Nature Photographers Network
This is the preserved archive of the original Nature Photographers Network. The community continues at naturephotographers.network.
Forums · PNWNP

Swans @ Ridgefield NWR

Discussion

8 replies
Posted by Rick Lamb on March 27, 2008 at 12:43 AM
Canon 1D Mark III
Tamron 200-500mm F/5.0-6.3 @ 500mm
1/1600 sec @ F/10 ISO 3200
Handheld from Driver's Seat

Here is another shot from our 3 days at Ridgefield last month. The colors really appeal to me plus the three swans of course.

So lemme know what yall think of this one please.
Posted by Jack Garrett on March 27, 2008 at 8:09 AM
I like this shot. The only thing I might consider is a crop of the out of focus area at the top. My eye keeps getting drawn there.

Jack
Posted by Marc Dilley on March 27, 2008 at 9:38 AM
Love the look of the swans against the rich blue of the water, Rick. It's just really pleasing. However, I would agree with John regarding lopping some off the top.
Posted by Adrian Klein on March 27, 2008 at 9:55 AM
Handheld from the driver's seat huh, at 500 mm nonetheless. I assume the car was not running! Clarity is real good here Rick. I agree about the crop from the top.
Posted by Larry Gloth on March 27, 2008 at 10:26 AM
Super handheld shot. Love the colors and positioning of the swans, particularly their heads. I agree about cropping off the top. The bright area is distracting.
Posted by Ned Fenimore on March 27, 2008 at 10:42 AM
Great work. As mentioned, the cropping is the only thing I think to agree with. I should get up there some since it is so close to me now...
Posted by John Williams on March 28, 2008 at 2:02 PM
In the "wish it could have been" category, my favorite swan shots are just bird and water. They are so elegant that I find other components often distract, for example the Ruddy Ducks and the vegetation. With that nit aside, I also must complement the way you captured the three, especially the postures going from snoozing to alert to even more alert. Cool! I agree with the above on the clarity and white against rich blue Rick, nice.
Posted by Rick Lundh on March 28, 2008 at 10:05 PM
Well, Rick...I'm not sure about this one buddy. I am not fond of the muddy bird look. Also, the comp probably should be square here because there's so much emptiness in the top of the frame. That Tameron looks nuts sharp though :eek:
Posted by Nancy Lamb on April 1, 2008 at 3:01 PM
Rick, On my laptop, it looks like you could crop out the whitest part fo that upper portion, retain the affect you were after, and the swans woudl rest on the bottom 1/3rd line. LYM