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Action Replay


Action Replay
Photo Information
Copyright: Japie Venter (japie) Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1814 W: 100 N: 1904] (5187)
Genre: Animals
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2004-12-22
Categories: Birds
Camera: Canon EOS 300D, Tamron 28-300XR, Digital ISO 400, Skylight
Exposure: f/6.3, 1/1600 seconds
Details: (Fill) Flash: Yes
Photo Version: Original Version
Theme(s): Birds of Southern Africa, 40-49 Points (Chapter 4), 50 - 60 points (chapter two), Swallows, Birds in Flight [view contributor(s)]
Date Submitted: 2005-04-07 14:40
Viewed: 2829
Favorites: 1 [view]
Points: 74
[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note
I have posted this image before as part of a combination set before. Pieter van der Horst made the comment that he would have liked to see it in 800X600, so I prepared one as a WS. I liked the result and decided to post it on its own and not part of a “combo”. However, the note below is the same as on the “combo” post

These little ones had me panning till my head was spinning. I probably took about 100 shots and have these two to show. What I like here is that they were nesting and the mud can be seen in their beaks. This was taken in the Pilaansberg Nature Reserve.

More about the Greater Striped Swallow (Roberts: 526)

It is a large swallow with a pale orange-brown cap; and a finely streaked breast and belly. Size 18-20cm - Larger than a Cape Sparrow but smaller than a Laughing Dove. Afrikaans: Grootstreepswael

The bill is short and slender, and it has a very wide gape. The bill is black and the legs and feet are brown. This species has an orange-brown cap, which does not extend below the level of the eye, or cover the ear-coverts. The orange-brown areas are a paler colour than those on the Lesser Striped Swallow. The rump is also orange-brown and the rest of the upperparts are dark glossy blue-black.

The underparts are creamy white, with fine dark streaking, which extends from side of the face, the chin and breast to the lower belly and flanks. The outer tail feathers are quite long and dark.

The Greater Striped Swallow is a common summer migrant. It is usually seen in pairs or small groups, and is most often seen close to the nest sites on a house or culvert, or some other man-made structure.

The Greater Striped Swallow eats mainly aerial insects, but also some seeds.

The call is quite musical and mellow: It consists of a chuckling phrase of 2-3 introductory notes, followed by a deep, gargled trill: crip trap triiirrrr. It also has a mellow chissik callnote.

The Greater Striped Swallow breeds from August to March, and usually raises two broods per season. The nest is an enclosed bowl, suspended on the underside of a horizontal surface such as a fallen tree, roof of veranda, culvert or bridge. The nest has a long entrance tunnel and is built entirely from mud pellets and lined with grass and other fine.

The camera settings:

Program Setting: Aperture Priority
Focal Length: 154mm
F Stop: F/6.3
Shutter Speed: 1/1600sec
ISO: 400
Tripod: No
Flash: Diffused Off Camera ETTL.
Reflective Panel: No
Cable release: No
White Balance: AWB
gerhardt, correp01, elroyie, JeanMichel, Fisher, sAner, red45, kazan, mogens-j, puffy, Luc, Janice, dew77, AndyB, Runnerduck, marhowie, hummingbird24, scottevers7, nofer, liquidsunshine, deud, elihesam has marked this note useful
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Critiques [Translate]

Hi Japie,

Hy is pragtig man !!!

Looks like he is flying down the stick.. I know they are fast little critters, you did well capturing it!!

Groetnis
Elize

  • Great 
  • gwl (72)
  • [2005-04-07 15:14]

Japie,
WOW, what a picture. I am blown away with the nearly perfect shot of this bird. You are truly a great photographer to get this so "just right".
Kudos,
Gary

  • Great 
  • Fisher Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1540 W: 309 N: 2234] (8915)
  • [2005-04-07 15:21]

What a Beauty!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Excelent shot and well done on this action. Beautiful.

Mike

  • Great 
  • naki Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 421 W: 27 N: 782] (2694)
  • [2005-04-07 16:07]

This is amazing Japie and it's not a gull or a heron, it's a swallow. Incredible...
Very well done.

  • Great 
  • red45 Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2828 W: 75 N: 8009] (26813)
  • [2005-04-07 16:27]

Yes Japie, what a shot! Perfect pose and moment, I wonder how hard to capture it was. Anyway - you did it excellent.

  • Great 
  • Toni Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 403 W: 2 N: 316] (2034)
  • [2005-04-07 16:46]

Brilliant capture. Great composition and colours. Good work.
Toni

  •      
  • kazan Silver Star Critiquer/Silver Note Writer [C: 37 W: 0 N: 36] (158)
  • [2005-04-07 16:48]

Japie, that's a classic... altough a bit OOF, your photographic skills are excellent!
Panos

Hallo Japie!
Great head! Looks like a skull! Wonderful photo!

Intense impression of movement. Getting all together, motion, sharpness, beautiful action pose, colors and exposure is a real photographic performance. Good you posted as a single shot. Kind of rare one too. Very well done Japie.

Very difficult picture and very good capture, although you missed a little bit with the focus point it is a good frame of this very quick bird.

FANTASTIC !

I too think it is a great idea Japie. It is an outstanding capture - very sharp, great dof, wonderful colours and very good composition. Well, an excellent timing too of course.

