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Neither snow, nor rain,
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Neither snow, nor rain,

by Lucy VanSwearingen

Gallery: Weekly ChallengePosted August 18, 2017107 views6 comments
"Neither snow, nor rain, nor heat, nor gloom of night, stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds." - Herodotus, 503 B.C.

This adult barn swallow has the same creed as the mail.   Babies must be fed in all weather!
It was pouring outside, and you can see the adult's wings are soaked through with small drops on top,

I love these babies being born on my front porch every year.  And, this year, I made an effort to document them every few days.
Hope you like the white vignette.  I wanted to really highlight the family portrait!

Comments

6 comments
Comment posted by Wayne Jones on August 18, 2017 at 11:06 PM
Must be hard to find flying insects in the rain, too! 

Who doesn't love shots like this, with all the little ones lined up and fighting for attention.  The vignette works well to osolate the birds and give it an artful touch.
Registered on April 18, 2007, 953 Posts, 6435 Comments
Comment posted by Allen Brooks on August 19, 2017 at 12:38 AM
Great shot and the high key aspect works well and gives the shot an illustrative look.
Registered on July 27, 2011, 262 Posts, 2597 Comments
Comment posted by Mark Seaver on August 19, 2017 at 8:53 AM
Lucy, the vignette works very well, especially at showing off the wide open mouths of the babies.  The warm color also adds to the attractiveness.  How fun to watch the whole process.
Registered on January 23, 2011, 1103 Posts, 17270 Comments
Comment posted by Jim Zablotny on August 19, 2017 at 9:13 AM
Hi Lucy,

I like the vignette which provides a nice framing for the subjects.  Well done.........................Jim
Registered on January 17, 2004, 705 Posts, 3594 Comments
Comment posted by Lucy VanSwearingen on August 19, 2017 at 4:26 PM
Here's a matching one....but the babies were oof.  Does it look ok to pair with the posted one?  Or is it a lost cause?  I sharpened it all I could manage w/o giving it too much noise.  I love it, because you can see the ant in the parent's mouth.

I would need to add the white vignette to make the pair a matched set....
Registered on May 23, 2009, 800 Posts, 2042 Comments
Comment posted by Charles Bell on August 21, 2017 at 3:45 PM
This is a lovely image.  I like the angle and the way the vignetting works.
Registered on February 21, 2016, 187 Posts, 192 Comments