Swans flying past sunrise at Poole Harbour, UK

I was taking sunrise photos a few days ago when I noticed these swans

starting to fly past. With 100 speed film, low light and a monopod,

it was going to be difficult to get a good shot (working at 1/20 with

f5.6 max aperture on my sigma zoom), but I'm pleased with the result -

I guess it could be a little sharper and the sunrise could be more

into the frame, but this was my first proper attempts at panning

shots, and next time I will definitely have my tripod! All comments

and ratings gratefully received. Thanks.

Beautiful...beautiful...beautiful! Arlene Griffith

Great catch.

Lovely Shot!

Sometimes things just click. For me, the sun

placement works better where it is. If it were

more in frame, I think it'd detract from the

birds. As it is, my eye starts at the sun and

then tracks along with the birds. Nice job!

Congratulations on a wonderful shot!

---exquisite Mark. !!! Panning with a camera successfully makes one a good 'wingshot' just as with hunting . "Swing with the bird(s) just slightly faster than they are moving, ---as you pass them with the viewfinder, snap the trigger (shutter) and continue with a smooth follow through swing." Congrats!!

I know how difficult it is to capture a shot like that. Well done!

Incredible

Nice colors - incredible formation. What more could you ask for?

What a catch. Very Nice shot.

keep at it, thats a keeper

 

 

STAN INGERSOL

Mark-

 

WAY cool! Love the colors, the action is marvelous.

 

And the shot is just ducky!

 

Hi Mark,

Ya know when I saw just the thumbnail I thought - this must be a photoshop piece.

 

ha ha... it looked too "Tahiti-sunset-with photoshopped-in-Alaskan-Geese" to be true..

 

but upon closer inpection I realized that my cynicism was misplaced...

 

You were in the right place and the right time

and moreover... there with the skill to capture it!

 

Kudos to you!

 

cheers,

Luc

All of the above and very well done. Dandy job if this was your first pan job....Keep shooting!

Just want to echo the comments made above, this is really beautiful. Poetry in motion... Great job!

Thanks for all the comments - you've started my day off with a grin! This is my first post to photo.net and it's great to hear what other people think, as well as getting a few more useful tips (thanks Richard). It's easy to become overly-critical of your own photos, so it's an eye-opener to know how other people view them.

 

By the way, after noting Lucas's comments, I can assure you that no Photoshop "creativity" was used save for restoring the correct colour balance after scanning the photo in! Thanks again.

I really can't add anything to what has already been said...,So I will just echo what the others have said. Very well done! Thanks for sharing it with us.

I'll join the chorus. It's a lovely picture. The colours are pretty, but the serene composition really distinguishes the shot. (I find it hard to remember even the most beautiful sunset/sunrise pictures for more than 4 seconds after I've viewed them, but this one has stuck with me a couple of days now.) I can't imagine how the image could have been clearer. It looks to me as though you were panning on the middle swan, pretty much perfectly, and the other two moved a little in relation to it.

A perfect example of patience and/or readiness to capture a fleeting scene. Very nice composition.

Wow! This is purty. Great timing adn I like the sun waaay off to the side, it adds to the composition. Good shot.

Very cool. Nice sense of smooth flowing motion, and the three geese in a perfect row, all with the same pose is great. Once in a (how long did you try to get this?)...shot.

Now that I think about it, catching the quickly moving birds and the sun like that must have taken no small amount of planning, time, and luck. Good work!

D-

Perfect time, perfect location, perfect shot!!

 

Wonderful!!

Great!

Great shot - I love what the panning did to the sun