The alarm goes off at 5:30am and I head off to Richmond Park about 1 1/2hours away around the M25. I have never been there, but it has the reputation for being THE place to go for deer. I get a little lost on my way and the sun is already up when I arrive. Joy of joys the gates are open as I drive through. I had no idea that the park was this big. It is the biggest park in London at nearly 4 sq miles. There is a road network going through it and it took me a while to find somewhere to park, please note, I did park in a designated car park and not along the side of the road.

Although its only just 7:30am when I leave the car, there are already cyclists and dog walkers about. (I am sure if I lived closer that I would be here a lot.) I am here much later than I had planned to be, I had hoped to be here in the dark and catch some shots just as the sun rises but I do notice some misty bits remain and I go in search.

I pass a young stag with a couple of does just hanging by the road and after my recent deer encounters, I stay and photograph them before they run off, but they are remarkably calm with the cyclists and passing cars. The does seem much more cautious and watch me closely. I love how the crows perch nonchalantly on their backs.

I find a misty patch and in the long grass is sat a resting stag. Again, calm in my presence but I have two long lenses with me I do not have to get very close to get a decent photo. A little frustratingly he is sitting in the wrong part of this huge field as on the other side the sun is breaking through between the trees and looks amazing. I mean… he could have posed for me…. stood with the early sun behind him.

I come across a park within a park, which will need further investigation when I have more time, so for now I will restrict myself to photographing a cheeky squirrel which sits on a tree on the edge of the park. The path around this takes me to a wilder area within which are a couple of stags, one of which is clearly practicing his rutting skills on a handy branch.

After the last few weeks or struggling to find any deer, I cannot believe how many there are here and how relaxed they are. The stags clearly visible with their antlers standing out above the ferns and bushes. The does, normally in groups of about 2 or 3 hang around in clearings and lead the stags away when they get bored.

Again, I find some interesting little areas that would have been amazing with some deer in, but I am eager not to create a biscuit tin like over sweet picture. I remember my art teacher, Mr Cope, encouraging me to do something a little different and I have always tried to do that. However, the light today is amazing, with a warm golden touch to it, after the recent rains, it’s a really glorious autumn day. I am very aware that my time here is short, I have to rush back to open the gallery.

Richmond Park

White Park Bay

Deer Hunt….