Winter Swan

Gallery: AvianPosted April 18, 20182,123 views3 comments

Some Swans stay over all winter in Alaska, in the open water of quiet spots in the rivers, or at lake outlets where there is open water. I got several photos of some swans, and I was surprised at how close they came to me. I walked out onto the snow and ice on the bank, and as they moved around feeding, several of them came quite close to me, much closer than they ever would in summertime.
I liked this having the rocks in this image, rather than just plain water, although I was not completely happy with the OOF snow and rock in the FG.

5d mkii, 100-400L at 400mm, ISO 800, 1/400 sec, f 14
Cropped slightly.
Comments always appreciated.

Comments

3 comments

Comment posted by Philip Hodgkins on April 18, 2018 at 3:24 PM

Nice. I like the rock to swan to rock diagonal. In hindsight, blending two images might be feasible to get sharpness throughout.

Registered on July 24, 2006, 2741 Posts, 12349 Comments

Comment posted by David Schoen on April 18, 2018 at 7:57 PM

I like the mood in this photo. I also appreciate the textures in the snow and the white plumage of the swan.

Registered on November 6, 2006, 1213 Posts, 4587 Comments

Comment posted by Dennis Plank on April 22, 2018 at 9:57 PM

An interesting image, Genny. I like the composition and the rock behind the bird's head fits very well with the flow of the bird itself. I'm unsure about the contrast between the warm lighting on the swan and rock and the blue shadows of the foreground. To my eye, they conflict a little.

Registered on January 28, 2008, 1767 Posts, 23192 Comments