This recent Barn Swallow photo just might be my personal favorite of the species I’ve ever taken. It took me a while to come to that conclusion but the more I study it the more I like it.
1/800, f/7.1, ISO 800, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in
I took the photo two days ago as the swallow was perched on emerging wild rose at Farmington Bay WMA. I only had about 2 seconds with it in my viewfinder before it flew off and I wasn’t terribly fond of most of the shots I got while the bird was looking to my right because its face was so close to that green shoot near the edge of the frame. But I got two photos of it looking to our left and for me that made all the difference.
I like the overall wispy feel of this image. In fact wispiness seems to be its dominant theme based on the fine breast and belly feathers flowing downward, the subtle strands of spider silk beneath the feet of the bird and the delicate light-colored feathers beginning to sweep across the right wing. And even though the bird is sufficiently sharp it has a soft feel about it that contributes to the effect.
I love the out-of-focus greenery in the background at lower left. I think it adds a lot to the image that wouldn’t exist if it was just empty space back there and its extreme softness doesn’t compete with the swallow in the least.
And for my tastes the bird is perfectly placed on the branch in the open space between the vertical green shoot on the right and the out-of-focus greenery at lower left. With independent-minded birds that doesn’t happen very often.
Yes, there’s at least one nit to pick (isn’t there always?). I didn’t have enough depth of field to get the tail and wingtips sharp but if I had that DOF the greenery at left might have been sharper and more obtrusive.
That’s a tradeoff I’m willing to make.
Ron
PS – This image reminded me once again not to ignore “common” birds. Around here swallows of various species are ubiquitous in many of the areas I shoot and it’s easy to become almost numbed by their presence in large numbers and just keep on truckin’. But when I find a bird of any species in a lovely setting that would nearly always be a mistake.
I have to remember that the setting can be as important as the bird and sometimes even more so.
Very nice work
I have similar shots of Swallows.
Do the young birds have more orange colour on their breasts?
I thought that it was the colour temperature in my images but yours seem to be the same.
This is definitely a “notecard” shot! Absolutely lovely!
It’s lovely Ron!
Charlotte
Common, shmommon.
If you do see these charmers often you are very lucky. As I am with some of the birds I see on a regular basis.
I love the colours to this beauty. The setting displays it beautifully, right down to the wisps of web.
Thank you, EC. Yes, I do see them often. And yes, I am lucky.
I think that this a beautiful photo of a handsome bird on this branch that has buds. I’m not familiar with Barn Swallows so to me this is not a “common” bird, at all.
I’m so glad that you appreciate this photo so much and proclaim that it might be your favorite of the species. That is a terrific thing to say.
Thank you, Ron
Thanks, Alice. I’m just a little surprised by how many folks are saying Barn Swallows aren’t common in their area. I guess I just assumed they were common throughout most of their range. Assumptions got me in trouble again… 🙂
Gorgeous. Simply gorgeous. Seeing Barn Swallow nestlings has made them an interesting bird for me. I’m not sure I’ll ever see them as common, even if they are.
Thank you, Susan. To me common doesn’t mean anything negative, it just means there’s lots of them and that’s a good thing!
What a beautiful portrait of one of my favorite birds! To me, the slight softness of wingtips and tail aren’t negatives at all. Along with the ruffled breast feathers, they help to convey the ephemeral nature of the shot, a quick little bird captured by an even quicker photographer. With the lovely background and spider silk detail, it’s nothing short of perfect. Great work, Ron!
I’m glad you like it that much, Robyn. Personally I think it’s pretty special.
Many, many thanks for telling me to switch browsers! At least I’m in, if this goes through I’ll be heaven!! VBG!!
Beautiful image! I love the setting.
Yay! Welcome back, Dick! I’m very glad it worked.!
Oh how lovely! Would it surprise you to know that I can watch swallows buzz and zoom around me for hours–and have done so many times? What magical creatures! I’ve also watched them build their nests (when I SHOULD have been paying closer attention to the race cars happening, too at Laguna Seca Raceway in California). Seriously magical. Race cars can be boring. Swallows–NEVER!
I love this image for the same reasons as you do. But you failed to mention the degree of difficulty. Catching these little speed demons sitting still is a major challenge!
BTW, for whatever reason, I’m still not getting the “confirm follow” message for either your blog or Mia’s. Not sure what to do to fix that.
Thank you, Laura.
EC replied to your comment on my recent Cooper’s Hawk post with the following regarding the “confirm follow” problem you’re having. Perhaps trying what she did will fix it…
“Laura I had a similar problem last year. I went to WordPress’s subscription management page and fiddled. It came good.”
DELICACY…tiny bird, tiny feet, tiny beaks, oil-slick iridesence…I can almost feel their tiny feet and their weightlessness on my finger….love everything about this image (the strands of spider silk are like the cherry on top!!)
Thanks, Patty. I agree about that spider silk. Often the little things become proportionately more significant than we would ever think…
Agree with Kris Ron, simplicity is often beautiful in itself. Love the way the shades of color show up on the bird. Well done. Do you get Violet-green Swallows there? They are really beautiful.
Everett Sanborn, Prescott AZ
Thanks, Everett. We get a few Violet-green’s but I don’t think I’ve ever been able to get a photo of one I liked well enough to keep.
I think your P.S. says it all—-some of the most memorable paintings I’ve seen in my lifetime have been of the humblest, most simple objects—-composition, lighting, and some
unusual detail can beatify a subject to which most people wouldn’t give a second glance—-great art can be made about the most unlikely things–it’s the paying of close attention
that’s important …………and do you EVER do that ! I love this one, too, and the breeze in the wispy breast feathers is a lovely grace note…….
I like your primary point, Kris.
Some folks avoid using the word “common” when applied to birds because they think it implies something less than desirable but for me “common” is usually a badge of honor, in more ways than one. For example, I think of the phrase “common folk” as a positive rather than a negative…
Beautifully done Ron. Love the colors of the photo.
That is some serious effective focal length and it still came out nice and sharp and a nice bokeh
I wonder what percentage of the daily time budget swallows are perched?
“I wonder what percentage of the daily time budget swallows are perched?
I often think about that too, Ed. And marvel that they don’t run out of “gas” in the air because the energy spent in flight seems to be more than they could ever get from their typically tiny insect prey… 🙂
Simply put…beautiful! For so much of our time we are surrounded with the ordinary… how sad we would be if we didn’t see the beauty in it.
“how sad we would be if we didn’t see the beauty in it”
Exactly, Kathy. That’s a skill I’m still learning…
Ahhhhhhhh 🙂 It IS beautiful! Grinning ear to ear…….:) Unless strictly for “documenting” the bird the setting DOES make a difference. This comes off more like a painting than a photo.
Thanks very much, Judy. It’s nice to know that at least some others appreciate the photo for some of the reasons I do since my sense of aesthetics is still a work in progress.
Common for you, new to me! Such a great image, and I like your emerging appreciation for softness. : )
“Common for you, new to me!”
Good point, Mary. “Common” is relative, isn’t it?