  • Great 
  • puffy Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 314 W: 0 N: 352] (1349)
  • [2005-04-07 19:42]

Great action shot Japie, excellent captured. Nice DOF, sharpness and clarity. Well done.... TFS

  • Great 
  • jossim Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 1676 W: 5 N: 2144] (11878)
  • [2005-04-07 20:41]

Impréssionnant l'éclairage à une vitesse de 1/1600 et une ouverture de f/6.3, Félicitations pour la netteté et les couleurs.


Merci pour cette belle prise et bonne journée.

  • Great 
  • Janice Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 3446 W: 144 N: 5883] (17434)
  • [2005-04-08 2:06]

Swallow, little swallow. Beautiful shot Japie. Excellent capture, 'cos these birds fly fast we can haredly see them and you have shown us their colours. So very sharp and bright. Very,very well done.

  • Great 
  • dew77 Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 5171 W: 297 N: 4050] (13069)
  • [2005-04-08 2:47]

Excellent shot of Greater Striped Swallow! I liked this action shot very much ecpecially the POV...Thanks for sharing

  • Great 
  • AndyB Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1592 W: 32 N: 1361] (3978)
  • [2005-04-08 3:02]

Excellent!!
I dont know how you did it!
A very fine capture,well done.

WOW! What else can I say but WOW! Magnificent shot.
Any criticism's are academic, as we all know this was 'click and hope' but it turned out beautifully!

Just incredible. The detail, the pov, the composition the bg the fact that you caught it in the first place! Stunning, Wow!!!
Thank you for sharing.

  • Great 
  • sAner Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1654 W: 79 N: 1456] (4742)
  • [2005-04-08 5:47]

Japie! What can I say? A masterpiece! For me personally this is the best flying bird picture I have seen so far. The speed is dazzling, mindblowing! The colors are unique and the details are sharp. When I look at this swallow, I see a formula 1 car, I see Schumacher, no ... I see a spitfire. Brilliant! Thanks for posting it as a single post. Straight into my favs!

Regards,
Pieter

Hi Japie, Excellent capture in exquisite form!
Very well composed with a superb job of freezing the action of this slick beauty. Great note (shoot, shoot and shoot some more!)
Very well done and thanx for posting this gem!!!

Very good capture, great pose and very nice colours.
Well done.
TFS.

Since you are blowing up nice sets of the past... I would love to look at the pied kingfisher in flight as well. :) I think it would give this great shot a good run for it's money. Very well done Japie.

Amazing photo and POV Japie. In all truth, I had not seen your previous posting but went back to look at it. Quite impressive to capture this particular bird in such a pose. Well done and thank you for sharing it again for us late-comers.

This is a great stop action shot on this swallow. I can only imagine how had it is to try and follow these acrobats around.
An excellent Job!

Great flight-in Japie.
This is not the easiest bird to catch in the air.
Very good POV, composition, details and colours.
Great work.

  • Great 
  • Luc Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2058 W: 315 N: 4404] (14713)
  • [2005-04-10 13:23]

Personal assessment of the photo: excellent. A very original PoV.
Great visual impact.
Aptness of the photo for the site: excellent.
Personal assessment of the note: complete.
Thanks Japie for this not easy shot.

  • Great 
  • Kris Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 193 W: 0 N: 129] (1808)
  • [2005-04-10 15:36]

Excellent action shot Japie.
Absolutely magnificent, details and exposure. Everything.
Well done.
Regards, Krzysztof.

Fantastic capture Japie,
Perfect timing to get this shot.
Great colours, sharp details and exposure
Thanks for posting

  • Great 
  • urban Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 71 W: 4 N: 79] (413)
  • [2005-04-15 17:21]

This is great. To capture one of these incredibly quick birds in the air is impressive.

  • Great 
  • deud Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 500 W: 2 N: 466] (2123)
  • [2005-04-16 7:58]

Great shot and composition. this is real success! congrats.

This image has a very unusual point of view, Japie, that really captures my attention quickly and implies a wonderful story. Thanks!

  • Great 
  • livios Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2306 W: 324 N: 4306] (16856)
  • [2005-04-23 12:24]

Japie, unusual pose, great composition, excellent sharpness.

Great action, grea picture.

Wonderful POV showing all his plumage colours of which there are many. I like the shape of the flight with the wings extended showing the jaggered edges of the wing. Very good work Japie. Frozen in flight! Well done.

Looks like a bombardier, thank God for not catching any "bombs" on your collar ...

wonderful capture!
no doubt!
Excellent dynamism you made with this freezing her in this pose and diagonaly composed the wings and branches i the frame,Excellent,very beautiful and great use of DOF with reaching a fine result,nicely done,Japie!
Best Wishes
M

  • Great 
  • kessi Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 88 W: 5 N: 75] (221)
  • [2007-08-06 1:00]

Hi Japie,
I have only joined recently and I saw that the Theme of the DAY showed most of your bird pictures.
This swallow is really stunning. I know how extremly difficult it is to photograph swallows and this must be one of the best I've seen in a long time.
Regards,
Irmgard

Hello Japie.

Excellent picture, nice composition and colors,

Regards.
Jose Luis.

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