From the clifftops

[shane shacaluga]

Was hiking over the edge of a cliff trying to find some seabird activity, but the wind was pretty weak and the birds were way down below. Was about to call it a day as the birds were too small in the frame, when this group of black headed gulls flew past.

I framed as many as I could and took a few shots

Later I realised the shot was a bit bland, so tried in B&W and that seems to spice it up a little.

As the theme is for a different view, well B&W and from the top of a cliff is pretty different for me :w3

D7000
300f4 + 1.7x TC
1/2500
f7.1
ISO 640

Darkened the water quite a bit and selectively sharpened the gulls
Cloned the head of a gull from the bottom left corner

C&C welcome. Not really sure this works but it was something different at least for me

[Diane Miller]

This works for me! It is different, and I think darkening the water was a great idea.

[Nancy Bell]

B&W is a good call. There is a nice overall diagonal to the grouping of the birds, plus each is nicely separated and all have similar lighting, creating a very interesting composition. The lines & shadows in the black sea support the motion of the birds very well, and is nicely processed to add to the image but not overwhelm the smaller birds. I like the graphic feel created by the bright white lines on the leading edges of the wings. Good of you to be motivated to work with this image in an OOTB way!

[Cheryl Slechta]

Shane, I think Nancy covered most of the points that make this a nice image as well as an OOTB one:S3: I think you could also try cropping a little from the bottom (above your sig) as an alternate crop.

[Hazel Grant]

Nothing much to add to the above except I like it. The BW was a good call.

[Judy Howle]

Nancy expressed it very well. I like the composition and your processing in b & w was a good decision. I like the crop as is since the lowest bird would then be pretty close to the bottom if it was cropped more.

[Kerry Perkins]

Hi Shane, I like the perspective, which is just right for the theme. Nice tonal balance for the monochrome; the gulls stand out nicely but not harshly. I like the arrangement of them in the frame too. Well done!

[shane shacaluga]

Thanks a lot for all your comments. Much appreciated ;)