Mute Swan

[Raffi Schayngesicht]

Mute Swan taking off the ice @ Wilmette Harbor Illinois
It was overcast in late afternoon
This is my first post thanks for looking


This was shot handheld with a D300
Lens Nikon 70 - 200mm f2.8 @ 170mm focal length
Matrix metering Aperture priority F9 @ 1/640 ISO 200

had to clone quite a lot of geese droppings from the ice in Photoshop
And it is about 20% cropped

[Lance Peters]

Hi Raffi - a big warm welcome to the BPN family - nice first post. Dont hesitate to jump right in and start to comment on other peoples posts - best way to learn - just say what it is that you like or dont like about the image.
Like the wings down and touching the water pose - Might try and lighten the eye just a tad. Like how you have left some room up front for him to fly into.
Looking forward to seeing more :)

[Thanaboon Jearkjirm]

Hi and welcome to BPN.
Love the wing down position with wing touching the water, how you decide to keep the environment in. Just wish that the swan is more evenly lit.

[VinceRossi]

I like the shot. I would have removed the big clump of ICE above the bird.

[Alfred Forns]

Hi Raffi Big Warm Welcome !!

Sweet bird and a great pose !! Did well with the light and would lighten the face as suggested by Lance, will make the eye more visible !!! Temped to crop some form top/bottom to make more into a pano. Will have bird larger in frame plus give a stronger sense of motion !!! Looking forward to the next one !!!