Too close

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Too close

May 14, 2013 by Mike Powell

I hadn’t intended to do a head-and-shoulders portrait of this Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica), but my telephoto zoom was near the far end when I carefully placed my tripod on the boardwalk and focused on the swallow.

Sensing that the bird was not going to remain perched for very long, I quickly snapped off a few exposures. My left hand was adjusting the ballhead of my tripod and my right hand was pressing the shutter, so zooming out was not really an option at that moment. The image that you see is as much of the bird as I was able to capture.

I did manage to get some good detail in the eye (and I recommend clicking on the photo for a higher resolution view) and I am happy with the background, which once again looks like a studio setting—it may not be very exciting, but it sure is uncluttered.

I suppose that the lesson for me is to have my camera fully adjusted as I am sneaking up on birds, but sometimes “mistakes” turn out pretty well too.

Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, Portraits, wildlife | Tagged Barn Swallow, Canon Rebel XT, Hirundo rustica, Huntley Meadows Park, Sigma 135-400mm telephoto zoom lens, swallow | 17 Comments

17 Responses

on May 14, 2013 at 8:31 pm | Reply krikitarts

If that’s a mistake, I’d say it’s a happy one. Very sweet!
- on May 15, 2013 at 3:03 am | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks, Gary. It was probably an exaggeration to call it a mistake, but it was not how I originally intended for the shot to turn out. It probably came out better this way than if I had been able to frame the whole body (and I am definitely happy with the result).
on May 14, 2013 at 8:45 pm | Reply Charlie@Seattle Trekker

I love looking at your photos, they are amazing, and you need to know they are amazing.
- on May 15, 2013 at 3:00 am | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks for all of your encouragement, Charlie. I think that I am getting a bit better at taking advantage of the situations I find myself in and feel like my skill are improving in photography. I am glad that you enjoy the images.
on May 14, 2013 at 9:02 pm | Reply Joe Schelling

Good one, Mike! Always great to get a smooth background like that. Those birds rarely stand still enough to even think about using a tripod, no?
- on May 15, 2013 at 2:52 am | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks, Joe. It’s true that these birds are almost always on the move. However, I have been able to use my tripod to get some pretty good shots of the barn swallows, because their nest is right underneath a raised portion of a boardwalk from which I am shooting. There are a couple of little trees/bushes places where the birds seem to like to perch prior to entering the nest and that is when I have been able to get shots like this.
on May 14, 2013 at 10:00 pm | Reply Carol Dunnigan

Awesome
- on May 15, 2013 at 2:56 am | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks, Carol.
on May 14, 2013 at 11:15 pm | Reply Sue

Love it! Those are unusual colors in the back feathers–mst have been the light.
- on May 15, 2013 at 2:54 am | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks, Sue. I think you are right about the light. There was some of it that was coming from behind, if I recall correctly.
on May 15, 2013 at 12:16 am | Reply bwbears

I can see your effort and that’s an amazing shot.
- on May 15, 2013 at 2:57 am | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks. I was pretty fortunate to be able to get this shot.
on May 15, 2013 at 6:55 am | Reply New Hampshire Gardener

It’s not often I see such a close up view of a bird. Excellent!
- on May 15, 2013 at 7:26 am | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks. I was on an elevated boardwalk looking slightly down, which permitted me to get this kind of shot without the bird being immediately aware of my presence.
on May 16, 2013 at 8:53 am | Reply Michelle B.

I love the details of this photo! It is an absolutely beautiful image!
- on May 16, 2013 at 7:27 pm | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks. As the title suggests, I was closer than I had intended, but the result had a lot of detail, more than I usually get in a bird photo.
on May 20, 2013 at 5:50 am | Reply Really close | Mike Powell

[…] a number of close-up shots of Barn Swallows in the last few weeks (including one that I entitled Too Close), but this one is distinctive for a couple of reasons. The swallow is in the midst of working on […]