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Gliding Swan


Gliding Swan
Photo Information
Copyright: Deborah Kelleher (Debz) Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 582 W: 0 N: 866] (3283)
Genre: Animals
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2007-10-29
Categories: Birds
Camera: Canon 350D, Canon EF70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM
Exposure: f/5.6, 1/1250 seconds
More Photo Info: [view]
Photo Version: Original Version, Workshop
Theme(s): Joe's Favourites 1 [view contributor(s)]
Date Submitted: 2007-10-30 9:22
Viewed: 858
Favorites: 2 [view]
Points: 62
[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note
Mute Swan

Mute Swans must be the most photographed wildfowl in both northern and southern hemispheres. It is hard to resist their elegance and beauty. I took this shot whilst experimenting with metering modes on my camera, this one being partial metering, taken early evening. Technically it could be a lot better and I would welcome any advice on exposures for all white subjects in varied light. Thanks for looking.

Mute swans have been cherished as symbols of purity and elegance for centuries. Native to Europe and Asia, they were transported to North America in the late nineteenth century by European immigrants. Some swans eventually escaped or were deliberately released into the wild.

Public opinion about mute swans is mixed. They are very large birds, measuring 56-62 inches in length. With little or no fear of humans, they are easily observed and provide opportunities for people to come in close contact with wildlife. Their vibrant orange bills with black knobs, white plumage and long, gracefully-held necks make them conspicuous. Their young, which have a dusky tinge and grayish bill, usually remain with their parents for about four months. Mute swans reside primarily in estuarine river habitats with smaller numbers on inland lakes and ponds.


Despite their aesthetic appeal, mute swans can cause problems. The mute swan is native to Europe and Asia, but is an exotic species in the United States. In Maryland, a feral population of about 4,000 mute swans has become established from the original escape of five captive swans in 1962. The largest number of mute swans occurs in Talbot, Queen Annes, and Dorchester counties. Population growth and range expansion of this species has increased the number of swan-related problems for people and native wildlife.
Arjun, fartash, Tamrock, Argus, Jamesp, JoseMiguel, Juyona, jaycee, Mariol, claudine, uleko, peter_stoeckl, oscarromulus, tiklod, TAZ, sherlock628 has marked this note useful
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Discussions
ThreadThread Starter Messages Updated
To peter_stoeckl: Gliding SwanDebz 1 11-05 02:28
To fartash: CSfartash 3 10-31 00:44
To pankajbajpai: Gliding SwanDebz 1 10-30 10:22
To Arjun: Gliding SwanDebz 1 10-30 10:07
To fartash: Gliding SwanDebz 1 10-30 09:44
To nglen: Gliding SwanDebz 1 10-30 09:32
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Critiques [Translate]

Hello Deborah
Very intersting shot of this beautiful Swan,
Perfect exposure,reflection and composition.
Superb shot,Welldone.

Regards
Fartash

  • Great 
  • nglen Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 2130 W: 9 N: 5959] (22526)
  • [2007-10-30 9:28]
  • [+]

Hi Deborah. what a good picture of the Mute Swan. You have captured it with fine detail and good colours. it stands out so well against the dark back ground.with a nice refection. very well done TFS.
Nick..

  • Great 
  • Arjun Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 307 W: 3 N: 783] (3692)
  • [2007-10-30 9:47]
  • [+]

hi deborah,
wonderful picture..its awesome..the white subject against dark BG suits xcellently.,nice details,
TFS

  • Great 
  • dejo Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 355 W: 51 N: 476] (2058)
  • [2007-10-30 10:15]

Hello Deborah,
Great picture with great colors and great contrast
great composition
Regards, Dejan

hi deborah!
very nice capture on this fine swan!
sharp with good pov and a very fine
exposure!
good work!

  • Great 
  • Argus Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2757 W: 147 N: 7955] (24769)
  • [2007-10-30 11:02]

Hello Debz,
Classic Swan pose that you captured well but what makes this unusual IMHO is the UE BG which the exposure of the white swan just right and provides a superb contrast.
Well done and TFS!
Ivan

  • Great 
  • Jamesp Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 1299 W: 0 N: 5081] (15140)
  • [2007-10-30 11:10]

Hi Deborah

Quie simply - beautiful - nit much else to add :)

James

Hi,
Great shot of this C. olor.
Great pov and colors.
TFS,
Iulian

  • Great 
  • jesst Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 371 W: 0 N: 164] (2244)
  • [2007-10-30 11:39]

Wonderful detail, very beautiful bird on dark background, amazing water with reflection - nice picture!

  • Great 
  • joey Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1880 W: 245 N: 6158] (21922)
  • [2007-10-30 11:42]

WOWOWOWOWOWOW!!!!
I can't work out how to put a million smileys on this shot! :) lol.
Seriously, this is possibly, probably, one of the best Swan shots on TN.
This has gone straight into my favourites theme :D
Just perfect.
Very, very well done,
Joe

Hi Deborah,
What a splendid swan's capture!
I really like very much the details seen on the white feathers, the slight underexposure worked great for it.
You caught it in a gorgeous pose, and the reflections works great for the image and the composition.
Congratulations and thanks for share it.
My best regards,
JM

Hi Deborah,

this POV allows to see all the beauty of this swan silhouette.

