I've had the chance to assist at a few weddings since the summer started and the Alpha 700 has proved very useful, and more dependable than the Alpha 200. As camera's go, they're a world apart. It's still very useful practise to assist another photographer and I'm putting the hours in, ready for my solo wedding coming at the end of this week! I'm feeling confident in the camera and have now visited the venue twice to make sure it's been scouted sufficiently!

I had a bit of time spare today and thought that I would visit the very lovely village of West Ashling near Funtington, and not all that far from Chichester to photograph some swans that have taken up residence.

http://www.westsussex.info/west-ashling.shtml

It's a black swan that's living there and it's recently had some Signets (or Swanlings, which I think is a lot cuter). The pond's very close to the road and all of the resident wild life is clearly very used to people floating about. I got mobbed by some Geese for a short while until they realised that I had no bread on me. I was surprised at how vocal the Geese were about it and even felt a tiny bit intimidated for a short while.

But, as loud as the Geese were I wasn't there for them and after getting a few shots of them squawking past I went looking for the swan. It's on Alys' commute to work so I knew it was there somewhere but was a bit worried that it might on the other side of the pond, which looks to be part of someone's garden. I had fitted a Minolta 70-210 "beercan" zoom lens to the Alpha which hasn't got the range to get the photos I wanted on the other side of the pond.

Luckily, the swan and signets had decided to have a nibble at the bank on the side of the pond closest to me, they seemed extremely used to people and I was able to get really close. The lens worked well, it's always had very good reviews and with the Sony A700 seems to peform really quickly.

This is a review of the lens, worth reading if you're interested in it.

http://reviews.ebay.ca/Maxxum-70-210mm-f-4-Telephoto-Lens-quot-The-Beercan-quot_W0QQugidZ10000000000751723

The swan and family eventually became a little bored of me taking endless photos and swam of together, the photo above shows of the red beak very well and I was trying to keep the focus on the swan rather than the signets. I'm not sure why one of the signets kept it's leg up like that but it kept it's leg on it's back the whole time.

I'm really proud of the last two photos, the picture above is framed well by the mother's neck. She was digging grass out of the bank and throwing it into the water for the signets to eat. I snapped this while she was leaning forwards. The photo below shows them all paddling off, although you can't see the beak, I'm fond of the shape that the signets are making behind the swan.