Black Headed Gull

[William Dickson]

Canon 1DX
f/4 500mm with 1.4
f/8
1/2500
ISO 640

This is from a local loch at the weekend. A juve BHG in winter plumage. Late afternoon winter sun, the reflections on the loch, apart from the bird, are autumn leaves, from an over hanging tree.

Will

[Arthur Morris]

Beautiful bird and photo. No flash? Underwing detail is amazing. Bummer for me that the bird's head is angled ever-so-slightly away. The raised wings are great and so are the reflections.

with love, artie

[Tim Foltz]

Will, nice shot, exposure and details are nice, I would remove one of the catchlights though.

-Tim

[William Dickson]

Thanks guys. No flash Artie.

Will

[Arthur Morris]

Thanks Bill. I am amazed:)

with love, artie

[Marina Scarr]

When I saw the thumbnail I figured this bird was flashed. This is a super image. Head angle works fine for me and I love this pose. Whether you choose to remove the 2nd catch light is just a matter of personal preference.

[Isaac Grant]

I have a photo from a few years back that is almost exactly like this. We had a BH Gull that spent the winter eating bread in Prospect Park in Brooklyn. Could walk right up to the bird. I really like your shot. Details are very nice. lovely wing position. I am surprised that others have not mentioned it but to me the whites looked grayed out a bit. Not sure if that is from aggressive highlight reduction, burning or what but I would try and get the whites to look whiter. Perhaps reduce the blacks in the whites in selective color a bit. Would make an already beautiful shot even better.

[William Dickson]

Thanks for the comments, much appreciated. Hi Isaac, I think the shade of white came from the reflection on the water, and the low sun at the time. I get what your saying about them being whiter, but, I think the image portrays the whites as they were. Some are a wee bit hot at the 240 mark. Looks ok on the iMac 5K.

Will

[Glenn Pure]

Pretty nice work here Will. Lots to like here: the wonderful tone and detail on the bird which is a challenge with the whites, great looking water and reflections and your usual nice detail. The raised wings really make this one stand out. No real nits from me on this one at all.