Deers are the symbol of Nara, and you can find them everywhere. They live in the wild, but they’re quite sociable, although the signs around the town say “beware of bites and kicks”.
Nara is the old capital of Japan. Besides its glorious past, it remains a small town, still on a human scale. The center of the town is lively and full of places where you can hang out with friends, but where Nara shines is in the park surrounding the temples.
I’ve been there alone, and during my walk I had the same peaceful and “ascetic” feelings I had at the Meiji Jingu in Tokyo. Add to the beauty of the park the presence of those cute deers, and you can picture the mood of that place.
It’s that atmosphere I wanted to transmit through this image. I conceived a moody image, with soft contrasts and a beautiful light, trying to show how I felt there. A bucolic image that yet hides some mystery in it.
When you visit Nara, you can buy shika senbei from local vendors to feed the semi-wild deers. They will gladly come close to you. This image was taken using a 50mm prime lens, so you can imagine how close I was to the animal.
