“Animals are challenging subjects. They move, they don’t listen and they might not even let you get close enough for a good shot. Great animal pictures require patience, a lot of practice, and often the right gear. This month, we will start to practice. Don’t worry too much about the gear yet, we will also focus on approaches to get by without that super fancy and super expensive photo equipment.”
That is the challenge from blogger Perelincolors in her post Tech of the Month, which is also a monthly feature at this blog’s Photo Rehab.
“The key challenges in animal photography are distance and speed.”
Well, she is absolutely right. I took my Olympus E-M10 and a 60 mm lens (120mm equivalent) to make my photos. Here are the results.
The first one is an experiment. I made several attempts to catch some seagulls flying low along the canal where I live in Amsterdam. Many shots went wrong and this was the only one I could rescue.
The second shot is from a couple of Great Crested Grebes, who are my neighbors in the canal where I live. I find them beautiful water birds. They were performing a sort of ‘ritual dance’, moving sideways in synchronicity. I shot them several times, and made a short video, and chose this one to share with you.
Here I introduce you to their offspring swimming with their mother. This shot was a bit more difficult to get without compromising sharpness. I had made better ones but I did like this composition with the little one getting a lift from mummy. The featured image is also my preferred of them.
The adults have head and neck decorations. The young ones have striped black and white heads. They lose these markings when they become adults.
This shot goes especially to Gidget and Teddy. Maybe a new friend in Amsterdam? This French bulldog was in front of shop I had just visited. He was in between sleep, mediation or yoga 😉 …turning his head from side to side and not cooperating with me. That is what I got.
This other dog (maybe a terrier?) was just next to the Frenchie, but looking very sad. I can understand one can feel like that when inside a cage.
And finally, I met this dog while walking at the park. From distance I saw that he was playing with his owner and another dog but the moment I got close to them they stopped. So, not much action to shoot here but I found him gorgeous. You may have noticed that I am not a dog’s connoisseur. I think it is German Shepherd. Do you know it?
I hope you enjoyed the seagull, the Grebes, and the dogs. They are all very cute, aren’t they?
Thanks Ms. Colors for this challenge. I greatly enjoyed learning more and practicing the shutter speed.
Sights & Insights 
I want to give that French bulldog a great big hug. What a face! ❤
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He’s adorable. 💗
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Great pictures
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Thanks, Betty Louise. Good to see you here. Thanks for visiting.
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I am far behind in my blogs and reading. My health has not been as well so I am not fast. Will be adding some book reviews later today.
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I’m sorry to hear that. I wish you a smooth recovery.
And don’t worry about being behind in reading or writing. We are always here for you. There is no such thing as being behind. You blog when you can. ❤️
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Thanks
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Very successful all of them, and they are my favourite subjects to shoot. Graceful flight of a seagull, cute mugs, and colourful ducks.
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Thanks Paula. I love shooting the ones living in my canal. Swans and ducks are easier than the birds though. The seagulls are my favorite but I have to learn more to shot them better.
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Oooh lala what a gorgeous Frenchie of course the other shots are amazing but what a cutie pie and looks like a bitch by the long lashes and erm pink lead hehe.
I always get bums when I try to shoots animals x
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You know it all! I was wondering if it was a he or a she. lol
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hah i think the pink might give it away x
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Great shots, all of them. That seagull is looking right at you. And yes that Frenchie is adorable. Well done mastering this tech x.
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But the question is: has Gidget like him or her too? Lol
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She’s reserving judgement til they meet. She did raise her eyebrows, which is a good sign LoL…
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She is character this lady GG! Lol
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Great shots, Lucile. But the dogs…my heart sings! Poor baby in the kennel.
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Thanks Lois! I knew you would like it.
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Wonderful series!
Thanks for the rules to follow ,hope to improve my focus on animals, from now on!
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Thanks Anna. Did you check Petelincolors post? She gives a good explanation.
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I’ll do it as soon as possible! Thanks so much
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Awww, these are great shots! The little duck on it’s parent is adorable. Thank you, for sharing, Lucile. Have a fabulous day! 🙂
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Thanks Barbara. I very much appreciate your visits and comments.
PS. They aren’t duck, actually, but water birds called great crested grebes.
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It had been a long time since I ve seen those animals 🙂 The Frenchie’s looks says it all: “come on lady, give me a break”. Love it, can only be Frenchy to look so bored but still classy 😉
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LOL. Yes, the frenchie was fed up with me but never lost his temper nor class! A true frenchie! 😉
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Probably half Brit though. A real Parisian would have lost his temper ;)) X
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These are amazing. I love the movement and colors of the water.
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Thanks! I loved it too.
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I love animals. I think these shots are brilliant. I feel so sorry for the terrier. I want to give it a hug!
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Oh then you really felt for the terrier. He was so sad looking at the frenchie just a few meters away from him!
Thanks!
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Uh, that French bulldog has character! And the ducklings are cute, I should go and check out if there are any on our river too. Here, they usually don’t have these pretty stripes though.
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Lots of character. A true frenchie.
PS. They aren’t ducks, actually, but water birds called great crested grebes.
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Well, then it’s not a surprise that our ducks don’t have stripes as pretty as they do!!
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I guess so!
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Wonderful shots…how’d you get that dog to sit still at 1/60th? And the bird is wonderful!!! I’m about ready to get back to blogging…
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Thanks! The dog was a nightmare to shoot as he moved too much. I guess I was lucky when I kept pressing the shutter regardless and played to get at least one shot right, when he would stay still. It worked.
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that’s funny. I thought the dog was easy, and just sat there, still. But no…it was persistence, not luck or easy.
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It’s a French dog, so he’s stubborn. As I have worked many years for a French CEO, I learnt to be persistent!
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HA! might have known!
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Welcome back to blogging! Great to see you here again!
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Yup, I guess. I just cancelled my ticket to Amsterdam and USA. Don’t know where I’ll go, if anywhere for summer. Maybe just sit and do a Lucile.
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😭😭😭😭😭😭😭
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I know, now I’m having second thoughts
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I know this is an animal post, and I do love those dogs, but what really jumped out at me was the water! The birds look great, but all of those shots capture the rippling water so well.
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