Great contrasts going on in this image..the light head, the dark neck against the white body, framed by the dark water... best picture of a swan posted here yet! :c)
often bird photos are a dime a dozen, but this one really caught my eye. like piner said, the contrast not just on the bird itself but with the dark water, is great. great angle, NICE quality... and i love the drop off water under his beak. excellent.
Wow. If you look at it with enough resolution, you can see the sunlight beginning to gleam on the Swan's head. It's a golden color... very cool indeed.
all the positive feedback is certainly overwhelming, thanks for the posts everyone. by the way this was taken seconds before he chased me away and i almost fell into the pond.
moment of silence please for those who never get the chance
they show up to the party but they're never asked to dance
the losers the liars the bastards the thieves
the cynicists, the pessimists and those that don't believe in nothing
-streetlight manifesto
lol thanks guys, although i dont really understand the 104 but i'll take it until the error is revealed. (turns out that the run in with the killer swan was worth it after all.)
"The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves, but wiser people so full of doubts." Bertrand Russell
Fabulous shot...swans are so beautifully elegant to look at, and yours is no exception, though I agree with kileychristine, he does look a little grumpy :P
2004? Digital cameras have come a long way in the past 7 years, from a couple megapixel to over 20, with loads of added capabilities and great software to make the photos even better. But this is rather amazing. Most photos I see from 04, or even later, aren't this good. The contrast, lighting, focus, comp are all excellent, better than many submitted now in 2011. What really surprises me is that it received an 80. Considering that it was more common to get high scores then, as opposed to now, it really should be in the 90's. This also is testament to the sheer volume of images on this site. I've been a member, off and on, since the spring of 2006 and I've never seen this one before. If your photos were this good back then, I'm going to have to check out your gallery to see what you're doing now.
If you've ever wanted to make a difference but found it hard to believe that one person could... check out the Kiva Team Caedes discussion thread and discover that anything is possible.