The 4000m² Zoo de la Bourbansais at Pleugueneuc, is a must for all nature lovers, both adults and children, when visiting Upper Brittany. It is also a great place for amateur photographers to take some brilliant shots of animals that you don’t see every day, and those with a good zoom feature on their cameras can do animal portraits and close-up shots.

On arrival at the Park, you can follow a suggested itinerary. A range of different events are programmed throughout the day including giraffes’ tea-time (photos on show in my flickr album), pelicans, capuchins, squirrel monkeys, parrots, meerkats, a display by a pack of about fifty hunting dogs, storks in flight and a falconry show.

From a photographic point of view, compose your shot carefully, pointing in the same direction as the animal is looking, using a wide-angle lens to include its habitat (if possible without its ‘house’ in the background to give a more natural effect). Catch shots of animals in groups, the different aspects of their nature (playful, aggressive, friendly, etc.) and their day-to-day life.

If your camera has a black-and-white facility, this is great for highlighting the character and presence of an animal. For example, the different shades of colour on a lion’s coat can be captured more vividly in black-and-white, by emphasising the contrasting shades. Have a go – I’m sure you’ll be impressed with the result!

You can see photos I took last summer at the following site : http://www.flickr.com/search/?q=bourbansais&w=25782516%40N05

Other examples of my work are available at : http://www.flickr.com/apophisnico

Renard Nicolas