{"id":107950,"date":"2022-02-25T05:58:11","date_gmt":"2022-02-25T12:58:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.featheredphotography.com\/blog\/?p=107950"},"modified":"2022-02-25T07:28:22","modified_gmt":"2022-02-25T14:28:22","slug":"tundra-swan-running-from-ice-to-water-during-takeoff-a-series","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/2022\/02\/25\/tundra-swan-running-from-ice-to-water-during-takeoff-a-series\/","title":{"rendered":"Tundra Swan Running From Ice To Water During Takeoff – A Series"},"content":{"rendered":"

And trying to correct an old bad habit.<\/p>\n

Six days ago I was in the right place at the right time when a trio of swans began to take off from the ice at Bear River MBR. I managed to get about 20 shots of one of them during the takeoff process with very few clipped or cut off body parts. But some of them had other problems, including having the bird too close to the frame edge and photos that needed rotation because I didn’t keep my lens level.<\/p>\n

As we’ll see, rotating images during processing to get them level can cause its own problems.<\/p>\n

Below are some of my favorites, presented in the order they were taken. Readers using a mouse can tell how many “skips” there are between each shot (if any) by passing your cursor over the photo and reading the image file number. I posted one of the photos five days ago but all the rest are new to Feathered Photography.<\/p>\n

Image techs for these photos are 1\/2500 – 1\/3200, f\/8, ISO 800, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f\/4L IS II USM<\/em><\/p>\n

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If memory serves there were three swans in the small group – two Tundra Swans and one Trumpeter Swan. I could tell from their behavior that they were likely to take off soon so I focused on this Tundra Swan because “he” was in front of the other two and my goal was takeoff and flight shots of a single bird without one bird blocking the view of another.<\/p>\n

Besides, I was way too close to more than one bird sharp.<\/p>\n

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I was just a little surprised by how fast such a huge bird could accelerate on slippery ice so this first shot I’m including of the takeoff process was a couple of frames after he began to run. As you can see he’s about to transition from ice to water.<\/p>\n

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There was actually very little water without at least some ice on top. There was thicker, old ice but most of the water had a paper-thin film of new ice that had formed during the cold night. There’s a perimeter of ice-free water surrounding the peninsula of thicker ice behind the swan’s feet.<\/p>\n

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He took the transition from ice to water completely in stride. The small, white down feather on the water at the bottom of the frame is a good indicator of…<\/p>\n

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how far the swan traveled in the 1\/10th of a second between shots.<\/p>\n

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This is the photo I posted five days ago. I’m including it again to keep the series as complete as is practical and because it’s one of my favorites.<\/p>\n

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At this point he’s really building up a head of steam.<\/p>\n

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This is the last photo I’ll include, in part because the swan was beginning to get past me.<\/p>\n

I was beginning to think I wouldn’t be able to get a swan takeoff series this year before they were gone for the breeding season so I was happy to get this one. There’s just something about swans in Utah in late winter that tickles this photographer’s fancy.<\/p>\n

Ron<\/p>\n

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PS – At the last minute I decided to show readers one of the challenges I was dealing with while photographing this swan. It has to do with operator error and an old bad habit of mine.<\/em><\/p>\n

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When I’m tracking a bird in flight to my left with my lens sticking out my pickup window I have an unfortunate tendency to rotate my lens clockwise. It has something to do with twisting my back and shoulders as I try to keep the bird in the frame.<\/em><\/p>\n

The result is images like this one that need counterclockwise rotation to make them level. Photos that obviously need rotation drive my sensibilities more than a little bonkers. I can’t see past the obviously tipped image to appreciate any strengths the photo might have.<\/em><\/p>\n

But if the bird is this close to the frame edge the process of leveling the image cuts off part of the bird. It drives me nuts when that happens to an otherwise good photo but it’s a bad habit I just haven’t been able to completely break.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

But I’ve only been trying for 14 years so give me some time…<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

And trying to correct an old bad habit.<\/p>\n

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