MARQUETTE, Mich. (WJMN) – It was a snowy November day when Steve Lindberg and his dog Max took their daily stroll through the woods with a camera in hand. Although this day would truly be one he wouldn’t forget.
Lindberg is a former Michigan state representative and spends his retirement years taking pictures of wildlife and spending time in nature.
On Nov. 10, Lindberg was out in the woods of Marquette County when he came across a doe and a buck. He snapped a couple of photos and headed back home to post his ‘Picture of the Day’ on Facebook, something he’s been doing for nearly seven years now.
Steve popped his SD card into his computer and came across something quite peculiar. The buck in his photos had not one, not two, but three antlers.
He uploaded this picture of the buck to Facebook and the picture blew up on the internet. As of November 15th, the photo of the three-antlered deer has over three thousand shares.
He has now made international headlines including in Germany and Canada.
“I could have a picture of a Black Cap Chickadee every day of the week for 365 days a year. So when you get a picture of an otter, it’s not the first time I’ve gotten a picture of an otter but it doesn’t happen every day. That was kind of exciting. And then when you get a picture of a three-antlered deer…that’s one in a lifetime I guess.”
Lindberg says he’s a true Yooper. He grew up hunting, but about 10 years ago said he put down the gun and picked up the camera.
For Lindberg it wasn’t about killing animals anymore, he wanted to hunt them with a lens. He says it’s about spending time in nature. Lindberg is able to find peace during his outdoor time.
“That’s where it’s like hunting. It’s like you go out and you never know what you’re going to run into. Then you run into it, you see it, and it’s like now I need to get a photo of it.”
His goal has been to get out in nature for an hour or two every day and post at least one photo to Facebook. Lindberg says no photo can truly capture the experience of being outdoors. You don’t get the bite of cold, the feeling of wind, or the bird songs. He is able to marvel at the beauty of everything around him.
“I continued to do it and it got me out every day and where I am at most peace in nature. It made me see things a little differently perhaps. It made me look a little more carefully.”
Lindberg says his photos might normally get a couple of dozen likes on Facebook, if it hits 100 he says ‘hey, that’s pretty good.’ With the sudden success of his deer photos, Steve decided to sell his art at the 20th Annual Holiday Art Sale and display some of his prints, including the three-antlered deer.
The show is on Saturday, Nov. 16 at the Marquette Regional History Center (MRHC). The event will run from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Proceeds from the event will go to MRHC.
