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Trumpeter Swan
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Trumpeter Swan

by Ron Dudley

Gallery: AvianPosted September 28, 2010141 views8 comments
From our latest trip to Red Rock Lakes NWR. What a spectacular sight to see these magnificent birds flying and swimming against the backdrop of the remote Centennial Valley and mountains of SW Montana. Their whites make them difficult to photograph however - not a lot of keepers I'm afraid.

Larger version provided

7D, 1/2500, f/8, ISO 320, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc, shot from tripod (I think) on 9/15/10, exposure adjustment in ACR, cropped to 50% of original image, sharpened bird, no further processing or adjustments, natural light

Comments/critique appreciated

Comments

8 comments
Comment posted by Rohn B. McKee on September 28, 2010 at 8:41 PM
Ron,
I have 2,000 shots of Trumpeter Swans. Boy is it hard to capture good whites. the whites and the sharpness on this bird are perfect. We will have 1,000+ swans in the Teton valley in a few months.
Registered on November 18, 2008, 109 Posts, 415 Comments
Comment posted by Tom Webster on September 28, 2010 at 10:35 PM
Hi ya', Ron...What a pleasant image. The swam is placed nicely in the frame with interesting angles on the wings. The whites are properly exposed. I like the fact that the mountains in the background are still somewhat recognizable as mountains. Well done, Ron. :smile:
Registered on November 1, 2003, 73 Posts, 644 Comments
Comment posted by Gary Gulash on September 28, 2010 at 11:43 PM
You were able to isolate him from the background hills very nicely. Love the rising trajectory he is on. This is a keeper all right, nice and sharp and a catchlight even! :toast:
Registered on January 28, 2005, 879 Posts, 12098 Comments
Comment posted by Ron Bielefeld on September 29, 2010 at 8:25 AM
The comp makes this one for me Ron. Love the angled flight and the BG. Exposure looks great to me. The only thing I see that would improve this image is a tad more light on the bill to give it more detail. Very small nit on a nice image. Hey, I have to find a nit on one of your images every once in a while.
Registered on December 6, 2008, 360 Posts, 7132 Comments
Comment posted by Nick Saunders on September 29, 2010 at 10:15 AM
Nice atmospheric flight shot Ron. I'm yet to see this species.
Registered on February 6, 2008, 321 Posts, 3035 Comments
Comment posted by Angela McCain on September 29, 2010 at 10:37 PM
Great image of the bird itself. Whites and details are excellent. The break in the background occurring at the wing line is unfortunate and a bit distracting.
Registered on April 19, 2009, 367 Posts, 3589 Comments
Comment posted by Jim Hackley on October 1, 2010 at 2:28 AM
I like the angle and the fact the bird is still behind the mt to make it stand out more. Good job on handling the whites, I can see that these would be difficult bird to photograph but you did it, way to go.
Registered on September 17, 2009, 302 Posts, 5535 Comments
Comment posted by Mia McPherson on October 2, 2010 at 2:12 PM
Ron,

This is a wonderful flight shot of this swan, I especially like the mountains in the background, the lift of the wings and the eye contact is great. I know personally it isn't easy to get a catchlight when these swans are flying. Very nice work on the exposure and the comp
Registered on June 25, 2007, 491 Posts, 12566 Comments