I had a little fun with a pair of barn swallows in the horse barn on the dairy farm where I help with chores. The pair was nesting 20′ back from the big doors and as I watched them I saw that they frequently perched on the old horse tack stored in the beams of the roof.

Grabbing my Nikon 80-400 and cranking up my Nikon D750 to ISO 3200 I framed up the a favorite perch and waited for the birds to appear. I could’ve composed very tightly but I would’ve lost the context of the barn. By zooming back a bit I was able to get the harness pieces and the old wooden beams. It’s a environmental portrait of a nesting horse barn swallow.

I think I’ll go back and try some more shots on the farm. I haven’t seriously photographed there  in a long time. I think that is about to change.