Tree Swallow

[wendell westfall]

D90 70-200VR+2X@400 1/1000 f5.6 ISO400 0EV handheld

These little guys are FAST. This morning I caught this one taking a rest right in front of me, but only for a few moments. I don't know how they can fly as they do and subsist on a diet of mostly tiny insects.

Wendell

[Ian Cassell]

Yes they ARE fast. I was trying to shoot them in flight and was failing miserably! Wendell, I think he's a bit tight in the frame. I'm looking at this on my crummy computer at work, but I think your focus was on the shoulder rather than the eye. The colors are gorgeous.

[Daniel Cadieux]

Fast for sure!! You got the iridescence of the plumage quite nicely, and I like the colours. A bit tight as mentioned and a vertical would have been another option. Notice how the far wingtip is very sharp compared to the face - always best to make sure critical focus is on the eye - either by switching focus points if the time permits, or use the focus/recompose technique.

[Steven Kersting]

Yeah, they are fast...I've had a little luck catching them in flight, maybe 1 pic out of 50.

What post work was done, or is this SOOC?

[wendell westfall]

Steven, in LR3 I cropped away about 20% (evidently too much) and applied some Clarity and Vibrance; and in PS Elements I applied SH, USM and did a little bit of Cloning in the upper left quadrant in order to blur a branch. You are very lucky or very skillful (or both) to get flight pictures . . .

[Steven Kersting]

Steven, in LR3 I cropped away about 20% (evidently too much) and applied some Clarity and Vibrance; and in PS Elements I applied SH, USM and did a little bit of Cloning in the upper left quadrant in order to blur a branch. You are very lucky or very skillful (or both) to get flight pictures . . .

Nah, I just shot a ton of images...

I ask because where I live the tree swallow is blue to purple..some slight green iridescence at times but this image looks very green on my (calibrated) monitor.

Also the blur of the branch looks a bit odd, but I realize that there is probably a twig projecting towards us causing that...

Personally, I think the focus is fine..honestly I thought it was probably a bit underexposed and recovered causing a color shift...

RAW or Jpeg?

[wendell westfall]

Steven: Shot as RAW not Jpeg. I checked other images from that day and on my monitor the color is similar in them all -- no shift. You have a good eye to notice a very minor clone I made to cover two tiny white spots located on the branch just to the right of the bird (not a blur from a twig). Appreciate your critique.