Photographer finally captures 'perfect' red stag shot

Malcolm Heaven said it had taken him five years to photograph a red deer stag and Old John at eye level

An amateur wildlife photographer says he has finally captured the "perfect line-up" of a red stag alongside a famous landmark.

The large deer and Old John at Bradgate Park, in Newtown Linford, are often photographed together.

However, Malcolm Heaven said he had been on a "quest" for five years to capture both the Leicestershire icons at eye level.

He said over the past 20 years, he had learned to be "very patient and the more patient I am, the luckier I get".

Mr Heaven described Bradgate Park as a "hidden gem on my doorstep"

Mr Heaven said he had been interested in photography since he was a child, but regained his passion in 2004.

He says he is a frequent photographer at the national nature reserve, which he describes as a "hidden gem on my doorstep".

"I noticed in most photographs of Bradgate Park that they feature the red stag and Old John, but actually they're not really lined up and you see the deer underneath," he said.

"So I had this idea of capturing an image where, in effect, the deer were at eye level with Old John."

The photographer said he found a couple of locations where he could get "that moment" and came close two years ago "but it was a small deer and Old John was shrouded in scaffold at the time".

The Bradgate Park Trust has featured Mr Heaven's images on its Facebook page

Last week, he set off in the early hours to photograph deer at sunrise.

"I got the shots, and then decided to go to one of those locations," he said.

"Purely by luck, there was this massive red stag, but the problem was he was lying down, he was asleep, and he wasn't quite in the position."

Mr Heaven said to his amazement, another deer came along, and "up he got into position".

"It was the perfect line-up that I'd been looking for for the last five years," he said.

"The moment I got it home, I just knew that was the shot and it was straight out of the camera - no editing."

The Bradgate Park Trust has featured Mr Heaven's images on its Facebook page.

He said it was "nice to get recognition", but felt "relieved" as he could now "move on to something else".