Lake Erie Sunset with gull added

[Craig Markham]

This is a composite of two images, made at the same location on the shore of Lake Erie. As you can
see, the sunset was spectacular, but I felt it lacked a center of interest. So I added the gull. I made no PP adjustments to the sunset image base, other than some NR.

I selected the gull from an image made 18 minutes earlier, as the sun was approaching the horizon. I increased the saturation of the selection and adjusted the contrast so that the backlight showing through the feathers better matched the sunset image. I then pasted the bird into the landscape. The light angle on the bird's head does not perfectly match the apparent illumination in the image, but I like the relief it adds to the bill. I could easily have removed the distant bird to the left, but decided to leave it for perspective and connection with the added bird.

Sunset Landscape:
Canon EOS 1D Mark III
EF500mm f/4L IS USM +1.4x
MK3L7344.CR2
10/18/09 6:29:26 PM
Manual Exposure, 1/1600, f/10.0, ISO 800
Evaluative Metering

Gull (originally on plain sky BG):
MK3L7301.CR2
10/18/09 6:11:39 PM
1/400, f/5.6, ISO 400

Your thoughts?
-- Craig

[Roman Kurywczak]

Hey Craig,
Did you do anything to the horizon or is that trees?.....I ask because of the jagged edges but that isn't the main issue....For me, I would prefer the gull as a silhouette as it seems a bit unnatural as the lighting on the gull seems off. I would also minimize the water some more and the darker band of the sky at top to more of a pano...then try placing the gull more in the ROT position....just some thoughts to play around with.

[Dave Mills]

Hi Craig, Very good advice given by Roman. I too am wondering what the jagged edges are on the horizon. I also question the lighting of the gull and with most images of this type a silouette is rendered...

[Craig Markham]

Hey Craig,
Did you do anything to the horizon or is that trees?.....I ask because of the jagged edges but that isn't the main issue....For me, I would prefer the gull as a silhouette as it seems a bit unnatural as the lighting on the gull seems off. I would also minimize the water some more and the darker band of the sky at top to more of a pano...then try placing the gull more in the ROT position....just some thoughts to play around with.

Thanks Roman, the peculiar horizon line appears to be an atmospheric phenomenon -- I believe it's caused by irregular refraction induced by turbulent thermal layers over the distant waves. I observed the same effect with binoculars. In this repost I boosted the red channel highlights in the foreground water to reduce its contrast with the horizon.

I tried various alternative crops to reduce the amounts of upper dark clouds and OOF foreground water for this repost. I also cloned out the highlights on the gull's face and breast. I think the effect of transmitted light through the tail and primaries is acceptable. The original bird image was too bright to render as total silhouette, but I do like the sense of transmitted light, minus the reflected highlights.

I originally positioned the gull to maximize its contrast with the sky and to extend the diagonal sweep of the clouds, so I didn't reposition. I wish the bird could have been placed closer to the upper left 1/3, rather than in the dead center vertically, but I don't feel that works with the BG.

I don't think I want these powerful red/orange colors glaring at me from my living room wall, and I'm not thrilled with the overall balance of the composition, but it's probably a good contrasting image for a slide show.

Thank you for sharing your thoughts.
-- Craig

[Nick Palmieri]

I think your re-post is better but needs a bit of CCW rotation. I also think the bird needs complete silhouette as the light still is not hitting correctly. I originally thought that was water but in the re-post I realize it is land...Nice light and sky

[Dennis "Curly" Buchner]

Hi Craig, looks like a sky from Africa or new mexico and I like the bird to be a silhouette also

[Craig Markham]

OK guys, here's the image with gull in silhouette. Can't say I'm completely thrilled with the result. For me the semi-silhouette has greater vitality. My goal in this exercise was to showcase the sunset by adding the gull as a visual point of departure, but I wanted more than just a bird-blob. I was aware that the bird image was made further to the left of the sun, and before it set, and so attempted to correct by removing front-lit areas of the face and breast. Nick, I see what you mean about the need for slight CCW rotation; I haven't bothered fixing that here. My Wimberley was leveled, but my 500mm may have been slightly rotated in the collar.

BTW, there is NO land in this image -- only water, sky and gull. The wind was blowing hard, creating a chaotic chop on the dark water. As I mentioned previously, the angular shapes on the horizon are artifacts caused by refraction through turbulent air. Perhaps as a composition, this all just doesn't work, but I'm still thrilled to have captured this surreal sunset -- much like the ones I remember from childhood when I visited my grandparents there.

-- Craig

[Dave Mills]

Hi Craig, Pertaining to the bird...sometimes it just comes down to personal taste....

[Craig Markham]

Hi Craig, Pertaining to the bird...sometimes it just comes down to personal taste....

I agree, Dave. Looks like I'm in the minority on the silhouette question, but not the first time I've been odd man out, nor probably the last. I haven't tried Ring-billed Gull -- probably not much like chicken.:D

All the best,
Craig

[Roman Kurywczak]

Yep Craig.....I'm with the silhoette crowd too!

[Grady Weed]

I like the first version of the gull Craig.