Be-Bop-A-Lula, a photo from Haute-Normandie, North

Photographer's Note

Sheepdogs trials are becoming very popular in France. It's a good occasion for shepherds and amateurs to compete and show how precisely they manage their dogs to conduct sheep as some do daily on their farms. The Border Collie, originated from Scotland is a very intuitive and sharp dog. He is the most used by breeders all over the world, as working dog with sheep and cows. I took this picture during a training course with my border on a flock of 17 dutch "Texel" last week. Instant pictures of this fast dog gathering sheep can be close to some sort of dance.

sulucas, avigur_11 has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

dovi (1068) 2003-06-01 2:23

Illike this image as it captures a very dynamic action, the legs are drawing nice lines and the dog experssion is great.
I wonder what are they both looking at?

sita4ram (814) 2003-06-01 7:34

Im curious if the sheep is really scared or just cooperates with the dog out of obedience, but I guess you dont know, do you?
I really like the shot. it seemed at first as if they are in a soccer game :) (like the naked fans that run into the field and cops chase them out)

AdrianW (2274) 2003-06-01 10:41

Nice action shot! I think you could do a little work on the contrast/levels though - the shadows imply strong(ish) sunlight, but the image seems a little muted compared to my expectations at least. I might also be tempted to sharpen it a little ;-)

richtersl (3546) 2003-06-01 12:42

Great action shot of a Border Collie doing what he/she does best. You caught this one doing a fine job of getting that sheep away from the fence.

I also own one and getting any action shot of one of these dogs is hard because they're just so fast!

twallclimber (18) 2003-10-23 13:55

a great shot ! i love watching border collie herding sheeps at north american herding tournament near my home. i have my own border. she is my adorable sweetheart... :P

touristdidi (8583) 2003-11-30 9:49

How smart are sheep? I have seen cows sneak up on people selling something they want to steal, in India........ they slink (in a cow way, if you can imagine)like cats (unfortunetaly for them, they are not as close to the ground as cats)............ so sheep probably are smarter than we think..... but?

sulucas (229) 2004-03-21 2:39

This is a woderful shot! You must have a very fast shutterfinger to have caught this one.
What I find very amusing, is that it looks as if the sheep is chasing the dog. *G*

bebel (7588) 2004-06-13 16:57

Belle prise dans l'action, on s'attend � voir la balle arriver. Dans un premier on regrette la pr閟ence du grillage, dans un second on pense � un filet. Le faut il ou pas ? SInon, rien � redire !

francis (697) 2004-07-10 17:05