Well without a monster zoom lens, I was limited this week with my Bird shots. So I went to my favorite lake in search of some water shots, and got a bit lucky with this one. She was floating around and came rather close so I could get this shot. I love how graceful and beautiful these birds are. They always seem to want to show thier beauty and there is much to show.
In 2004, a nationwide program in the United States was announced that would reduce Mute Swan populations by 85%, with the remaining swans to be pinioned, neutered and placed in parks. Although thousands protested, it was to no avail. I'm not sure if this is one of those swans, but I have seen mute swans here before. I was really glad I was able to capture this and hope others like it as well.
Adjustments:
Shot in Raw
Tonemapped
In Jpeg:
USM, Dodge & Burn, Brightness & Contrast, Neat Image, Channel Mixer, Hue Saturation to add Blue tone. Used Curves Layer and Layer Mask, Crop, Resize, Add Border, Save for Web.
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Hey, a B&W of a B&W swan. Good job on the exposure and contrast. focus looks good with the eyes very sharp and a nice catchlight in the eye. Compositon is a little tight and could have used a little room to the left, putting the head at the "rule of thirds" mark.
The slight bluish tones suit the elegance of this bird. Perhaps not uberfine detail in the feathers, but good exposure to keep from losing the highlights and the photograph has an almost painterly feel to it.
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