Swallow in flight

[Mike Hitchen]

I spent a happy (if frustrating!) hour or so trying to capture swallows in flight. Out of the several hundred, barely half a dozen were close enough and sharp enough to warrant showing to anyone else. Still - it is what drives us on.
1Dx2 with 400DOii and 2x tc Mkiii. 1/4000, f8, ISO 6400 - with rapidly changing cloud cover I wish I had had chance to halve the shutter speed and the ISO, but needs must....

Processed in LR and cropped to about 70% of original. Unfortunately I could not find an easy way to expand the canvas to the left and maintain the DOF effect

[William Dickson]

Been there Mike, and as you know, it aint easy, and very frustrating. I was wondering if the IQ would hold if you cropped from the RHS. I think the bird is too small in the frame here, and the BG is plain, which doesn't add to the image.

Will

[gail bisson]

What if you moved the bird back in the frame in photoshop? Might help a bit.
I have yet to get a sharp image of these speedsters so well done,
Gail

[Jim Keener]

I didn't know this could be done.