Many photographers spend a lifetime searching for that one special shot, but not everyone is lucky enough to find exactly what they’ve been longing for. Some people, however, don’t have to look at all. A special moment just comes naturally to them and all they have to do is seize the opportunity. That’s the case here.
Photographer Mads Nordsveen from Oslo was hiking with friends in Norway when he spotted a fascinating creature: a reindeer calf wandering on thick snow. To be honest, it almost got lost in the white snow, but it’s still hard not to notice such a magnificent creature.
“I was in the mountains looking for beautiful scenery for a travel photo when out of nowhere I saw this lovely little creature,” recalls Nordsveen. “It came very close to me, and we looked each other straight in the eye.”
Despite its obvious disguise, the reindeer chick wasn’t shy of people. It had no intention of running away or attacking a stranger. Needless to say, the little boy won Nordsveen’s heart immediately with his outgoing and cheerful nature. He also didn’t bother to pose for the camera for a while.
“He was quite relaxed when he saw that I was calm and friendly,” said the 24-year-old photographer. “It was almost like he was posing for the camera. He was very curious and funny. Like a little explorer.”
However, the joyful encounter did not really last long. The calf’s mother appeared shortly afterwards and they quickly separated.
“After a few minutes, the baby reindeer’s mother came out of the trees, right behind us,” he said. “It ran around for a few more minutes before running back to its mother.
Anyway, Nordsveen would never forget this great encounter.
“It was very magical and a fairytale moment,” the man continued. “Perhaps we will meet again one day.”
White reindeer are extremely rare in the wild. Despite their perfectly white fur, it is not hard to tell that they are not albinos, as these charming creatures still have some dark pigmentation in their eyes and antlers. In fact, it is an unusual genetic mutation that removes the pigment from their fur and makes them colourless.