Violet-green Swallow
This image was captured in early morning light at the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder Colorado.
This image was captured in early morning light at the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder Colorado.
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Jun, 2018Views
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Behind The Lens
Location
I came across this subject while exploring the nature trails around the National Center for Atmospheric Research Trailhead in Boulder, CO.Time
I was enjoying the beautiful sunrise from the NCAR mesa before heading off to the business meeting when I noticed large numbers of Green-violet Swallows flittering about in the plantings near NCAR’s main building.Lighting
I starting shooting from various angles, and the more I studied these beautiful creatures the more I wanted to get a shot of one of them from behind hopefully with it looking back towards me with a catchlight in its eye. Unable to get the angle I wanted, and getting close to being late for my meeting, I sat down to store my equipment when miraculously the subject landed on a short wall not 10 feet away, put its back to me, looked backwards, all in perfect early morning light.Equipment
I was shooting with my Nikon D7100 and my 300mm f/4 lens couple to a 1.4x telextender for an effective focal length of 420mm, stopped to f/9 for some depth of field and at ISO1600 to support a short exposure of 1/1600 seconds.Inspiration
I live shooting animals in the wild, and the Boulder, CO area never disappoints. I always try to take an early morning photo stroll each time I visit the area and the subjects a diverse and ever changing as a function of season. Green-violet Swallows are common in the late spring based on my experience.Editing
The lighting was so nice very little post-processing was required other than my standard re-balancing of Nikon raw image colors, and a crop to accentuate the feather colors and fine details.In my camera bag
I routinely shoot birds and other animals in the wild with my Nikon APS-C body (now upgraded to a D500), and my 300mm PF f/4 telephoto with or without the TC14III extender, and my 500mm PF f/5.6 with no extender. I also carry a 104mm macro lens for the occasional insect or flower.Feedback
I almost lost the opportunity for this shot due to a little impatience. Fortunately it worked out. For good results with animals in their natural environments, the most important thing to bring to your shoot is patience.
