Cindy Marple  

Building Material by Cindy Marple

April 2026 - Building Material

April 2026 - Cindy Marple

Original

About the Image(s)

The Cliff Swallows have returned and built their mud nests under a pedestrian bridge over a canal. They collected mud at the edge of a nearby pond and then flew directly back to the nest site. Normally, they’re so erratic in flight that they’re really hard to follow, so this more predictable flight path gave me a better chance to capture them. I positioned myself under the flight path, and focused on the birds at the pond. I was able to follow (some of) them as they took off and flew my way, and today’s amazing subject detect AF did a decent job of keeping focus. The bonus was having the beakfull of mud, giving more of a story to the image. Nikon Z8, 600mm, 1/3200 f/6.3 ISO 800. Processing; mainly the crop, and a slight tweak of contrast using the levels tool. They’re incredibly fast fliers and when they get close enough to be bigger in the frame, it’s almost impossible to keep them in the frame.

6 comments posted

Steve Cole   Steve Cole
Well you accomplished the difficult task of this type of capture. I assume you were in a burst shooting mode, perhaps tone down the blue sky a bit to bring out the details of the bird. Nicely Done.   Posted: 04/07/2026 14:13:04
Jerry Biddlecom   Jerry Biddlecom
These little guys, with their quick flitting around, are a source of frustration for me, so I tend to not even bother trying to capture them. Hats off to you for doing such an excellent job of nailing this shot! I think this is so sharp that you could afford to crop in and at the same time eliminate a portion of the sky which might present too much negative space. Having the mud in its mouth is certainly a bonus. The bird seems to be looking right at the viewer. Not much to criticize here -- good job!   Posted: 04/09/2026 16:29:42
Cindy Marple   Cindy Marple
Because this was pretty small in the frame, even if sharp, there are fewer pixels on the subject to keep the detail if it's upscaled / cropped too much. I've tried Topaz for upscaling but often I'm unhappy with the results on birds and wildlife, it just doesn't do justice to the detail.
Anyway, I can crop in a bit more on this for web use, so I did that and darkened the sky a bit.
I also prefer to have more negative space in many of my images, just a matter of personal preference on that.   Posted: 04/09/2026 17:54:36
Comment Image
Jerry Biddlecom   Jerry Biddlecom
I like it!   Posted: 04/09/2026 20:31:38
Maria Mazo   Maria Mazo
Hi Cindy,
Very well captured image of this cliff swallow. You've managed to freeze it in flight, and the addition of mud in its beak elevates the image by telling a clear story. Swallows are incredibly fast and erratic flyers; capturing them requires a good dose of patience and technique, and you did it!   Posted: 04/14/2026 21:04:57
Adrian Binney   Adrian Binney
Cindy - very impressive camera techniques, well done! The stand out here that makes the image special is the look he's giving towards you - it makes such a difference. Yes you have mud in its beak, but having some story like that is almost a prerequisite. The look right brings it up a level!

With that story and the benefit of the look right, I think the image needs to show the little chap big in the frame. Fabulous!   Posted: 04/19/2026 06:45:35

 

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