As I do every afternoon, I headed to Aiguamolls N.P. (Spain) to photograph the starlings’ final dance before they settle down for the night. It’s an outing I repeat daily during December and January, when the number of starlings in the park reaches its peak.
That afternoon was cloudy, and I already had in mind to take advantage of the soft, diffused light to shoot some high-key images—some at normal speed and others at slower shutter speeds—always waiting for the moment when the flock shifted direction, pushed by raptors looking for their dinner. This particular shot felt like one of the most balanced compositions, both for the shape the flock created and for the different layers of birds within the frame.
As for post-processing, there’s not much to add—the image had already been shot in high key. I just applied a bit of sharpening and clarity to make the birds stand out slightly more against the white sky. The final step was converting it to black and white (bitonal) to give the moment a more personal and artistic touch.
