Violet-green Swallows

[Trent Watts]

While having a coffee in Silverton B.C. (central Kootenays) I noticed some swallows flying around at breakneck speeds. They were coming and going from a lumberyard. I approached from a back alley and was able to watch as they flew in and out from under the open roof of a shed. It was hard to follow their movements in the air but I was able to snag a few shots of them flying in all sorts of configurations, some rolling and turning in mid-flight. It was a delight to see these aerial acrobats.

Violet-green Swallows.

 

[JimFox]

Wow! Those guys look like they are having a blast! You did a great job capturing these. I can only imagine just how hard it would be to capture them with them swooping around like that.

This is a bird I hadn't heard of before. They are sure cool looking with the green colors.

 

[Trent Watts]

Wow! Those guys look like they are having a blast! You did a great job capturing these. I can only imagine just how hard it would be to capture them with them swooping around like that.

This is a bird I hadn't heard of before. They are sure cool looking with the green colors.

Thanks Jim. I appreciate the comments.

 

[AlanLichty]

Delightful shots. What kind of shutter speed are you using for this type action shot? Swallows aren't slow.

 

[Trent Watts]

Delightful shots. What kind of shutter speed are you using for this type action shot? Swallows aren't slow.

Thanks Alan. The OM-1 has really good tracking for birds in flight. The problem I have is finding them in the viewfinder and then zooming in and still keeping the bird in the frame.
I'm using 1/2000 sec. and 15 frames/sec. saving as a RAW file. There were many many more shots that are blank or just the tip of a wing visible. I was probably shooting for 30 min. or so to get a few half decent shots.

 

[Michael13]

Great athleticism on the part of the birds and the photographer!

 

[Trent Watts]

Great athleticism on the part of the birds and the photographer!

Thanks Michael.

 

[Jameel Hyder]

I really like the second image - the colors and pose are perfect.

 

[Trent Watts]

I really like the second image - the colors and pose are perfect.

Thanks Jameel

 

[KevinA]

Not the easiest subject to capture in flight but you've managed to get some great shots Trent, well done

 

[Trent Watts]

Not the easiest subject to capture in flight but you've managed to get some great shots Trent, well done

Thanks so much Kevin.