My preferred pictures of 2006

[Photos]

2006 should be a good year for bird pictures. I have got my new tele lens in March.
Finally I have first tried it with dragonflies and butterflies.
A 300mm focal length is a little short for birds and you need time and tricks to get close and take the picture.

Great Crested Grebe (Podiceps cristatus(Linnaeus, 1758)) - Yvelines, France - April 27th 2006

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Canon EOS 300D, EF300mm f/4 L IS USM lens.
F/7.1, 1/200 s, 400 ASA. Focus distance: about 8m.
Great Crested Grebe's nesting time is a good period for photography.
Due to the lack of hidden areas and to the high number of Grebes, some couples had to build their nest in an open area.
Post-processing: Image cropping.

Black-veined Moth (Siona lineata(Scopoli, 1763)) - Yvelines, France - June 5th 2006

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Canon EOS 300D, EF300mm f/4 L IS USM lens.
F/9, 1/200 s, 400 ASA. Focus distance: about 1.7m.
The Black-veined Moth never flies far away. You just need to follow it to the next grass blade which will be used for landing.
Post-processing: Image cropping. (I am using the central focus point, the I perform image cropping on the computer so that the main subject is not centred).

Black-tailed Skimmer (Orthetrum cancellatum(Linnaeus, 1758)) - Yvelines, France - June 18th 2006

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Canon EOS 300D, EF300mm f/4 L IS USM lens.
F/13, 1/200 s, 400 ASA. Focus distance: about 1.5m.
The 300mm lens with image stabilization is particularly suited for dragonflies photography.
Post-processing: Image cropping.

Wall Brown (Lasiommata megera(Linnaeus, 1767)) - Yvelines, France - July 29th 2006

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Canon EOS 300D, EF300mm f/4 L IS USM lens.
F/13, 1/200 s, 400 ASA. Focus distance: about 1,5m.
One single lavender plant in a garden is enough to observe many butterflies.
Post-processing: Image cropping.

Little Egret (Egretta garzetta(Linnaeus, 1766)) - Charente-Maritime, France - August 11th 2006

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Canon EOS 300D, EF300mm f/4 L IS USM lens.
F/5.6, 1/500 s, 100 ASA. Focus distance: about 8m.
You can observe many Little Egrets in the oyster beds and the salt pans on the 'île d'Oléron.
Post-processing: Image cropping.

Alpine Ibex (Capra ibex(Linnaeus, 1758)) - Savoie, France - August 23rd 2006

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Canon EOS 300D, EF300mm f/4 L IS USM lens.
F/11, 1/320 s, 400 ASA. Focus distance: about 8m.
Alpine Ibexes are not shy and you can easily get very close.
Post-processing: Image cropping.

Rougegorge familier (Erithacus rubecula(Linnaeus, 1758)) - Yvelines, France - November 30th 2006

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Canon EOS 300D, EF300mm f/4 L IS USM lens.
F/4, 1/200 s, 400 ASA. Focus distance: about 3m.
Landing on bramble can cause some pain to your toes.
Post-processing: Image cropping.