On Friday, I went to Leesylvania State Park near our home in Virginia. I posted an article about it on Friday afternoon from my iPhone with a couple of the images taken with my iPhone. It’s amazing what one can do with an iPhone.
Well today, the day after, I processed the images that I took with my Nikon D700 and D300. If you read yesterday’s article, you know that it was a beautiful sunrise and well worth getting up very early. That was validated today, as I reviewed and processed the images I shot with the Nikons. Below are a few of the sunrise images.
Besides the beautiful sunrise, while moving from one end of the park to another, I saw a doe and her twin fawns. The doe was eating grass just beyond the tree line, and the twin fawns were laying down in the grass waiting and watching. At first, I did not see the fawns until they moved. It was the doe, and how she was being lit by the early morning sun, that caught my eye. I do not normally stop to photograph deer in the park, but the sun was illuminating the deer so well that I had to stop the car, dash around to the back and get my camera (D300 and 80-400mm lens), and begin photographing. She let me get closer and closer. Normally, the deer are very skittish and run back into the woods.
When I was within about 75 feet, one by one the two fawns got up and joined the doe. I stopped moving, but kept photographing.
And then, I could not believe how lucky I was, one fawn and then the other began nursing, while I watched and photographed them. When the doe had enough (not necessarily the fawns), she moved back into the woods with the two fawns following close behind.
Before the last fawn took off into the woods, it appeared to be taking care of an issue on its back.
Going to Leesylvania early yesterday turned out to be a fantastic morning: weather perfect and in the low 70s, spectacular colorful sunrise, and an unexpected photographic encounter with a doe and her fawns. What a way to start a long weekend. Great to be healthy and alive to see such sights and share them with you.
Stephen L Tabone Nature Photography 
STEPHEN, YOU HAVE OUTDONE YOURSELF WITH THE DOE AND HER TWINS–ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS PHOTOGRAPHY AND A JOY FOR ANIMAL LOVERS EVERYWHERE!
Maybe we’ll have to start calling you The Deer Whisperer. My experience at Leesylvania has been like yours in the past – about the time you get your camera set, they are back in the woods. Nice shots, I really enjoyed seeing them.
Great shots.
We loved the deer pix. How do we save these to our desktop, again?!?
Joe
It was indeed a special morning for you to have those deer allow you to photograph them! And nursing, what an intimate and private scene you have allowed us to partake in … thank you. Hopefully the remainder of the weekend will prove to be as wonderful!