Joining the August Break  22     

sharing a summer shot a day

6:39 pm

exploring point of view part 1     
letting your subject do the work     
an exercise in waiting


While i like shooting my subjects from different angles and perspectives, my disabilities have made it very hard and painful for me to sit or lie down, climb on top of fences and chairs or walk down slopes and rough terrain. So in order to still get enough interesting points of view i have had to adapt and be creative. 

Here are some shots i took of a heron standing on the border of the pond near my father's house. I noticed the sharp dark shadow on the light concrete and was fascinated by the contrast and its changing shape. While sitting in the sun on my dad's terrace i got out my camera, zoomed in and just waited patiently for the heron to change its position and posture (which can take a while with herons....), meanwhile sipping my coffee and chatting with my dad. The heron took its time to prance around and i took the time to take shots whenever i liked what i saw. Very comfortable way of shooting...!

coot stories
life among the reeds

It always starts with a nest... straws and branches are piled up among the reeds along the riverbanks and in the ditches, where the eggs are laid and then kept warm by the female, defended against intruders by the male.

And  then the brooding and waiting begin......

Sometimes the coots are chased away, leaving their eggs to be eaten by predators

If this happens, they often return, looking disoriented, confused about what happened

While the female is brooding, the male hunts for food and extra straws to fortify the nest.

And then the eggs crack and the baby coots start crawling around the nest

After a while it is time to explore the world beyond....!!!

A very scary and exciting experience....

Especially when you are rocked from side to side by those big waves....

Fortunately dad's around to offer food and protection

gull story   

enjoying the comforts of city life....

While visiting my dad in Den Haag i spotted this gull standing in the middle of the shallow pool around a huge office building. He was splashing around, flapping his wings, sprinkling himself with water, rubbing his feathers, diving, almost swooning with joy on this beautiful warm spring day.

I just grabbed my camera and shot away for minutes, trying to capture his exuberance and the beauty of his movements in and on the brightly glittering water of the pool

focusing on swans   

royal beauty floating by

With my Olympus tele zoom i can get very close to the swans without disturbing them

I am captivated by their impressive whiteness, their incredibly flexible necks and their dignified presence

spring is coming....

and so are the grebes

Today i saw the first grebe couple in the river, swimming and diving.

I grabbed my camera and followed, managing to capture them at the exact moment the male came up from a long dive to join the female...

duck stories          

Ducks are everywhere. Even the cities are full of them. Wherever there's water,you will find them. 

I love to capture ducks outside their natural habitat and make up stories about them.

"you sure this is where the pool party is?"

"yep, that's what the invitation said..."

"well, there's not a bird in sight, you must've got it wrong!" 

"(sigh...) why is it always my fault....!"

"never mind... wanna go grab a snack?"