Barn Swallows
Climbing does not feature as one of my greatest endeavours but to do so to see sights like this makes it all the more special....
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Climbing does not feature as one of my greatest endeavours but to do so to see sights like this makes it all the more special.
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Dec, 2015Views
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Awards
Creative Winter Award
Curator's Selection
People's Choice in Baby Birds Photo Challenge
Outstanding
Peer Award
Superb Composition
Absolute Masterpiece
Top Choice
Magnificent Capture
Outstanding Creativity
All Star
Superior Skill
Love it
Virtuoso
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Top 10 rankTop 10 rank week 1
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Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
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Behind The Lens
Location
I took this in a friend's shed/barn in Chulmleigh, Devon, UKTime
The shot was taken during the late afternoonLighting
I climbed up on a beam to pop my head in to see if there were any young and was so surprised to see this bunch of lovelies. I stayed still for a long while and Mum and Dad flew in and out feeding them and seemed to accept me balancing on the beam. Once I had gained their trust I thought I would take a photo. In my infinite wisdom I forgot to turn the flash off and when it went off all the little mouths opened in unison. After thinking about it I realised that as the parents flew in from the outside the chicks reacted with open mouths to the changing light. This seemed to be the reason why they did it when I took the photo.Equipment
Sony DSC-H2 Cybershot 12x Optical Zoom with built in flashInspiration
I am totally inspired by nature and tend to use this theme for most of the photography I carry out. Curiosity got the better of me as I watched the Barn Swallows flying in and out of the shed so felt compelled to investigate.Editing
I just sharpened the image a little but other than that I did not carry out very much post-processing at all. One of those lucky shots!In my camera bag
I always carry with me a Sony DSC H400 Cybershot with 64x Optical Zoom and my Canon EOS 400D DIGITAL with Sigma DG 70-300mm Lens and a glass cloth. I do take the tripod in the car but very rarely use it, luckily I have a steady hand!Feedback
I would never really encourage anyone to go peeping into nests but I did on this occasion because there were several nests in the shed and I was a little curious to see how many were occupied. I have not taken a shot like this since and probably won't again. I think for me it is part of learning about wildlife and understanding why they do what they do. I may have been responsible for confusing these birds but luckily no harm done. I stood for a long while under the nest and off the beam to ensure they continued feeding. Luckily they were fine. My lesson from this was to always check your settings to ensure the flash does not go off unexpectedly.
