Photographing Swans for Paintings

I came across these swans on the formal lake at Foutains Abbey near Ripon whilst on a family day out last week.

I couldn't resist photographing them. Swans are relatively easy to photograph and as a result I often overlook them. But they make a great subject for a painting, like in this one.

I shot these photographs on manual, spot metering the swans to make the already dark water almost black for a dramatic effect.

Often in these situations it is better to set your camera on manual, because otherwise if you leave it up to the camera to evaluate the exposure you can get over exposed photos.
I think I'm going to enjoy turning these subjects into paintings.