Wings.

Tree swallow in flight - captured with focus tracking and a lot of patience.
When I was just starting out as a teacher, I saw an amazing poster of Michael Jordan wearing his 23 Bulls' Jersey, arms outstretched, holding a basketball in one hand.  The poster was simply called "Wings."  It made such an impression on me that I went out and found one, laminated it, and had it prominently displayed in my classroom for years.  This was not during the "click and get" era we are currently in; the search for this rare jewel had to be done the hard way.

As I started writing this blog that image burst into my mind.  I thought it would be funny to take a basketball graphic off the web and paste it onto one of the bird's wingtips, but it would wreck the shot and somehow show off MJ - I don't think he can jump THAT high.  Besides, the concept is incredibly silly because passing a basketball to a tree swallow would result in a red, white, and blue stain on the ball.  Probably not the way the colours for the US flag would have been chosen. 

I took the above photo using my Nikon APS-C sensor DSLR and a 150-600 mm lens.  I use manual exposure mode and preset the aperture and shutter speed according to the conditions I am shooting in.  Since swallows are frantic flyers, shifting positions effortlessly in the air in their search for flying insects, I needed a fast shutter speed.  In this case it was 1/2500th of a second.  ISO was 800 and the aperture was at its lowest value (f/6.3).  I kept my back to the sun so the bird wouldn't be backlit and set the focusing parameters to auto 3D. 

Focus tracking works best when the subject is clearly the only thing to focus on.  The camera's computer is capable of following an item as it moves through the field of view, but it can be fooled if there is a lot of visual distractions.  Shooting from a higher angle, like on top of a dyke or bird tower does not work so well as trees, brush, and other landscape features confound the scene.  Getting low to the ground is a better option as the birds have nothing but sky as a background.

I had my drive mode set to high continuous; the camera can capture 10 frames a second when the conditions are right.  It also has a large memory buffer so I can take 30 or 40 RAW images in a row without the camera being choked and forced to stop.  I have done 3D tracking with cameras not so well endowed - possible but not as productive and much more frustrating.  Sometimes the equipment matters.

I am always amazed at the majesty and splendor of these creatures as they dart from place to place to achieve their goal.  I am a spectator to the moment and in awe of their skill and agility.  Perhaps Michael Jordan was inspired by the expertise they show in the air.  Wings indeed.

Thanks for reading.   www.ericspix.com   Eric Svendsen

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