Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Extraordinary Mute Swans


Photographing Mute Swans isn't particularly difficult. Though they are a non-native species in this country, most people have at least seen lots of pictures of these Eurasian birds. I think we sometimes become numb to certain birds and animals we consider commonplace. Getting photos of Mute Swans is not the challenge...it's getting interesting photos of them. Sometimes we have to refocus and look for the extraordinary in the ordinary. Don't automatically disregard something just because you've seen it a hundred times.







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39 comments:

Elizabeth Edwards said...

wow, you really got some great close ups & details ... amazing. (:

Linda said...

Such gorgeous photos, Brian! I especially love the water dripping from the bill - and the reflection shot!

JOY @ http://joysjotsshots.blogspot.com/ said...

Your note is well regarded. Second picture is case in point. Never knew the beak looked like that. enJOYed.

Lindsjö taxar said...

Wow, great close ups. We have of course a lot of them. In spring you see them in the fields and its a lot of them.

Kerri Farley said...

Breathtaking! WOW!

Gail Dixon said...

Love the water action, especially in the first shot. We had mute swans at a pond near our home in Texas and I got quite bored shooting them. But you bring up a good point: challenging yourself to create something interesting out of the ordinary. Good one, Brian!

Andee said...

Great pictures Brian. We have so many swans around here. The last time I was taking pictures of them I was actually calling out to them "do something". You got them doing lots!

renae said...

stunning! stunning! stunning! stunning! stunning! stunning!

Beth said...

AWESOME!!

Jan n Jer said...

Love all the detail...awesome shots!

TexWisGirl said...

wow, brian, you ROCKED these! they rival any of your GBH shots! i especially like the head-tilt and the water-roiling action, but that last reflection of the nostrils x 2 is awesome!

Modesto Viegas said...

Nice great close ups!!!

HansHB said...

A great post, perfect for WBW!
Have a great evening!

Deanna said...

just stunning, every shot is breath-taking!!

Dina said...

Beautiful shots with all of the water details on them. I like the one with the inside of his beak. I've never noticed those ridges before.

Tammy said...

So true Brian and you did a great job with this. Love the mid-air water!

theconstantwalker said...

Wonderful images Brian.. a lovely bird we both share.

Leenie said...

You DID get interesting photos. I especially like how your camera can stop water in it's flow as it catches the light. Art has the power to make the common--uncommon and amazing.

Sharon M said...

great photos!

Rohrerbot said...

Wonderful closeups. I've seen a couple of them here and there. But never get a chance to photograph them. Nicely done!

Adam Jones said...

Fantastic close ups of the swan. Great stuff.

Grandma Barb's This and That said...

Great Shots! Love the water dripping of the bill and the reflection of it in the water. Amazing!

eileeninmd said...

Wow, AWEsome shots of the swans.

mick said...

Great photos of the swans - and definitely NOT ordinary!

Neil said...

Beautiful photos great close ups.

Mary Howell Cromer said...

They are beautiful aren't they, and your images are right at the top in quality. I recently got some images of them, that I shall share soon. Have a great day~

Mary said...

Water in motion...love the drops, and shadows of drops.. So so pretty.

Gary Jones said...

Great images Brian, just come across your blog and now following.
Regards Gary
http://walksnwildlife.blogspot.co.uk/

Debbie said...

you are so right brian, they are a piece of cake to photograph. unlike the gbh and egrets that i am always chasing!!

these are wonderful images, with so much detail. a walk down by the water to visit mine will be in my near future!!

Pamela Gordon said...

Wonderful closeups and detail. I like the second photo of the head. Beautiful!

Vores have said...

WAU - where some amazing pictures you show :)

Fjällripan said...

Wow you really captured some beautiful moments! Great photos of the swan /Susanne

i stora drag said...

Love all your photos of the beutiful swan! We often see those in my country Sweden too.
Greetings Pia

Sharon Whitley said...

Great post - I was thinking the same about magpies last night when deciding what to paint - such a commonplace bird often disregarded but such gorgeous blue feathers, not just black and white - so that's what I painted. I love swans and you've captured these mute swans wonderfully, thank you for sharing!

Stewart M said...

Hi there - I could not agree more - its pays to Pay Attention! (Sounds like decent name for a blog!)

Cheers

Stewart M

Kim, USA said...

Oh my gush your photos are fantastic and stunning. I so love it. Thanks for the visit on my blog I do appreciate it.


Kim, USA

Anonymous said...

Definitely NOT ordinary or boring!

Liz said...

I couldn't agree more Brian!! Until I bought my DSLR, I took many things for granted... especially the everyday birds. Now, I love to capture them in creative ways, zooming in on plummage, capturing their character and interesting movements. You have some amazing captures here Brian. I love the water drops and the splashing.

Larry said...

Your comment is so right on Brian. One person's common bird is another's rarity! Even though I see some species all the time, I still discover behaviors I have never witnessed before.

Great shots of the Mute Swans! I especially like the second shot showing the filtering structure of the beak.