2.7.12

How to take photos of a little pond?



How to illustrate a pond in a park, a park which is only partly finished, when you pass a dull and cloudy weekday afternoon? This is one way.


We are in the Clichy-Batignolles - Martin Luther King Park, where the Paris Olympic Village would have been situated, if the 2012 Games hadn't gone to London. (I already posted about the park here.)

It took some time to decide about a replacement program - what to do with this previous rail shunt yard. Apartment and office buildings are now sprouting. Everything is supposed to be ecological; we can see that one almost ready building has a roof of solar cells.


At the extreme end of the park, a new Palace of Justice will be ready in 2017, designed by Renzo Piano (who also designed the Centre Pompidou, see previous post).


Part of what later, when the park is ready, will be a larger pond (not quite a lake) is ready. 

So, the other way to illustrate it is perhaps (?) to zoom and frame, trying to make it look more attractive.

So, some water lilies, some other flowers, some birds including what I suppose to be heron which obviously liked to be portrayed - I could get very close....
Does anybody know what the very little blue blade-eating insect is? (Thérèse gave the answer - a damselfly. Thanks!!)







17 comments:

Olivier said...

belles photos du Heron, j'adore cet oiseau, que j'ai du mal a attrape photographiquement

helen tilston said...

Hello Peter

Excellent pictures and I loved seeing
the Palace of Justice by Renzo Piano. How exciting to have the work of such a master architect - Bravo for Paris.

Helen xx

Starman said...

How many hours did it take you to get all those photos of various animals, insect, and fowl?

Thirtytwo degrees said...

Thanks for all the tips about closeups with zoom lens and wide lens...much appreciated. Enjoyed this exercise very much...am wondering about that modern building projected for 2017 across the pond..very tall building with three levels makes me worry a lot.

Thérèse said...

The pond looks as if it will be huge when it is fully completed!
A damselfly (un agrion) to answer your question...
Good idea for the green buildings being constructed.

claude said...

Les parcs sont les bienvenus en ville. C'est plus joli à regarder que des buildings. Il semble assez impressionnant le nouveau palais de justice, tout en verre on dirait.
Jolies tes photos de nénuphars, de fleur et celles du Héron. C'est curieux mais il manque une carpe amour dans notre pond à nous, je me demande si elle est morte auquel cas elle aurait remonter à la surface ou si Harry le héron est venu pour son casse croûte.

Adam said...

Very nice!

It's an interesting public space already, and as your photos show, still very quiet (at least during the week on a cloudy day!)

Cergie said...

Le petit étang est drôlement joli et le sera encore plus lorsqu'il sera bien établi. Il y a aussi un petit coin marécage avec des lysimaques à l'entrée qui est très réussi.
Ce parc se vante d'être écoresponsable avec pas de gaspillage de l'eau (d'où l'éolienne) par exemple et donc il y a beaucoup d'insectes (tu as déjà montré leur hôtel). Et puis on peut marcher et s'installer sur les pelouses. Avec un bébé c'est agréable.

arabesque said...

is this a bit suburb already?
everything's under construction, can't wait for the new palais de justice though.
the park looks tranquil also.

Studio at the Farm said...

Peter, these are wonderful photos. I love your intimate peek at the pond and its denizens.

Anonymous said...

How wonderful to see the area

where my sister´s new home will be.

What a great photographer you are!

¡Mil gracias!

Maria

Terry said...

I concur; the insect is a damselfly, in the suborder Zygoptera; they are close cousins to the dragonflies (suborder Epiprocta). They are beautiful! As are all your photos of the pond and its creatures. Thank you!

Owen said...

I think the best way to photograph a pond is to just jump right in !

Well, that is what a toad would do... :-)

Genie -- Paris and Beyond said...

Owen is full of humor! I think that you have been quite successful in photographing this pond. Your perspectives have made it seem much larger than it is, giving a sense of the wide open spaces rather than in the midst of construction.

Bises,
Genie

Cezar and Léia said...

I take all lovely flowers and birds, your beautiful nature shots!
The first composition is very well done,congratulations!
Léia

hpy said...

Ciao.

Virginia said...

I think the new park has great promise! At first it reminded me of a new urban park near the downtown area of Birmingham called Railroad Park and then I read that yours had similar origin.

I would say dragonfly, but damselfly is also correct. :)

V
PS I think you did a very nice job of making the park look its best! :)