Starbound Swallow

Written By Ray Hennessy
 

Photographer: Gurnit Atwal

click to view full-screen

 

1/6400 • f/18 • ISO 1250 • Sony A1ii • 122mm • Sony FE 70-200mm f/2.8 GM OSS II

I often joke that swallows move at "warp speed," seeing them more as space travellers than birds. This inspired a photographic project: capturing a swallow in a scene resembling outer space. I found my location at an urban park marina bridge. By intentionally underexposing the reflective water, the sun’s reflection became a giant star, while specs of plastic and plant life transformed into pinprick stars, creating the perfect cosmic backdrop.

The conceptual simplicity—capturing a swallow flying directly into the sun's reflection with a black background—was severely complicated by two factors: the swallows' extreme speed and a persistent Toronto heatwave. To achieve the perfect shot in-camera, I committed to spending hours daily, during the sun’s peak, battling the heat for over a month. Though I was ready to quit many evenings, I was inevitably back the next day. After weeks of effort, everything finally aligned. The iridescent colours on the Barn Swallow’s wings were the final, stunning detail, perfectly completing the vision by resembling the mythical Bifrost bridge, a perfect metaphor for the seemingly instantaneous nature of a swallow’s flight.

 
Ray Hennessy

Starting in 2007 my fascination with nature photography began.  In the years since, wildlife photography with a focus on birds has gone from a very passionate hobby of mine to become my career. I spend much of my free time in natural areas searching for birds and any other wildlife that comes along. I concentrate on using creative natural lighting and interesting compositions to capture unique images of common and rare wildlife. My favorite style is a more scenic photo that includes some of the habitat wildlife lives in. I also enjoy passing along the knowledge and experience that I have gathered over the years to other photographers who are eager to learn.

www.rayhennessy.com
Previous

Place of Belonging
Next

After The Storm On The Prairie