Well done!

Gio

  • Great 
  • Juyona Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 2106 W: 6 N: 2115] (13579)
  • [2007-10-30 15:19]

Hola Deborah,
preciosa captura,
finos detalles y bella compo,
colores de lujo,
saludos

what can I say, simple perfect and majestic, TFS Ori

  • Great 
  • jaycee Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 1904 W: 8 N: 4959] (16025)
  • [2007-10-30 16:22]

Hi Debz,

A beautiful swan posing perfectly for you. I love the feathers! Beautiful colors and sharp details. The reflections and the ripples in the water are lovely.

Jane

  • Great 
  • Mariol Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 165 W: 10 N: 1053] (4333)
  • [2007-10-30 21:05]

Hi Deborah,
Your picture shows well the grace end elegance of this beautiful bird.
As for exposure my advice is to continue doing it this way – is perfect!
(In my opinion the most important for a picture is the focus. Colour balance and exposure you can correct after, especially from RAW)
Regards, Mario

hello deborah,
excellent capture, you have managed the exposure well here, the dark bg makes the shot special, liked the pov and the composition, the refections on water looks great,
very well done,
tfs & regards
pankaj

Hi Deborah,

very nice shot. excellent composition, greta colour. Well done. TFS. Steve

Hi Debz, splendid swam, great composition with wonderful colors and magic reflections, very well done, ciao Silvio

This is the perfect photo of serenity to me.The lighting and reflections show well. I had one of these attack my camera once trying to photograph it. A bit wary now except from a distance.
Thanks for sharing this beauty.
Keep well.D

Wow, this is an impressive capture of this beautiful bird Deborah. Tones of colors, exposure, lightning and details are outstanding! What a beautiful picture, I'm amazed. Those dark tones and deep blue color of the water are superb! You managed exposure perfectly! I have tried to photograph them recently and this is not an easy thing to do. Congratulations on a fantastic capture!
Claudine

  • Great 
  • uleko Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2580 W: 170 N: 7866] (24875)
  • [2007-11-02 8:47]

Hello Deborah,
I don't think you need to worry about the technical quality here - it is a brilliant capture! The dark surrounds makes it look very exciting and your exposure is excellent.
Very sharp details and I love the dark blue ripples on the water.
TFS and best wishes, Ulla

Hi Deborah,
I have just been reading the other critiques about your picture and there is nothing to add.
The metering looks very good to me and the portraiture is really good. We all need to be self critical of our photo's but I can see nothing that I would alter about this picture.
Best wishes,
Peter

  • Great 
  • arfer Gold Star Critiquer [C: 2731 W: 0 N: 0] (0)
  • [2007-11-03 17:57]

Hello Deborah

A beautiful "showboating pose" captured.This is elegant.
The colours are deep and well saturated and the whites well exposed.
Nicely composed in the frame.The reflection on the rippled water is wonderful.
The low POV is used well.
I like!
TFS

Rob

Hi Deborah,
hard to resist that elegance and beauty, indeed. Not only the swan's, but also this presentation's. Tack sharp details, a well considered strict side view, brightness reduced to show finest shades of whites and hide any distracting elements from around to create an iconically reduced image.
Thank you. With best regards,
Peter

  • Great 
  • hester Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1480 W: 18 N: 3033] (11122)
  • [2007-11-05 11:20]

Hi Debz

That is a very beautiful swan shot. Amazing pose captured, lovely reflection in the rippled water and nicely composed. It really looks great

TFS

Karan

Deb.,
There is only one word to describe your notes and register:
O.U.T.S.T.A.N.D.I.N.G.
Warm regards,
M. from Calgary.

  • Great 
  • tiklod Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 300 W: 74 N: 883] (3367)
  • [2007-11-14 12:00]

Hello Deborah!
This photo is absolutly fantastic... Proudly nice pose of this swan. Excellent contrast and details on white plumage. Black BG is perfectly done to increase beauty of this bird and the lovely reflect on water.
Best regards Deborah,

Claude

  • Great 
  • TAZ Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2385 W: 50 N: 3186] (10922)
  • [2007-11-14 22:37]

Hello Deborah,
Mute swan are common but your shot is not ! The pose of this male is superb here !!!
The "+++++" : smart subject and great pose, POV, sharpness, DOF, good exposure of white, good contrast white / dark blue, useful complementary note...
The "-" : perhaps more space on the right side...
Well done and thanks for sharing,
Christian

Hello Debz,
Beautiful capture of the Mute Swan. The lighting and BG are outstanding and the details are the best I've seen. The water looks surreal surronding the Swan. Excellent Image. This is the level of talent I'd like to attain!! TFS
Thomas

Hi Deborah

what a beautiful picture of this mute swan. It looks so elegant and the composition is spot on. exposure is excellent.

TFS
Emma

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