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Swan Flight


Swan Flight
Photo Information
Copyright: Paul Prince (PDP) Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2964 W: 366 N: 3848] (11755)
Genre: Animals
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2005-01-23
Categories: Birds
Camera: Canon EOS 20D, Tamron 28-300 XR, Hoya skylight (1B)
Exposure: f/6.3, 1/1250 seconds
Photo Version: Original Version
Theme(s): Swans, Flying images [view contributor(s)]
Date Submitted: 2005-01-29 11:51
Viewed: 1370
Points: 40
[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note
Mute swans were known for centuries as “birds royal” because only the King, or those licensed by the by the Royal Standard, could keep them. Mutes are Britain’s only resident species of swan and one of the world’s heaviest flying birds, weighing up to 40 lb. The picture here is of a cygnet, a young swan. Opne of this years brood. Soon it will be chased off by the father to go and start a life on it’s own.

The mute swan is a very large white waterbird. It has a long S-shaped neck, and an orange bill with black at the base of it. Flies with its neck extended and regular slow wingbeats. The population in the UK has increased recently, perhaps due to better protection of this species. The problem of lead poisoning on lowland rivers has also largely been solved by a ban on the sale of lead fishing weights. Some birds stay in their territories all year, while others move short distances and form winter flocks. In cold weather, some birds arrive from Europe into eastern England.

Swans have left their image throughout history, from fossils in caves and the crusades of Richard I, to Arthurian Legend and Greek mythology. Aristotle, Plato and Socrates all believed that swans singing prowess was heightened as death approaches, giving rise to the idea of the swan song, or the final performance.
During the Middle Ages, the mute swan was considered to be a valuable commodity and was regularly traded between noblemen. The owners of swans were duty bound to mark their property by way of a succession of unique nicks in the beaks of their birds. It was the duty of the Royal Swanmaster to organise the annual swan-upping, a tradition that survives to this day. The role of swan-upping was to round up unmarked cygnets and once the parentage of the cygnets had been established to the swanmasters satisfaction, the birds could be marked appropriately and returned to the wild. The ceremony exists there days in a largely symbolic form, although as an exercise it is useful in monitoring the condition and number of swans on the Thames. The only two companies that still observe the tradition of owning swans on the Thames are the Worshipful Companies of Vintners and Dyers. The Royal swans are no longer marked, but an unmarked mute swan on the Thames is regarded as belonging to the Queen by default. The Queen still maintains an officially appointed Swan Keeper, and the ceremony still takes place on the Monday of the third week in July. The Queen has a prerogative over all swans in England and Wales. The Swan Keeper also despatches swans all over the world, sent as gifts in the Queens name.

The notes are from the RSPB Website


I hope you like this one. I took it on a rare sunny day at the Wetland Centre.
Callie, pompey, netfalls, JeanMichel, ellis49, carper, rlortie, Signal-Womb, azulu, red45, extramundi, sev, desmo, gerhardt, annagrace has marked this note useful
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Discussions
ThreadThread Starter Messages Updated
To japie: At least...PDP 1 01-30 13:07
To Callie: Panning & ShootingPDP 1 01-29 12:17
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Critiques [Translate]

  •      
  • Callie Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1252 W: 106 N: 2659] (7495)
  • [2005-01-29 12:10]
  • [+]

Hi Paul, sorry I gave all the smileys away, as this is "catch-up time" today. How o you find this shooting ans panining on the wing? I still find it VERY hard to ge right. This is a nice catch. IMO, I would rotate a bit CW and crop a bit to, to get a slight diagonal, assending, and a it bigger, but this is subjective

That's the shot I'm trying to get since a long time, but it's easyer to shoot mallards that's why I bore you all with my ducks :-)

Very well done, sharp & clear.
TFS.

  • Great 
  • pompey Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 205 W: 4 N: 780] (2762)
  • [2005-01-29 12:45]

Good shot Paul, i agree with Callie that it is hard to pan a flying bird correctly.
You have done a fine job here though.
You have caught a strange angle here, at a quick glance it could be a different type of bird flying in the other direction.
Well captured!

Hey, that's my shot, Paul... at least, at the top of my wishing list:-). Perfect exposure despite the difficulty on these shots, perfect sharpness. Very well framed. Just a splendid swan flying, and the sky, period. That's heaven for a photographer. Paul, please, more of these!

Very good Paul
I think you manage the paning very well, I like it.
Good colours, sharpness and compostion.
Very well done.

  • Great 
  • sAner Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1654 W: 79 N: 1456] (4742)
  • [2005-01-29 12:53]

Capturing a flying bird (and especially a Swan!) is HIGH on my wish list! This one is extremely nice. It's in focus and the position of the Swan is perfect. I love the very blue sky, the contrast with the white of the bird is fantastic. How do you do this?? My flying birds are always out of focus and suffer of motion blur. Well done!

  • Great 
  • carper Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2165 W: 124 N: 2567] (8208)
  • [2005-01-29 14:01]

Very good capture Paul,
the swan is a good practice bird to tke shots of, because he has an easy flight, very good sot and keeping the sharpness, good job

Excellent composition with room to fly. I like the white neck and body against the dark blue sky. Very good flying shot.

Fantastic capture Paul with correct exposure revealing nice detail under the wing. Excellent note. Ooh yes great to see you back I must have missed your entry last week.

  • Great 
  • azulu Gold Star Critiquer [C: 111 W: 0 N: 75] (374)
  • [2005-01-29 21:20]

Very nice composition Paul. I like the colours and the sharpness. Great moment.

Congratulations

Alexandre

  • Great 
  • sev Silver Star Critiquer [C: 25 W: 0 N: 0] (56)
  • [2005-01-30 3:40]

very good capture Paul, great colours and composition
very well done

  • Great 
  • red45 Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2830 W: 75 N: 8025] (26863)
  • [2005-01-30 4:26]

Hi Paul!
I didn't know that you are working in advertisement departament of Canadian Airlines :-) Just kidding, but your photo reminds me airlines' logo. Great moment and great quality.

Yes Paul, I think you were fliying besides this one when you took the photo. It looks like a B52 :) very well controlled shot in all aspects. Very lucky to have that "rare" sunny day, wondelful ligths.

  • Great 
  • japie Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1814 W: 100 N: 1904] (5187)
  • [2005-01-30 12:30]
  • [+]

This is a wonderful shot and somehow it reminds me of a concord passing overhead. Please do not laugh, but I have seen lots of swan's, but never one on the wing!

The sharpness here is excellent and and the exposure against the sky is great.

Very well done and thanks for posting.

  • Great 
  • desmo Silver Star Critiquer [C: 11 W: 0 N: 6] (4)
  • [2005-01-30 12:52]

Nice shot Paul. For me, thoses swans looks like the Concorde when they are flying.
TFS.

You only have this camera a couple of days and already putting me to shame. :)

I would still love an in-flight shot such as this Paul. Great capture.

  • Great 
  • deud Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 500 W: 2 N: 466] (2121)
  • [2005-01-31 6:48]

KLM Royal Dutch Airlines!

Excellant detail in the wing feathers. Hard to do while following a bird in flight but you did well.

Only this swan and nothing else......
Very good composed to let the swan fly into your picture, one detail but great shot !

  • Great 
  • livios Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2306 W: 324 N: 4306] (16856)
  • [2005-03-15 15:52]

Paul, another great capture of yours.

Excellent composition and nice contrast.

This must have been a difficult one to take; you did an excellent job.

Excellent capture against the blue sky, Paul! Your note was very helpful. I find it funny that the queen is the official Swan Keeper amongst all her other official duties. Great post!

Cheers,
Alli

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