October 2020. Wildlife Photography Project in Charente-Maritime, France, to Photograph the Bugle of the Red Deer

Photo in lowkey of a red deer stag bugling.

The 2020 season of the bugle of the red deer stag has been marked by a capricious and totally unexpected weather this year in Charente-Maritime in France. Unceasing rains and high temperatures did not prevent the deer from bugling, however, the conditions for taking pictures were difficult to work with.

Nevertheless, everything went well. The first deer started to bugle around September 25. The first herds began to build up. My first field observations in Haute-Saintonge showed several promising herds of a dominant deer and about ten hinds each.

At the end of September, the morning temperatures were between 12 and 17 degrees Celsius (53 to 62 Fahrenheit). I had placed a few blinds in some strategic places near some large hundred-year-old oaks and some beautiful chestnut trees.

The first sessions were successful with nice encounters and beautiful pictures of deer stag bugling. I still rely on my 500mm lens and the blind technique. Personally, I find it difficult to photograph deer walking with a long focal length of several kilograms. I always use a tripod and a gimbal head to facilitate the shooting.

My technique for using a blind is simple. The day before, I spot where the herds are. For that, I listen to the deer bugling. In general, a herd can travel several kilometers during the night in search of food, but deer and hinds are greedy. At this time of the year, acorns and chestnuts are the food of choice. To capture photos, you must stand near spots where acorns and chestnuts are prevalent, and then hide yourself while waiting for the animals to arrive.

I always sit in my blind when it is completely dark. I multiply the chances of not being spotted.

I usually say that the technique of the blind grants many awards. Even if I do not use the camera for several hours, there is always a deer that will come looking for food. Patience is my best ally.

Moreover, the blind is an interesting technique because at this time of the year, autumn is often very cool in the morning. Under my tent, I am well sheltered.

But this year, my tent not only protected me from the north wind that blew for more than 10 days at the beginning of October, and the rain also accompanied me for days and days. The shooting conditions were often difficult because the camera speeds were frequently incredibly low (around 1/60th of a second) despite the high sensitivities (more than 1000 ISO). This gloomy weather was unfavorable, but I persevered.

These peculiar conditions for the Charente-Maritime continued until October 31st, which marked the date of my last photo session.

However, I had some nice surprises, such as a few sunny mornings, as well as four excellent photo sessions in the fog. This is certainly what I prefer the most. The conditions to obtain dense fog are complex. Fortunately, the Haute-Saintonge is studded with numerous ponds that allow the humidity necessary for the fog to create itself after a sunny day and a cool night.

These early mornings bathed in a soft light allowed me to take some incredibly beautiful dreamlike and evanescent photos. The gallery that will follow the text will give you an idea of the atmosphere that cloaked Haute-Saintonge.

This year, I decided to spend more time in the undergrowth and forests. These are places I do not visit very often because the 500mm lens is not very suitable. I had the chance to do some interesting deer portraits, but the trees and the sometimes-dense vegetation create environments that are not very conducive to creating ethereal photos.

These photo sessions dedicated to the deer's bellow are part of my global project dedicated to deer. My goal was to create beautiful photos using high-key and low-key techniques.

As always, the goal of my photos was above all to symbolically transcribe the emotions I feel when I am on the field in the breathtaking wilderness, untouched by man.

Once again, I wanted to illuminate the grace, beauty, magnificence, and elegance of the king-like glory of the French forests. In my deer photos, I always prefer magnificent forms, which expertly capture an elegant attitude and symbol of power.

These few weeks of photography in a peaceful nature far from the hassles of the world and the hubbub of men encouraged me to return to my original sources of creativity. I highly encourage you to do the same, should you ever get the chance to rediscover inspiration through the unique experience of the bugle of stag.

These photographs we took on the field are intended for the creation of art prints for our "Around the World" or "Around the Mind" collections.

Click on a thumbnail to enlarge it.

Not Taking the Time to Develop Your Photos: A Trap to Avoid

Road to Valley of Fire in Nevada.

Trap #7: Not Thinking of Long-Term Effects

Creating interesting photographs that make sense and appeal to an audience take a lot of time, persistence, consistency, and pugnacity.

