Submitter's name:	Mike Mitchell
Title:	Newborn Fawn
Gear used:	E-20 and FL-40 Flash
Diaphragm:	f4
Shutter speed:	1/125
Film used:	None
Subject information:	First week of June, driving along a country road looking for some dry firewood for our campfire when I spot a deer lying down about 50 yards off the road in the woods. Thinking it may have been hit by a car, I turned around to investigate and upon approaching the deer, I realized it was in the middle of giving birth. I sat down about 25 yards away and watched as the doe cleaned up the fawn, checked me out and went off to drop the second fawn. I walked up to my truck and got my camera and returned to take some photos. Walking back, I had to actually look for the fawn because it blended in so well with the forest floor. It was late in the afternoon and I was forced to use the flash to keep my shutter speeds above 1/15 second. I returned the next afternoon and found the little critter about 75 yards from where it was born and took some photos of it curled up in a nesting position. I took over 100 photos of it in the two sessions and besides breathing, it never moved a muscle. The spotted pattern on the little fawn and it's brown color made it nearly invisible on the forest floor. Nature at work.
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Comment left by: Olaf Greve (no e-mail specified)

Lovely! This is a very touching scene and you captured it very nicely. Rarely does one come across such a good picture taking opportunity and you made very good use of it. I'm very glad you got this shot in the TOPE time frame!

Comment left by: Wayne Harridge (no e-mail specified)

Certainly is well camouflaged, I thought it was just a shot of the ground in the thumbnail.

Comment left by: Steve Goss (no e-mail specified)

Totally camouflaged, except for the head. I don't know if it's he flash, but the plants seem to just pop out of the picture.

Comment left by: Donald MacDonald (donald.macdonald@care4free.net)

Wonderful opportunity, Mike, and you've done it justice. Just a beautiful image.

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