Larry Treadwell
October 2026 - The Lookout
About the Image(s)
D850 Nikkor 200-400 f4 lens @400 ISO 400, 1/200, f7.1
It was dawn in Cades Cove and as one of the first 5 vehicles allowed into the Cove I didn’t have to worry about crowds. Coming around a bend I found a meadow with about 7-10 young males enjoying breakfast on the dew-soaked meadow grasses. When I arrived, the sun had not yet lit the scene as I got out of the car and slowly worked between some trees trying to isolate this single deer. I preferred a more minimal subject than the entire herd. As I started to compose the image this single buck raised his head and fixed his attention on something in the distance. At the same moment, the sun broke the horizon and lit this single deer with low angle golden light. Only a few second later the whole meadow was bathed in the golden light and the entire mood changed. For the record I purposely selected f7.1 so as to keep some detail in the distance trees. Had I shot with the lens wide open (f4) the background trees would have been featureless and just a total blur. This was a maker’s choice.
2 comments posted
I agree with Butch, this is a WOW image, and one that calms the soul! The first thing that strikes me is the soft warm light on the front of the buck and the quiet I feel when I look at the image in its entirety. The warm tones of the buck against the complementary green tones of the background work with the light to really bring out the subject. The soft brown velvet on the antlers gives us context for season and the size of the antlers in proportion to the body, along with the posture makes me think this is a young buck. I would consider a crop on the right to remove the two distractions (pole and white bark tree) as well as a small crop from the bottom. I might also darken the foreground grass a touch to enhance the beautiful light on the deer. Really beautiful image, Larry! Posted: 10/06/2026 01:48:40