[James C.]

I went out late Sunday afternoon (4/10/2022) to one of the nature preserves in my area (Central New Jersey). I walked the path to a pond about a half mile away, and it was hopping with swallows (Tree, Northern Rough-winged, and Barn) zipping back and forth low over the water as they captured insects.

This location gave me another great opportunity to further develop my skill tracking these small, fast, erratic flyers. But added to the challenge of getting decent photos of these birds was the light. It was partially overcast, with breaks of blue sky here and there making the light variable. This made it particularly difficult getting the exposure setting just right, especially when they flew close to the water. Plus, I could see rain a few miles off in the distance headed my way.

Because of all the clouds, I decided to raise my ev so that I might be able to get some "high key" shots.

This photo of one of the Barn Swallows, I'm especially pleased with.

Using: Nikon D500, Nikkor 500mm PF lens (handheld), ISO 8000, f/9, 1/2,500th sec., ev +3.0

You can only see EXIF info for this image if you are logged in.

 

[frdjohns]

I went out late Sunday afternoon (4/10/2022) to one of the nature preserves in my area (Central New Jersey). I walked the path to a pond about a half mile away, and it was hopping with swallows (Tree, Northern Rough-winged, and Barn) zipping back and forth low over the water as they captured insects.

This location gave me another great opportunity to further develop my skill tracking these small, fast, erratic flyers. But added to the challenge of getting decent photos of these birds was the light. It was partially overcast, with breaks of blue sky here and there making the light variable. This made it particularly difficult getting the exposure setting just right, especially when they flew close to the water. Plus, I could see rain a few miles off in the distance headed my way.

Because of all the clouds, I decided to raise my ev so that I might be able to get some "high key" shots.

This photo of one of the Barn Swallows, I'm especially pleased with.

Using: Nikon D500, Nikkor 500mm PF lens (handheld), ISO 8000, f/9, 1/2,500th sec., ev +3.0


View attachment 36238

That looks pretty good - those guys are so hard to track.

 

[James C.]

That looks pretty good - those guys are so hard to track.

Thanks. I'm still going through my shots from this little excursion and another that I took the week before at another preserve where I also was photographing swallows. I am slowly starting to get more keeper shots. I figure if I can successfully photograph swallows in flight, I'll be able to photograph almost ANY bird in flight!

 

[Butlerkid]

Great capture and delightful position in flight. Image looks a bit over exposed., IMHO.

 

[Charles Loy]

I agree a tad over exposed, but it is captured in a super position. Keep sharing