Cliff Swallow

Image Critiques Avian Critiques
1

What technical feedback would you like if any? Any

What artistic feedback would you like if any? Any

Pertinent technical details or techniques:

I finally got a decent action shot of a Cliff Swallow but it was in front of a building wall so I made the wall go away and put in a blue sky. D500, Nikon 2-500 lens, Nikon 1.4 TC, hand held, 1/3200th, f/8.0, ISO 640, 390mm, AI Clear, ReMask 5

Swallowt2
Swallowt21920Ɨ1336 743 KB

If you would like your image to be eligible for a feature on the NPN Instagram (@NaturePhotoNet), add the tag ā€˜igā€™ and leave your Instagram username below.
You may only download this image to demonstrate post-processing techniques.
2

Hi Dave: Thanks for letting us know that the original was a building and that you removed it. Not an issue. The issue is the blue sky you replaced it with does not look natural at all. I grabbed your image and desaturated the blue and changed the hue to a sky that seems more realistic.

2c248113689f54b577655ae05243e7169577e6f7
2c248113689f54b577655ae05243e7169577e6f71920Ɨ1336 693 KB

1 Like
3

Swallows are tough to get in flight, so Kudos on a great shot. Excellent colors and detail. Agree with changes Keith made.

4

Very nice image, and I know very well that swallows are difficult subjects to freeze in flight (many wasted photos on my side - good that it is not film any moreā€¦). This one is masterly depicted. I agree that the ā€œoriginalā€ blue of the sky was a bit too strongā€¦

5

Great catch of a difficult subject.
Keithā€™s blue BG is an improvement to an already-nice image.
Do you have a monitor that can be calibrated? If so, that would help get more realistic colours on both your and our monitors.
Sandy

6

Great catch, Dave. Swallows are very, very tough to photograph on the wing. We have a ton f them nesting on our property and I still donā€™t have a flight shot I like. While the angle on this one isnā€™t ideal, you really nailed the focus and exposure. My only nit is that the sky doesnā€™t look right. Iā€™ve never seen that shade of blue overhead.