First Year Laughing Gull?

[Joseph Przybyla]

I captured this image at Lake Morton in Lakeland, Florida. I think it is a first year Laughing Gull, please chime in if I am wrong. Comments and critique welcomed and appreciated. Thank you for viewing.

Nikon D500
Nikon 80-400mm F/4.5-5.6 VRII AF-S ED image captured at 400mm
1/3200 F/8 Matrix Metering EV 0 ISO 800 WB set with the eyedropper on a neutral HH
Post processed in Lightroom Classic, Photoshop CC 2019 and Neat Image for noise reduction
Pretty much full frame, just rotated a tad for composition and presentation

[Steve Kaluski]

Hi Joe, I love the angle and the cropped wings, it looks intentional and certainly give the appearance of 'coming at you'.

At ISO 800 it does look noisy especially in the wings, did you lighten the image, but I think you may have needed a plus on the EV so the image is brighter, forget the BKG, you can deal with that within PP. I feel you levelled the eyes, but going even more CW (not a huge amount) I think can add some more drama input and let PS take care of any missing BKG. Again, opening up those Blacks, and adding some more USM helps.


WB set with the eyedropper on a neutral HH

That's fine Joe if you get your 50 shades of grey, but then you need to adjust it further to get to where you feel best represents the scene, all you have done with the 50 is ensure there is no basis and so the RGB channels are balanced.

TFS
Steve

[Bob Smith]

Close up in-your-face views like this really, for me at least, is one of the most valuable aspects of photography. It takes us into the critter's world in a way that just watching them fly by can never do. My suggestion might be to try using the adjustment brush to paint a little light on the circle of the face generally and perhaps even, experimentally, specifically. The tail flare adds a nice sense of motion.
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[Joseph Przybyla]

Thanks Steve and Bob for viewing and commenting. I gave the image another go. Here is a repost.

[Bob Smith]

Thanks Steve and Bob for viewing and commenting. I gave the image another go. Here is a repost.

I like it Joe--you have given the face centre stage.

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[Steve Kaluski]

Hi Joe, to me the RP has lost a lot of the very subtle colour you had which I liked, portraying a late evening I think, where as it's now looking very monochromatic.

Joe, this was where I was going in my direction/thinking, I had to quickly add in the © because of the rotation, so apologies if it's not 100%.

If either of you reply to the two threads I will pick it up later tomorrow as I'm calling it a night now and I have a 200 mile drive first thing, good job the car is on auto pilot. Thanks for the exchanges gentlemen, it's been enjoyable from my end. :S3:

Steve

[Joseph Przybyla]

Another repost, maybe three's a charm. I brought the blue back into the background but removed it from the bird. A overcast morning with a lot of blue in the light.

[Bob Smith]

Another repost, maybe three's a charm. I brought the blue back into the background but removed it from the bird. A overcast morning with a lot of blue in the light.

I like your version best Steve --somehow the eyes are really clear &
prominent there. I'm going back and forth between that and Joe's RPs and for the life of me I can't figure out what Steve has done to make that face jump out and be so alive. Thanks for the book referral Steve--I'll put it on my Christmas list. For now I'm going to go with refining my LR adjustment brush skills. I do really find the Texture slider useful for stuff like working on the face of this example...it's much less disruptive than Clarity and Sharpening.



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[John Mack]

Really love the head on view of this one. The bird forms a nice diaganol line.

[Arthur Morris]

I like the versioni n Pane 4. best. The original is flat and noisy. It is a young Ring-billed Gull.

with love, artie

[Joseph Przybyla]

I like the versioni n Pane 4. best. The original is flat and noisy. It is a young Ring-billed Gull.

with love, artie


Hey Artie, thank you for viewing and commenting. The version in Pane 4 was with your help. I used the method for removing the noise using Neat Image software shown in your short video that you offered to send in your blog. One never stops learning.