Barn Swallow over pond

[Desmond Chan]

My second post to this board. I've posted something similar on the ETL board but would like to see what folks here think about some of my swallow-in-flight attempts.

D300; 300mm (likely with the 70-300 f4.5-5.6 VR); f8, 1/1000 sec ISO 800. Manual exposure mode. No flash. Hand-field (the lens is light to begin with :) ). Cropped and sharpened plus the usual pp stuff.

So, fire away! I'm from ETL so I can go back and stay there. No problem :D

Thanks for looking and your comments!

[Keith Carver]

Nice banking angle, good underwing detail. The bird seems a little too sharp. The wave detail in the background is distracting to me, maybe could be blurred. I know how fast these swallows move, so you must have a steady hand! Thanks for the post.

[Doug Brown]

Great exposure, wing position, and eye contact Desmond! It looks like a fairly sizable crop, as the fine detail seems a little lost in spite of the fact that the bird appears to be in focus. I wonder too if you were a little underexposed and got a little noise while using Shadows/ Highlights. Nothing to get discouraged about because these are tough birds to photograph, and you seem to have a knack for it. Thanks for posting!

[Desmond Chan]

It looks like a fairly sizable crop, as the fine detail seems a little lost in spite of the fact that the bird appears to be in focus. I wonder too if you were a little underexposed and got a little noise while using Shadows/ Highlights. Nothing to get discouraged about because these are tough birds to photograph, and you seem to have a knack for it. Thanks for posting!

Yike ! Can't fool the experts, eh? :o

Thanks for the encouragement and comments, folks !

[Arthur Morris]

First off Desmond, thanks for your excellent comments on the images of others; they are greatly appreciated. I am fine with the BKGR water. If you wish to make it darker, here is a trick that I use often. Go to Selective Color, go to the Whites, and add 30-90 points of blacks to the whites. I agee with Doug in that the image looks as if it has either been lightened too much or been subjected to a large crop. The COMP and post are fantastic.

[Desmond Chan]

First off Desmond, thanks for your excellent comments on the images of others; they are greatly appreciated. I am fine with the BKGR water. If you wish to make it darker, here is a trick that I use often. Go to Selective Color, go to the Whites, and add 30-90 points of blacks to the whites. I agree with Doug in that the image looks as if it has either been lightened too much or been subjected to a large crop. The COMP and post are fantastic.

Thanks for the kind words and the tips, Artie !!