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Animals in their Environment - Runner-up

Floris van Breugel Click to enlarge Deer in the grove of giants

Floris van Breugel (United States of America)

Deer in the grove of giants

Even when it's windy, you don't hear leaves rustling in California's Sequoia National Park. The giant sequoias are simply too tall. They are all trunk for 30 metres (98 feet) or more before there's any foliage at all and can reach a height of 80 metres (262 feet). This grove, flooded with late afternoon light, was as silent as a cathedral - and as magnificent. It was June, and the dogwoods were in full bloom. The sunshine streaming in created a theatrical sense of depth, but it was only when the mule deer wandered into the meadow that Floris was able to capture the scale of the natural architecture, placing them at the edge of the picture so that the viewer would encounter them as a surprise element of the magical scene

Canon EOS-5D + Canon EF 24-105mm f4L USM lens; 1/3 sec at f16; ISO 800; Feisol tripod + Markins M20 Ball Head.

This photograph is available to buy as a print.

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