Swallow

[Ian Cassell]

Taken on the pier in Avila Beach, CA -- June 2011

Canon 7D
Canon 400mm f/5.6L
1/160 sec f/8 ISO 400 Av +2/3

Levels, crop for composition, sharpening in CS5

[Jeff Cashdollar]

Cool shot, love the species. I might apply rule of thirds here and move bird towards bottom left corner of the frame. This would help minimize perch too. Might lighten the eye area as well (might lighten body a tad too). Faster shutter might have help with sharpness, nice detail for 1/160. Thanks for sharing, keep em coming.

[Ian Cassell]

Thanks, Jeff. I like these guys too and rarely can find them sitting still. I always wrestle with the ROT stuff. Here I intentionally put his eye/head in the RH ROT position, as that is what I see as the intended focal point. I'm never quite sure what to put where.

[Jeff Cashdollar]

Ian, you got the shot of one sitting and that is rare. Now you can play with composition and find what moves you and your audience - well done.

[Rachel Hollander]

Ian - I like the open mouth and the nice sheen to the feathers. For an alternate crop I would consider taking a fair amount off the bottom turning it into a pano so the bird isn't so centered.

TFS,
Rachel

[wendell westfall]

Ian, I like it as is. I was once stooped repeatedly by one as I stood too close to its nest. I thought it might even smack into my face. I moved away after its third "attack". . . .

[Bob Miller]

Ian....I agree that a more left position would give the bird space to look into.Also taking some off the bottom is also a good idea in my opinion. And lightening the eye as suggested would improve your image

[Kerry Perkins]

Ian, nice capture of the cliff swallow. The angle of the sun was not quite optimal for this capture, but I like the pose and eye contact.

The way I think about the "rule of thirds", which is really over-achieving with the status of "rule" in my opinion, is that it's not so much about rigid rules, but "how can I use this idea to make my image stronger?". I see that you put the eye of this bird along the top line of the "tic tac toe" grid and a little to the right of the right vertical line. What I think Jeff was hinting at is moving the bird left, so the eye is on the right vertical grid line, then down along that line so it is not so centered in the frame. We should consider the overall strength of a composition to be more important than complying with a "rule", especially when a rule is so open to interpretation.

[nancy hazen]

Love the look! I have never caught one of these guys perching - nice catch. You could crop a tiny bit off the left, but my eye is drawn to the open mouth as is. Nice shot.
Nancy

[Ian Cassell]

As always, thank all for your comments and suggestions! (Kerry, I thought he was a barn swallow. Is he a cliff swallow?)