It was very foggy yesterday. On my way to Edwin B Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge I could see no more than 100 ft (30 m) ahead, and twice almost ran into deer crosssing the road! When I arrived at the refuge, the usual scenery looked very iffy in the thick fog, but I was not about to go back after a two-hour drive.
Slowly the fog lifted, and after half an hour, sunlight fell on beautiful swans and other birds swimming in the sweet water pond. The swans were probably the same I photographed last week, but they had lost their juvenile colors and were all white. They had been preening and looked much cleaner than last week.
The following photos show a Mute Swan flapping its wings after it had finished preening and taken a dip in the water.
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Judy said:
NIce nice all nice!! Love these!! Lovely mood and lighting.
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bluebrightly said:
The fog made for some beautiful light, which you took good advantage of. Really lovely swans, so graceful.
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neihtn2012 said:
I’m glad you emjoyed these shots. The fog was ominous at first, but it turned out well in the end.
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bluebrightly said:
I think fog is the photographer’s friend – maybe not the birder’s! 😉
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Christine I Raymond said:
Hien – I love your photographs. I don’t know if I’ll ever have an eye for composition like you do, but I would love to learn about the mechanical steps (filters, exposure, etc) in taking good photos. How, where did you learn to take photos? Classes? Reading? BTW, the next time you’re in the Big Sur area, be sure to go to Pfeiffer Beach with its purple sand. Hard to find but the small adventure of getting there is half the fun, and the beach itself, with the purple and the huge boulders in the surf, is magical.
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neihtn2012 said:
Thank you Christine! I am not formally trained in photography and learned most of it from reading, and taking lots of pictures. I did go to Pfeiffer Beach three years ago, but it was the wrong time of the year. They say the best lighting there is in December. One of these days I will plan to be there around that time.
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elleturner4 said:
Swans are so beautiful as are these photos 😀
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neihtn2012 said:
Thank you Elle! Glad you like these photos.
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DG MARYOGA said:
Me again,not only to admire your beautiful narrative photos once more but also to thank you for mentioning your typo … Please check out my reply …
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neihtn2012 said:
Thank you Doda. I know how to spell your name, but sometimes my fingers have their own mind, especially with a small keyboard.
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DG MARYOGA said:
Wonderful swan photo series,Hien!They look like scenes taken from a ballet performance 🙂
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neihtn2012 said:
Glad you like the photos, Doda. Were you thinking of Swan Lake?
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DG MARYOGA said:
Absolutely,Hienn 🙂
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Jessica Hagan said:
Gorgeous photography!
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neihtn2012 said:
Thank you Jessica!
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nhi said:
So beautiful.
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neihtn2012 said:
Thank you Anh Nhi!
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quietsolopursuits said:
I love the lighting in both the foggy image, and the ones from when the sun broke through the fog!
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neihtn2012 said:
Thank you Jerry! The 100-400 lens was a good performer.
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Amy said:
Stunning captures, especially the last few shots!
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neihtn2012 said:
Thank you Amy!
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Dymoon said:
patience is your middle name… =^_^= lucky us
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neihtn2012 said:
Thanks!
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RV John said:
Your last bunch of post have excellent water fowl images, one and all!
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neihtn2012 said:
Thank you John!
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katelon said:
Glad you got there safely. I love fog but it can get scary to drive in. Beautiful photos.
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neihtn2012 said:
Thanks Katelon! You are right about the fog.
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Tiny said:
The swans are gorgeous! Well worth the drive.
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neihtn2012 said:
Thanks Tiny! That drive was scary at times.
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mz&cho said:
Captivating photos!
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neihtn2012 said:
Thank you!
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Rebel Guy said:
Amazing pictures!
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neihtn2012 said:
Thank you!
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Cayenne said:
Wonderful photographs! I especially like the one with the fog
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neihtn2012 said:
Thank you Cayenne. That first photo was a surprise to me. I did not expect it to come out okay since there was so much fog.
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dweezer19 said:
These are lovely, graceful, simply gorgeous creatures and your photos really show that! 👏🏻
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neihtn2012 said:
Thank you very much!
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