Tundra Swans

Gallery: AvianPosted December 15, 2010214 views13 comments

Sacramento NWR, very overcast and windy
These guys are easily spooked - a large crop
D300s
500 mm + TC 1.4
1/160 sec, f/8
Mode: Av
Metering: Multi-segment
ISO: 500
AF mode: AF-C
White balance: AUTO
Flash: Off

Comments

13 comments

Comment posted by Christopher Dodds on December 15, 2010 at 6:20 AM

I bet this looks terrific as a print. Lovely group image, Sandy. You got separation between the birds which is the key for these images to work (for me, anyway). I wonder if the empty space above the birds wouldn't be best suited under them? - for composition.

Registered on October 14, 2010, 9 Posts, 46 Comments

Comment posted by Richard Ditch on December 15, 2010 at 8:13 AM

A very pleasing image. The soft colors and touch of blue in the sky give this a light soft feel. I love the quirky position of the third swan.

Registered on November 1, 2003, 1031 Posts, 12705 Comments

Comment posted by Richard Teller on December 15, 2010 at 10:06 AM

I like the comp. of this very much. In the large image the swans look fairly sharp even with the large crop.

Registered on August 23, 2010, 1162 Posts, 6692 Comments

Comment posted by Fabio Giarrizzo on December 15, 2010 at 10:30 AM

Great flight shot- Awesome colours and BG, and composition couldn't be better than this- well done, Fabio

Registered on December 3, 2010, 90 Posts, 1614 Comments

Comment posted by Ken Archer on December 15, 2010 at 5:27 PM

Sweet Flight Formation, I like the pastel look to the image. Very Nice Sandy!

Ken Archer

Registered on October 28, 2004, 222 Posts, 6683 Comments

Comment posted by Wayne Willison on December 15, 2010 at 5:32 PM

Sandy, this is delightful. Love that cloud work. Makes a nice canvas for these pretty birds.

Registered on April 10, 2009, 292 Posts, 3967 Comments

Comment posted by Doug Gilham on December 15, 2010 at 5:40 PM

Good seperation between birds, lovely BG and good deatil in the swans. Nicely done Sandy.

Registered on September 20, 2009, 77 Posts, 489 Comments

Comment posted by Michael Lotito on December 15, 2010 at 9:15 PM

Very nice composition and exposure. This would be great as a large print!

Registered on June 26, 2009, 181 Posts, 1558 Comments

Comment posted by KC Choo on December 15, 2010 at 10:41 PM

Wonderful to get these Swans, Sandy! Compositionally, my preference would be for the birds to be just a bit higher in the frame - no biggie though.

Registered on November 15, 2004, 519 Posts, 8278 Comments

Comment posted by Dennis Plank on December 15, 2010 at 10:46 PM

Excellent, Sandy. All four birds look sharp, and your exposure is perfect. I like the clouds in the bg. Sweet image.

Registered on January 28, 2008, 1767 Posts, 23192 Comments

Comment posted by Carol Hyman on December 16, 2010 at 1:03 AM

Sandy, I think they guys almost look like paper cutouts. Beautiful graphic design. I'm surprised at how sharp the birds are at 1/160s. Nice job.

carol

Registered on January 18, 2007, 597 Posts, 8062 Comments

Comment posted by Jim DeWitt on December 16, 2010 at 1:07 PM

Each spring I head down to farm;ands 100 miles SE of Fairbanks to photograph swans in migration. I know exactly how hard it is to approach these guys, and to get a group of birds all sharp. This is very well done, Sandy; a tip of my hat to you.

Registered on August 28, 2006, 1240 Posts, 8506 Comments

Comment posted by Mia McPherson on December 17, 2010 at 7:27 PM

Sandy, I love the moody feel to this image, the beautiful sky in the background and the interesting poses of the swans

Registered on June 25, 2007, 491 Posts, 12566 Comments