It’s late Summer in Wyoming and I was driving along Garden Creek Road in search of Mule Deer pictures. This is a short drive along the base of part of Casper Mountain. I make this excursion from time to time just for the purpose of taking pictures. My drive today did not give me the opportunity for deer pictures, but I did notice that some of the leaves were just slightly beginning to change. It’s not Fall yet, but there was definitely change in the air. The nights recently have been cool, even down to the low forties and maybe cooler depending on one’s location. The Willows and Cottonwoods are still mostly green but that touch of gold has definitely caressed some of the vegetation.

“But wait!” I say to myself. “It’s still Summer! Fall can’t come yet! I’m not ready! Fall will come soon enough. Let Summer hang on a little while longer.” The weatherman says Summer like weather will linger somewhat more. That’s fine with me. That warm Summer sun still feels great and right now, isnot too hot. Today’s drive did bring back memories, and I did reminiscence of earlier times of Summer when I did make that Garden Creek drive and capture deer pictures.

In July I had the privilege of finding a young Mule Deer doe standing in a bed of wild sunflowers. She stood there just staring at me and and munching her lunch. The wildflowers with their golden buttons inside bright yellow petals helped to frame and enhance the photo. They gave the picture color and brightness. They helped to make the picture a better one. The sky was much like today, crystal clear, blue, with bright sunshine. A typical Casper, Wyoming, day in late Summer. The doe was right along the road patiently grazing the soft, green grass which was almost as tall as she was. As I stopped along the road and rolled the car window down, she curiously looked up at me as she chewed. Pieces of grass stuck out of her mouth and moved with each munch.

I quickly pulled up my camera and shot the picture. I enjoy my auto focus and auto exposure settings on my Pentax K20 digital camera, especially when I need a quick picture. With deer sometimes quick is all the photographer gets. I’ve to often been in similar positions while hand adjusting my older cameras and the deer would run off before I could focus and take a light reading. This time after the first quick shots using the auto functions, I was able to switch my camera to the manual setting, focus, and compose because this lady wasn’t about to leave her garden feast of food. I wanted her eyes and nose to be in focus. Therefore, manual focus worked better for me even though auto focus was quicker. Sometimes with auto focus the lens can be fooled by something that is more predominate than what I had in mind and didn’t notice. By using auto focus first, just to get a picture, and then manual focus to get a finer focus, I was able to come up with the picture I wanted. I eventually drove away as she meandered on into the nearby hills after showing off for me and my camera.

Fall, come when you are ready. I’ll have my camera out and attempt to capture your colorful beauty. But while Summer remains, I’ll entertain myself with some late Summer excursions and soak in the warm sunshine under brilliant, steel blue skies and continue to hunt pictures with my Pentax.

Check out my photographs at http://SamSherman.imagekind.com/

Mule Deer Doe along Garden Creek Road