Poser

Location: Richmond Park, UK

The rutting season has just begun for the deer in London’s royal parks. I made an early start to the day to try and capture some of the action.

I felt quite intimidated as I approached a herd of about 20 fully antlered deer, ensuring I stayed behind a tree at a safe distance. I came to learn that actually, I probably wasn’t going to see much ‘locking of horns’ this early in the morning as the beasts began to stir.

I grew confidence and ended up within about 15 metres of the animals (probably not best advised when they are hormone fuelled and rutting). One large male stood, stuck out its chest and seemingly posed in a more professional manner than any paid model! I captured some shots that I am really pleased with and hope to return to Richmond Park within the next few weeks, when Autumn is in full swing and the deer are being more aggressive and competitive!