This weekend I had to travel to New Jersey from my now home state of Virginia. Just leaving my area was a task between the 2 hour wait to get my oil changed and picking up my second (in a week) replacement cell phone. However, my delays gave me an opportunity to do something that I’ve wanted to do for a while, get a decent night photograph.

I finally got on the road around 8pm and started my trek up I95. My favorite bridge, purely for the way the highway winds through the mountain toward the arrow straight crossing, is the Millard E. Tydings Memorial Bridge, however I hadn’t picked out the place I wanted to photograph it from yet… So I went with the Delaware Memorial Bridge which I’ve looked at on more than one occasion but never photographed. My phone died on the way there but I managed to find my spot without incident until…

I set up my camera and got comfy. I took a couple of shots to get my settings right. I changed my angle a litte… and then I started hearing things. Like things that go bump in the night but different. I looked over toward the water where a small grove of trees were and then I realized what the sounds were… There were about 25 – 30 dear which were probably playing with each other but to me there were there to claim their territory… and I was trespassing. I grabbed my  tripod, camera still attached, and hightailed it back to my car. I slammed my trunk closed, jumped in the drivers seat and flung the camera tripod contraption in the passenger seat. Thinking I still wasn’t safe, I rolled up my windows and started a slow drive away from the site.

I’m a city boy, and though there were dear in my city, I still haven’t learned to trust them on any level. Especially when they throw themselves at moving vehicles. When I finally got away, I stopped to look at my camera and see what I had, even though I already determined I was going back that night. I found this shot… and I’m cool with it.

Considering it was the only shot I got after I adjusted my angle, I’m rather pleased with it.