Behind the Image: NAU Guest Blogger – Kendra Horsfield

Photo copyright Kendra Horsfield

People often forget what nature truly looks like. Few areas still exist where animals are free to roam as they please without human interruption. Zion National Park is a serene habitation where humans can wander freely among wild animals without disrupting their environment. As a huge advocate for animal rights, I chose this picture to spread awareness of how animals should be left unbothered in their natural habitats. The absolute tranquility and beauty that Zion National Park embodies, was an inspiration in itself to capture images that would further share its stunning ambiance.

The deer at Zion National Park are fairly comfortable with the presence of humans; therefore finding a deer feeding was not a difficult feat. However, getting close enough to the deer to have a very focused and sharp shot proved to be rather troublesome.  It took me a while to get as close as I could to the deer without scaring her off and ruining the picture. Once I did get close enough, there were only a couple of moments to take a good picture with the perfect frame of the deer eating up close and deer wandering in the background.

I took my camera everywhere with me on this camping trip, and while it was a hassle to carry while hiking extremely difficult paths; the pictures were all worth it. I witnessed the stunning scenery in every single part of the park, yet it still did not draw my attention in as much as the animals did. My entire life I have obsessed over wild animals, so you can only imagine the child-like excitement I possessed when I was around a ton of wild animals. The entire trip I envisioned a picture of a deer eating in the foreground with several other deer in the background, and it took me about 350 pictures and 4 days of trying before I finally captured the right moment.

In order to capture this image I had my camera set at an ISO of 800, a shutter speed at 1/80 and an f-stop of 4.8. I chose to set my aperture at a wide setting of 4.8 because I wanted the background of the image to be blurry, in order to set more focus on the subject. This shallow depth of field definitely draws more attention to the main deer and creates a more appealing picture. It was a very dark and gloomy day when I took this picture, so to keep an even exposure I bumped up the ISO to 800.

About the Photographer:

I am a Business Marketing and Photography Major at Northern Arizona University. I was raised in Southern California in a multi-cultured home. My interest for photography began in high school where I was under the instruction of an amazing teacher and photographer.

I am passionate about the outdoors and adventure, and I am known for making my own trails to explore new areas. My curiosity for the unknown and interest in rare and unique occasions, drives my yearn to be a photographer.

My friends often times ask me why I spend so much time trying to capture an image instead of just enjoying it in the moment, and my answer is simply because I love the moment so much I want to make it immortal. I hope that one day I can be a freelance photographer capturing special moments all over the world.

To read more about the Northern Arizona University “Behind the Image: Guest Blogger” project on our blog, please read the introduction at youcansleepwhenyouredead.com/wordpress/4th-annual-northern-arizona-university-behind-the-image-guest-blogger-project.  Please take a minute to leave your thoughts and constructive comments in the Comment section below – Kendra would love to hear from you!