Photographer Captures Stunning Image Of Stag's Breath In Cold London Dawn

Londoners stepped outside to chilly air this morning. Autumn finally arrived in the capital. But for the deer roaming Bushy Park, the start of the day felt freezing cold. A stunning image emerged from the south-west London royal park that captured a stag's warm breath as it bellowed through crisp weather conditions.

Photographer Cristi Vasile got there before sunrise to snap the breathtaking shot. She waited in the dark while listening for the animals instead of trying to see them. 'At this time of the morning, it was still dark, so I couldn't really see the deer. Instead, I was listening for them,' she explained. The sound of stags bellowing helped her locate their position. Once she knew where they were, she thought about the light. She positioned herself before dawn and waited.

'The photograph might look like it happened by chance, but there was a lot of preparation behind those few seconds: getting into the park while it was still dark... working out where the sun would rise and putting myself in exactly the right position,' Vasile added. Then all she had to do was be ready. When that breath appeared in the morning light, she knew she had the shot.

In the cold air with low sunlight, the backlit stag's breath stood out against the sky when he bellowed. You can see warm breath leaving an animal's mouth when the air gets cold enough, but having the sun behind him makes it really stand out. This specific angle made the image possible. The timing was everything for this late-breaking visual update on London weather conditions affecting wildlife in the park.