It snowed on a single day in early March, and just when it felt like spring had arrived here in Northern Virginia. I was able to get out and photograph along the Potomac River. It was just beautiful, being able to get out along the trails. I came across a section of the river where there was a flight of swallows. I believe they’re a common species here in early spring. What I saw was beautiful and unexpected - I was out hoping to photograph woodland/trees in the snow, but these swallows were flying headfirst into the heavy winds, as if they were dancing on the surface of the river, being held momentarily in place for a second only to move up and down the river. As I dialed in photographing the scene, it felt like everything else out in nature was calm, peaceful, and quiet. These birds just really wanted to photo bomb my frame! It was such a special scene to witness, absolutely enjoyed it!
If anyone is familiar with why they were grouped with each other and out in the snowy day flying along the river, please share. Thank you!
Specific Feedback Requested
Any CC welcomed!
Technical Details
Is this a composite: No
GFX50S II, GF 100-200MM, LRC
1/1600, F. 11, ISO5000, 137.70mm
A lovely scene, with wonderful detail int he trees, and the swallows are quite a bonus! I love the way the snow shapes the bank and provides a soft backdrop for the trees. For me, the top is a bit cramped with that one tree just touching the edge of the frame. I could see adding some canvas there, and taking a bit off the bottom to move the horizon a bit lower in the frame.
Thanks so much for your feedback, Diane. I really appreciate it! I found it very helpful!
I tried to re-work the image, however unfortunately wasn’t able to add much to the top of the frame as that’s how it was captured. Possibly, something I can add in PS once I learn more on how to use that software.
Trying to upload the re-work and the original, doesn’t seem to be going through. Will try again later.
It’s easy to add canvas with PS and “content aware fill” will often do an amazing job of filling in realistic detail. To the extent it isn’t perfect, it can usually be patched up with a bit of painting with the clone tool.
Open the image in PS and make it small enough on the screen that you have some room on the sides. Go to the Crop tool (in the Toolbar on the left), but instead of cropping to a smaller frame, move the “handles” on one or more sides to make the frame bigger. At the top of the screen, check content-aware fill and click on the check mark. This is how it looks on my screen, which is the newest PS CC on a Mac, and the result.
A lovely scene, Peter. I think Diane’s idea of adding a touch of canvas on top works well. I really like your composition with the group of trees separated from the far shore and the swallows in the foreground. The water temperature wouldn’t change significantly in a cold snap, so I suspect there was a hatch of insects leaving the water that the swallows were after. I remember a very windy, cold day on a beach out here (the other Washington) where the swallows were working just above the beach for insects.
Thanks so much for your feedback and on how would you work towards making this image a bit more balance. I found your advice on working on the image in PS extremely helpful! Thanks Diane!
Thanks for your comment and feedback, Dennis! I wasn’t sure why the swallows were so close to the surface of the river, but this seems to be a great explanation. It has helped me understand the more of what’s in the scene that’s going on. I really appreciate you sharing your experience.
