Another Tree Swallow Series

I am finding Tree Swallows a perfect bird to practice getting my whites, the irredescent blues and catchlight right. I shot a few more this morning and thought I would post a couple of the images and open it up for some C&C.

Thanks for looking and let me know what you think.

Nice shots EdV, love the bokeh and colour in the first, great close up in the last.

Very nice, I like pic#2 the best, nice b/g, very sharp and the colours look pretty good to me, with a nice catchlight.

philc123 wrote in post #3267148
Nice shots EdV, love the bokeh and colour in the first, great close up in the last.

Thanks Phil. I appreciate the comment and am glad you like the images.

downywp wrote in post #3267656
Very nice, I like pic#2 the best, nice b/g, very sharp and the colours look pretty good to me, with a nice catchlight.

Thanks downy. I'm am glad you like the images. Thanks for the feedback. I appreciate it.

Well I think you have the hang of this. I remember you asking about exposure a while back and having trouble.

morehtml wrote in post #3268054
Well I think you have the hang of this. I remember you asking about exposure a while back and having trouble.

Yes but... I still screw it up once in a while. Like last evening on a Great Egret. I went +2/3 instead of -2/3 and blew out everything. But I do feel that I am getting the hang of it. Same with shooting against a bright sky like the images of the Rough-wing Swallow that I was looking for an id on. I was pleased with how the images turned given I was shooting a bird at the very top of a large tree and against a bright, clear morning sky. But even with those shots I was able to find catchlight as well.

So again, thanks for your help (as well as others).

good job on the whites , some very nice shots for sure ,,, I also like to spend time shooting these , I'm forever checking the histrogram

EdV wrote in post #3268109
Yes but... I still screw it up once in a while. Like last evening on a Great Egret. I went +2/3 instead of -2/3 and blew out everything. But I do feel that I am getting the hang of it. Same with shooting against a bright sky like the images of the Rough-wing Swallow that I was looking for an id on. I was pleased with how the images turned given I was shooting a bird at the very top of a large tree and against a bright, clear morning sky. But even with those shots I was able to find catchlight as well.

So again, thanks for your help (as well as others).

Well a egret could be + EC or -EC depending on the bg, right(for evaluative)?

liv2trip wrote in post #3268118
good job on the whites , some very nice shots for sure ,,, I also like to spend time shooting these , I'm forever checking the histrogram

Thanks. I like the fact that they tend to stay put even if I get pretty close which is unlike most birds I am interested in photographing. Most birds, I find, are able read my mind and as soon as I think of taking a step in their direction, they fly off!

P.S. The more I look at #4 and how well she fills the doorway, the more I think it looks like a Tree Swallow "mount" on a wall!

morehtml wrote in post #3268134
Well a egret could be + EC or -EC depending on the bg, right(for evaluative)?

Almost missed your post. Guess you slipped it in while I was writing.

In the case of this Egret (white Egret against an earthy background), it definitely did not need a +EC; it needed a -EC). I drove by this morning and the Egret was where I had left him last evening!

Very nice shots of the swallows Ed.....it looks like we were doing the same thing this morning, only I was unable to get close enough to get one of the terrific profiles like you did! I'll be driving through the Lehigh Valley (or at least the tunnel) on Friday morning on the way to Philly....unfortunatel​y no time for birding

Thanks Scott. And nice image that you have there as well. I photograph Tree Swallows at a couple of locations and they also seem to be the most cooperative birds as far as posing for portrait shots.

I was talking to a work colleague this past week who said that one of the tunnels was closed for road repair and they were running one lane each way through the other. Hope that doesn't impede you if the consruction is till going on Friday.

Again thanks.

Wow.
Love the first shot .I cant get enough of these tree swallows.
I wish our House martins would stay still like these boys.

All good. Love the pose in #2.

Thanks Pete. Thanks Steve. I'm glad to hear that you folks like the images. I was pleased with the way they turned out as well. I really appreciate the comments.