Beginners sometimes manage in a few months or a year to create eye-catching photos that catch the eye. But I have found that they are usually forgotten as quickly as they appear. Moreover, most of them do not manage to regenerate themselves.

Why? The reason is simple. They did not think that photography is a difficult and time-consuming creative activity. It is not a “one and done deal”. You must continue to invest time into your personal growth in the art of photography.

You should always keep in mind that it is necessary to define:

A photographic why.
A photographic artistry.
A photographic body of work.
A photographic portfolio.

These elements are essential to last over time.

I often use the expression "give it time". It is the only way to improve, to enrich yourself, to live new experiences that will enrich your photos.

This precious time that we always run after, will allow you to tell photographic stories that will make your photos unique. They will be different because they will look like you. And you are irreplaceable.

The advice I would like to give you is to avoid this trap which so many photographers fall into. They fail to think of the long-term effects of their continual investment of time into their art.

Think in years. Take the time to create.

Trap #8: Not Defining a Precise Goal

If you want to create interesting photos that will hold the attention of a circle of people who wish to follow you, you must, in addition to your photographic why, define a photographic goal.

This goal will be the basis of all the photo projects you will carry out.

For example, your photographic goal may be to photograph all the species of deer on the planet.

Another idea of a personal goal would be to photograph all the forests in black and white. Or you may wish to photograph all the crustaceans in the world's seas.

The number of photographic purposes one could have is unlimited. Only your imagination is your limit. Your photographic goal must correspond to what you feel deep down inside. It will define your work.

If you do not define a precise goal, you will get lost in the meanders of photography.

You will navigate from one project to another without having a precise direction. You will have difficulty concentrating and attracting the attention of an audience.

I am not referring to a specific field here. It is common to have many interests in the field of photography. However, I want to emphasize that when you begin a project, you should continue in one direction until you are satisfied. Do not lose sight of your destination.

Defining a specific photographic goal will allow you to define objectives that will mark out the path you take.

Trap #9: Not Processing Your Photos

Today, the technological capabilities of cameras mean that virtually everyone can achieve sharp and high-quality photos.

The technical level of photographers has reached such a high level since the advent of digital technology that the competition has become extraordinarily strong. Thousands of photographers are able to make beautiful pictures because they are skilled and erudite in many photographic themes.

You are going to ask me how to stand out from the rest. On the one hand you have to develop an extraordinarily strong photographic why and photographic approach. But that is not enough.

You need to master photographic development or processing. It is an essential condition.

During my photography workshops, I often repeat that the purpose of development is to strengthen the photographic process.

The development of your photos allows you to refine your photographic signature.

Yet few photographers take the time to develop their photos properly. They often content themselves with:

Cropping.
Improving sharpness.
Handling digital noise.
Adjusting the contrasts.
Saturating certain colors..

However, developing a photo is much more than these basic operations.

A good development should lead you to create photos that look like you.

If you are just creating photos that look like the work of other artists, consider asking yourself whether you truly know what is unique about you.

The advice I can give you is to learn how to manage the development of your photos to avoid the trap of déjà vu in repetitive works.

Be demanding with yourself. Develop fewer photos but develop them well.

Trap # 10: Not Striving for Excellence

The last trap you need to avoid when create eye-catching photos is to be satisfied with the easiest one.

This trap consists in being satisfied with the bare minimum during the creation of your photos without elevating your gaze to true excellence.

I always say: "it is impossible to achieve excellence in photography, but it is possible to get close to it".

Why? Because the search for excellence will save you time. You must do everything possible to ensure that your photographic goals are as precise as possible.

Your field shots must be the best possible. Your development must be as accurate and sought after as possible.

To get closer to photographic excellence, you must always proceed by successive strokes. This is what I also call the repetitive process. The creative process is long. It is made of tests and approximations. That is why you must have experience and invest extensive practice.

You do not “fake” yourself into being a photographer: you become one.

My advice for avoiding this trap is to be careful when you create photos.

Be demanding with yourself. Do not settle for little. The more you strive for excellence, the more you will assert your photographic personality. The stronger your photographic identity will be.

Finally

I hope that this article has helped you to know and understand the 10 main pitfalls to avoid when creating interesting and meaningful photos that resemble who you are.

Keep in mind that you must be demanding when defining: