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Loch Ard, Trossachs, Scotland.

I had been doing some landscape work further down the loch, and was on the way back to the car when I spotted this c...
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Loch Ard, Trossachs, Scotland.

I had been doing some landscape work further down the loch, and was on the way back to the car when I spotted this chap - I imagine he'd seen me and thought there might be some food in it for him.

Naturally, my gear was still set up for landscape work - 20mm lens, 2 secs @ f-16 (or something similar) - so a quick change of lens etc. was required. I'm sure I don't have to mention that, with numb fingers, this was easier said than done. However, with the aid of some particularly fruity language, we got there in the end and I managed a couple of quick shots before he decided enough was enough and took off into the wide blue yonder.
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cameraCanon EOS 450D

settings Aperture f/16.0 ISO 200 Shutter 1/90 Focal Length 140/1 

upload_dateFeb, 2015

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1090

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8 Comments |
JudithBain Platinum
 
JudithBain February 07, 2015
Well worth the effort, Karl! I love it!
KarlWilliamsPhotography
KarlWilliamsPhotography February 07, 2015
Thanks, Judith. This one is very popular as a Christmas card!
DorisSeybold
 
DorisSeybold February 08, 2015
stunning!
dani5
 
dani5 February 18, 2015
patience is a virtue and you win,well done
KarlWilliamsPhotography
KarlWilliamsPhotography February 18, 2015
Thanks, Maria!
hwishnick Platinum
 
hwishnick October 17, 2015
A really great shot
cjkeddie
 
cjkeddie January 18, 2016
I love the trail of footsteps!
Pjerry
 
Pjerry December 07, 2016
Very well done........ love it..... love it.
Pjerry
 
Pjerry December 07, 2016
Voted "beauty of birds"
margaretdiffenbaugh
 
margaretdiffenbaugh February 03, 2017
Awesome image. What ever he's selling, I would buy it.

Submitted to Photo Contests

Tags

#Trossachs #ice #mute swan #scotland #tracks #winter
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Behind The Lens

Location

Loch Ard, one of the many lochs in the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park, Scotland.

Time

Mid morning.

Lighting

The sky was partially overcast and the light was fairly soft.

Equipment

Canon EOS 450D plus Canon 70-300mm zoom.

Inspiration

Earlier that morning, I had been doing some landscape work further down the loch and was on my way back to the car when I spotted this chap slowly trudging towards me across the frozen surface of the loch, presumably in the hope of some food. It took me a few seconds to change lenses and settings but I managed to fire off three or four handheld shots before the swan took off for pastures new. It wasn't the swan per se that caught my eye, but the wavy line of tracks he was leaving behind him.

Editing

The original colour shot had a noticeable blue cast from the sky. Normally I would simply desaturate the blues and cyans, but this resulted in the image losing a fair bit of detail so I thought monochrome would be a better option since the image was basically black and white anyway. For emphasis, I left the red beak untounched.

In my camera bag

These days, my principal camera is a Canon EOS 5D Mk III but I also carry an EOS 7D body to take advantage of the telephoto enhancement provided by the APS-C sensor should the need arise. I carry three zoom lenses: Canon 17-40mm zoom, Canon 24-105mm zoom, Canon 100-400mm zoom and I have a range of graduated ND filters for my landscape work.

Feedback

Always be ready for the possibility of an unexpected grab shot. Although I'm principally known for my landscape work, this particular image is one of my best sellers: in the Christmas card market!

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