Royal Velvet

Photograph by Szymon Bakota , National Geographic Your Shot

Victorious in autumn clashes with rivals, a fallow deer luxuriates in the fog of London s Richmond Park. This is a great time to simply wander around the park with a camera, writes Your Shot member Szymon Bakota . I found the ideal place in a small woodland, where bucks rub their foreheads and antlers against the bases and branches of trees. There were a couple of deer competing and clashing antlers. After one fight, the winner made this magnificent, royal pose. I got the camera as low to the ground as possible. My intention was to underexpose the photo a bit to capture an almost fairy-tale mood.

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