Mute Swan Portrait

Gallery: AvianPosted July 8, 201146 views9 comments

This Mute Swan was one of many feeding near the shore of Lake Ontario early yesterday morning. They were certainly not mute: apparently their name originated from them being less vocal than other species of swan…but they were soooo graceful.

All comments most welcome.

1D Mark IV, 400 mm f/5.6, 1.4x TC, hand held: ISO 500, 1/1250 s, f/13, 0 EV (manual), 9.8 MP (61% of 16 MP full frame), NR, exposure adjustment, sharpening.

Comments

9 comments

Comment posted by Philip Hodgkins on July 8, 2011 at 11:06 AM

Good profile. well handled whites. The drool is authentic, I'm sure!

These guys may not be particularly noisy, but they are a large, mean, aggressive bird. They frequently attack smaller species (Canada Geese, for example), and have been known to go after people on jet skis!

Registered on July 24, 2006, 2741 Posts, 12349 Comments

Comment posted by May Haga on July 8, 2011 at 4:38 PM

Very nice portrait Steve. Love the drop. In my opinion it would be even better if you were down a bit lower.
May

Registered on February 22, 2007, 714 Posts, 8470 Comments

Comment posted by Howard Cheek on July 8, 2011 at 6:04 PM

Excellent exposure of the whites with very nice plumage details Steve.
Great colors and watery BG, like that drip timing too

Well done!

Registered on July 24, 2008, 1201 Posts, 10758 Comments

Comment posted by Cheryl Molennor on July 8, 2011 at 7:01 PM

Perfect timing for the droplet. I like the water on the body too.

Registered on June 30, 2009, 300 Posts, 5051 Comments

Comment posted by Brian Gatlin on July 8, 2011 at 11:23 PM

nice light and great water drops (on plumage and drips), Steve. not sure about the comp, my eye wants more on the bottom and less in front?

Registered on March 21, 2009, 202 Posts, 4187 Comments

Comment posted by David Sparks on July 8, 2011 at 11:32 PM

Excellent exposure and I like the droplets on the bird. A lower perspective would probably be nicer, but this one works.

Registered on May 26, 2007, 290 Posts, 4270 Comments

Comment posted by Ron Dudley on July 9, 2011 at 8:14 AM

Steve, really like the direction of light on the swan and the water coming off the bill. Nice exposure also. I agree with other comments that a lower perspective might have made the image even stronger

Registered on March 30, 2007, 437 Posts, 10915 Comments

Comment posted by Steve Balke on July 9, 2011 at 9:31 AM

Thank you everyone: it is so much fun to read your comments. Regarding the bird temperament: this bevy seemed peaceful with the exception of one short burst of conflict between two of the swans (which I captured in unfortunately slightly fuzzy shots). Mallards and gulls were not being attacked. There were no Canada Geese around. Several of you mentioned the desirability of a lower viewing angle: I agree but it was not possible in this case; I was standing behind a low wall and sharp drop to the lake. Regarding the water droplet "drool": it's a nice example of "Rayleigh Break-Up". There was a time when I was very concerned about calculating drop size from such break-up in spray drying equipment. Details and a little video on this phenomenon can be found at:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plateau–Rayleigh_instability
Regarding the comp: I tried several different crops but this one seemed the best considering the constraints of the original.
Thank you all again: much appreciated!

Registered on June 18, 2009, 229 Posts, 2915 Comments

Comment posted by Dennis Plank on July 9, 2011 at 11:33 PM

Lovely portrait, Steve. I like the drop falling off the beak.

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