Grace...

[Michel Pilon]

Hello all,

Here is a female Tree Swallow full of grace and timidity... I like the atmosphere of this picture and the nice eye contact I got with this bird. Moments like this one makes my day :)

I hope you like it too.


Michel


The Tree Swallow winters farther north than any other American swallow, and it returns to its nesting grounds long before other swallows come back. Its ability to use plant foods helps it survive periods of bad weather.

http://parcours.pilonm.org/pictures/hirondelleBicolore51.jpg

Camera Model Canon EOS 40D
Firmware Firmware Version 1.0.8
Shooting Date/Time 2010-05-17 07:45:28
Owner's Name
Shooting Mode Aperture-Priority AE
Tv( Shutter Speed ) 1/250
Av( Aperture Value ) 8.0
Metering Mode Evaluative Metering
Exposure Compensation -1 2/3
ISO Speed 320
Lens EF300mm f/4L IS USM +1.4x
Focal Length 420.0mm
Image Size 3888x2592
Image Quality RAW
Flash On
Flash Type External E-TTL
Flash Exposure Compensation -2

[Stu Bowie]

Michel, good choice of comp to suit the pose. The light is from the left, thus putting his chest in a bit of shadow. Having said that, it has brought out the detail on the wing nicely. I do like the diagonal perch, together with the smooth BG. Whilst frames work with certain images, I find this one a bit overpowering.

[Dave Leroy]

That's what it is all about. Capturing a moment.

Nice diagonal perch and bg add to the mood. Nice and sharp and soft look back pose is great.

I do wish for a bit more light on the front of the swallow just to even it out a bit more. I would remove the flash catch light.

Well done.

Dave

[Munish Kaushik]

Hi Michel,

Loved the details on the wings and the diagonal perch. Agree with stuart on the border. It doesn't suit the image.

wish there was more light on its front.

Regards,
Munish Kaushik
www.facebook.com/Kaushik.Munish

[Michel Pilon]

Hello all and thank you for leaving those very pertinent comments. It is really appreciated :)

It seems to me that the light and shadows brings texture to the feathers...

Also concerning the black frame, I must say that that picture is taken from my website whose background is black. That black frame around my picture just disappear when you look at it on my website. This is the trick I use to put my copyright around the little grey frame. You can see what I mean by going on my website :-) :
http://localhost/cgi-bin/affiche.pl?hirondelleBicolore!51!51

Cheers,

Michel