young stags try to build up a herd by challenging the old ones.

This is an opportunity to photograph terrible fights during which the deer can be impaled by the other’s antlers and die of exhaustion. The deer are so excited that they plough the meadows with their antlers.

The activity of the deer during the bellowing can be summed up in three words:

• Coupling.
• Monitoring.
• Defense.

The deer are beginning to lose weight at this point in the year. They become weaker, which is an opportunity for young deer to conquer older deer.

In this collection, I have chosen to show deer individually. The herds are absent. This artistic choice is voluntary.

I wanted to illuminate the power, the elegance, and the virility of the red deer. Some photos also show the despair of the deer that failed in conquering a doe. This sometimes happens when the deer is too old and can no longer win a fight against the younger and more vigorous stags.

The attitudes of these wild animals reflect human life. The older we get, the more we are swept aside to sit on the social bench.

All the sceneries have been carefully chosen to highlight the attitudes and postures of the red deer stags. A beautiful decor is not always to be found. It takes patience and time. I have always had to scout the field to choose the best point of view to highlight the animals.

Luck is also part of the success of the photos. Sometimes it takes days before I manage to create a single photo. I have learned to be patient and persevering. These are two essential qualities of any animal photographer. Time and experience have taught me to bide my time.

I believe that you should always invest time into something great.

For these photos of the bellowing of the red deer in France, I chose to use black and white. It is the best technique for highlighting the coats, the breaths, and the attitudes of the animals.

I hope that by looking at this collection of art photos devoted to deer braying, you can imagine the hoarse and guttural cries of the red deer stag. The sound of a deer’s cry echoing through a forest is an unforgettable experience for those who are lucky enough to encounter it.

I wish you a beautiful journey as you escape into the French prairies and woods.