Any day I can get outside is a good day. Even better if I have a chance to create some photographs. Today I managed to get outside three times.

First I got outside with our dog River. We went for a nice 3 mile hike on the trails that follow the Chemung River near West Elmira. We took a nice leisurely pace, as River decided that she needed to examine and sniff everything.

As usual I took my camera with me. My small Sony Alpha 6000 is perfect for such occasions. I didn’t know if I would actually end up taking photos but I try to always have a camera jus tin case. Fortunately, River’s frequent stops presented many opportunities for me to take photographs.

After my hike with River I went for a nice 5 mile run. I kept it simple and easy. A nice out and back route on our local roads in our neighborhood. I did not take any cameras out on my run so no photos from that jaunt.

The deer in our area have been really active in the later afternoon hours lately. I had photographed them earlier in the season before we had snow on the ground as they came out to graze the grass. I wanted to go see if they would still be out grazing even now that we had snow on the ground.

Previously I had been going to one of my favorite places, Tanglewood Nature Center. And when you have an established pattern of behavior it is always best to follow that trend if you are seeking to photograph the same animals. So, Back to Tanglewood I went.

The deer have been most active in the hour or so before sunset. And there were some deer out and about today as well. I was able to watch them for about an hour. They adapted to my presence and I was able to slowly move closer and closer to capture images.

The bonus of the deer being active near sunset meant once the sun was low in the sky, I could stop photographing the deer and photograph some landscapes. I switched cameras and moved to a location where I could watch the sun set. The sunset wasn’t particularly dramatic today but it is always nice to be outside as the day comes to a close.

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