Takeoff from Magness

Discussion

4 replies

Posted by David Hatfield on January 21, 2007 at 4:55 PM

Caught these three as they lifted off from Magness lake last week. I love hearing and watching as these huge birds lift off from the water! It's hard to believe they can get up so quickly.

Nikon D2x, Sigma 120-300 w/2x converter, f8.0, 1/1000 sec, ISO 400.

These guys will only be around a few more weeks so I hope to get back out and enjoy them some more. Prayerfully we'll have some good, clear weather to take advantage of before they leave.

As always, C/C welcome.

Dave Hatfield

Posted by Bill Dark on January 21, 2007 at 9:59 PM

Nice work Dave! I really like how you were able to catch this shot while they were "in-step" with their wings, and perfectly spaced apart from each other. I might like to see the saturation bumped up just a touch to give the bg a little more pop. Thanks for the post!

Posted by David Hatfield on January 22, 2007 at 5:37 PM

Thanks, Bill! The saturation level is one of those adjustments that I struggle with -- too much, not enough, do I apply it to the entire image or just selected areas -- it's just terribly easy to go overboard with it and make the image look a bit "cheesy." I do think this one could probably handle a bit more and perhaps even "brightening" the grassy area in the background a bit. I'll play with it and let you know what I discover.

Thanks again and have a great day!
Dave H.

Posted by Wayne Rhodus on January 23, 2007 at 11:41 AM

Hi Dave, nice catch! I like that the swan's wings are in perfect unison and I also like how they intersect at right angles. There is just enough room for them to fly into and the splash adds another nice element. The observers in the b/g are a little unfortunate but what are you going to do.

Good capture, thanks for sharing!

Posted by David Hatfield on January 23, 2007 at 12:39 PM

Thanks, Wayne! As to the swans in the background, I also thought they might be a bit distracting so I experimented with cloning them out. What I decided was that actually I liked the shot better with them than without. They added an element of depth and interest that was lost when they were removed.

I was pleased to catch the wings at just this angle. They couldn't have been better positioned in my opinion even if I could have directed the swans just what to do. Ah, the benefits of 8fps on the D2x!

Thanks!
Dave H.

BTW > You've got a GREAT website! Some truly stunning images found there. While I'm a bit more into wildlife than landscape personally, it makes me want to pull out the wide angle and get out into the wide open spaces. Thanks for sharing!