This post is all about keeping your eyes open when out hiking or photographing. You never know what you might see, what might be hiding just out of view, or perhaps just in view if you’ve trained yourself to see.

Several years ago I was hiking through a local park, mostly photographing birds. But I try to keep my eyes peeled for any movement, pattern, or interesting shapes. And in this case it helped me find a young white-tailed deer hiding in the brush just off the trail.

Honestly, I don’t know that the deer was actually trying to hide, especially given how close it was to the trail. But it was frozen when I walked by. I noticed it because of those big white ears. They really stood out. So I put down the tripod and started photographing.

These aren’t great shots, but I’m happy I made them. They bring back great memories of being very close to wildlife, something I always enjoy. And they’re a reminder to keep our eyes open when hiking, to continue training our eyes, looking for those patterns that might help us find other animals in the future.