Swantastic!

AnimalRights

Ok I will admit I'm no expert as getting my white balance or water reflections anywhere nearly to an acceptable level and I don't own PS/Gimp so the best I could do was just auto adjust and unsharpen a wee bit, the Sky as you can see really was like that.
I was obviously shocked at seeing so many Swans in one place, according to a local though they are there all year.







This is the one were I was lost for white balance.



What type of Bird is this?

Any tips on the white balance/water will be welcomed.

l pearse

Went out to Bray last week myself & was a little shocked at the amount of Swans too. Had to watch my back sometimes while l took a few shot.
The last photo is a 'goose' that thinks he's a Swan....Confused birdie!!!:(

Great shots Animalrights
Here's a couple l got at Bray habour.:p

Roen

African Goose.

Ricky91t

Nice set of pics seems you got a bit of time with no rain
the whitebalance and exposure is fine in the pics except 3 but a tiny bit of touching up and it would be fine.

Is it just me of have you not been aruond for a while?

AnimalRights

ricky91t wrote: »

Is it just me of have you not been aruond for a while?

Being away for a wee while as I was at a Punk festival over in Blackpool.
Pics in my er Pix.
And previous to that my router died so had to hassle Smart for a new one which took a lickkle while but got the end result..

challengemaster

I think 3 possibly damaged my retina with all that burn out. Ok maybe not SO bad, but it's damn hard to look at.

Seriously though, due to it, it looks like you've got a two headed swan.

Borderfox

Tough backgrounds to shoot with, Malahide Eastuary is really nice to take pictures of Swans.

Limerick Bandit

i like your shots Animalrights
what camera are you using?
heres 1 i took of a swan not too long ago

AnimalRights

450D with the 24-105L IS lens, I was actually down in Bray as a minor film extra which was being shot in the Harbourbar, A Punk film of course.
And we noticed the Swans so.......
It's actually the 1st time I wished I actually had a widescreen lens as the scenery there was made for one., when I was at the fest met a German guy who had the Tokina 11-16 lens but no money now for a few months.......

rgiller

Maybe it's just me but I don't find anything really interesting in those swan pictures, they're more like snaps. I think you should have tried to get in closer and taken the photos from their level, rather than standing up

PaulieC

look a bit over-exposed to me - there is no detail in the swan's bodies at all. Is this down in Bray ? Looks a bit scary to me, but I think I still believe the story about swans braking your arms if you go near them

DaireQuinlan

cambo_gueno wrote: »

look a bit over-exposed to me - there is no detail in the swan's bodies at all. Is this down in Bray ? Looks a bit scary to me, but I think I still believe the story about swans braking your arms if you go near them

"with one blow of their mighty pinions" etc etc. Interestingly enough there was a kid a few years back who was attacked and got roughed up by the swans in bray harbour. His mother, who was with him at the time, was campaigning quite shrilly' to have them all destroyed. Turns out that he'd spent a good 10 minutes throwing stones at them, his mother right beside him the whole time, and then had finally rushed down to try and pick up one of the cygnets. At this point the swans' patience snapped ...

PaulieC

DaireQuinlan wrote: »

"with one blow of their mighty pinions" etc etc. Interestingly enough there was a kid a few years back who was attacked and got roughed up by the swans in bray harbour. His mother, who was with him at the time, was campaigning quite shrilly' to have them all destroyed. Turns out that he'd spent a good 10 minutes throwing stones at them, his mother right beside him the whole time, and then had finally rushed down to try and pick up one of the cygnets. At this point the swans' patience snapped ...

I can imagine the mother's indignation - 'but he wasn't doing anything, he was just attacked!!' .

oeb

This was taken on my first day with my mates SLR, I fecked it up a bit (Shutter speed a bit low, a little over exposed) but it's a swan, so it goes here =P





*Edit*, look, another swan.

AnimalRights

rgiller wrote: »

Maybe it's just me but I don't find anything really interesting in those swan pictures, they're more like snaps. I think you should have tried to get in closer and taken the photos from their level, rather than standing up

It is just you I was laying down or sitting, look at the Sky above as I already stated, best quality I could get.
As for the snaps debate thats a very open issue at best of times, Swan going to car/Picture of numerous Swans/Rare Bird/3 Swans resting in a nice line.

Thread didn't say C&C but asked for tips maybe on pic 3 which was done incorrectly, I also found it fascinating to see so many in one place hence the quick snaps b4 I went to the film.
I think you're just anti Swan!

Kintarō Hattori

oeb wrote: »

What the hell is that at the rear. I would have thought it was part of his wing but I don't think it is. Freaky looking stuff.

Looking at no.3 I think you've just over-exposed slightly.When photographing swans I always try and aim for an exposure which brings the detail out in the swans body instead of the surroundings.The background can be sorted out later in photoshop.I actually quite like the composition and the swans reflection in the car.

oeb

Kintarō Hattori wrote: »

What the hell is that at the rear. I would have thought it was part of his wing but I don't think it is. Freaky looking stuff.

It's one of his legs. Baby cygnets do that sometimes, well they do down in ross castle anyway. No idea why.

Kintarō Hattori

oeb wrote: »

It's one of his legs. Baby cygnets do that sometimes, well they do down in ross castle anyway. No idea why.

Wow that's ultra flexible and bizzare.

AnimalRights

Deleted User wrote: »

Looking at no.3 I think you've just over-exposed slightly.When photographing swans I always try and aim for an exposure which brings the detail out in the swans body instead of the surroundings.The background can be sorted out later in photoshop.I actually quite like the composition and the swans reflection in the car.

Cheers for the tips, as I said it was very much a rush job as had to be elsewhere....I do carry my cam most times with me so I was like a tourist snapping away!

Nforce

Here's a few of my shots taken about a year ago with my trusty old Nikon Coolpix 5700:)

AnimalRights

They're excellent.

sheesh

I like the first one it looks like an invasion of swans I think it does capture the weirdness of that amount of large birds in a confined area.

It immediately reminded me of the episode of the simpsons where the dolphins take over the land. (but thats probably only me:o).