Ring-billed Gull

[Wheeler McDougal Jr.]

I am not sure this is the right forum for this image, so please move it if it doesn't qualify. I took this image in Florida about 3 weeks ago while practicing shooting flying birds. I thought it was very good of the gull, by the way I only think it is a Ring-billed Gull, anyway the background in the original image was a bright blue sky, no clouds. I selected the bird from the original image and moved it to a background of the Atlantic Ocean. It seems to me that it improverd the overall quality of the image and I wonder what others think? I will include the shooting data for the image of the bird. Obviously, I did quite a bit of work in PS. I would appreciate your opinions as to the final product.
Nikon D3S
70-200mm @ 200mm
200mm (in 35mm film)
Subject dist: 7.9m
1/6400 sec, f/4.5
Mode: Manual
Metering: Multi-segment
ISO: 500
White balance: Auto
Flash: Off
File size: 34.3MB
Image size: 2382 x 1888
Color space: sRGB
Saturation: Normal
Sharpness: Normal
Contrast: Normal
Color profile: sRGB

[Gary Esman]

hi Wheeler, nice gull. Love the background gives it a very nice 3D effect! Might want to crop off the ocean on the bottom, it is not strong enough to add to the image. Beautiful shot. :S3:

Gary.

[John Chardine]

Hi Mac- I really like the look of this. Love the lighting on the gull and it balances beautifully with the new BG. I agree with Gary, I don't think you need the ocean.

[Sid Garige]

Wheeler,

Agree with cropping a bit out of bottom. Excellent image with great pose.

[Tom Redd]

I agree with the cropping comments, otherwise, beautiful image.

[Ron Caswell]

Great shot!, Love the look to this, Gary is right the ocean is just a sliver needs to go. Ron

[Dave Leroy]

Lovely feel to the the photo, a sort of frozen in time.

New background? If so I would not have known so thanks for including that info. Perhaps that is why frozen in time feel comes from. It has a very nice artsy feel.

I do wonder about the blues/cyans on the wings and if mine I would be tempted to try and remove or reduce them a bit.

Well done and good for you.

And I don't mind the ocean strip and could go either way.

Dave

[jack williamson]

This looks "photoshopped" but excellently done. I like it alot and don't mind the strip of ocean at all.

Jack

[John Chardine]

Jack- I agree the image has a certain "look" but I think you could accomplish the same result with nice warm light and judicious use of fill flash. I really think Mac has pulled this one off because there is a "real" solution to the image.

[Steven Kersting]

I quite like the image. What makes it look faked is the illumination levels for the bird and background are not equal, and the lighting angle is a bit different (but this is less noticeable). But this difference is also what makes the bird stand out.

I would crop a bit more and put the head closer to the upper rt 1/3 intersection getting rid of the ocean, the blank area of blue sky at the top and some from the lt side (but leaving more on the lt than the rt) I would get rid of the cyans in the bird and bit of bg along wings edge that got transferred from the original as well.

[John Chardine]

Steven- There is an in-camera solution to this image. I'm saying it's easy, but it is possible. Take a closer look and figure it out for yourself.

[Steven Kersting]

Steven- There is an in-camera solution to this image. I'm saying it's easy, but it is possible. Take a closer look and figure it out for yourself.

Ok, I'm at a loss.....
I can see how one could duplicate the "contrast" in lighting by using a flash as the main light (dropping the background down (as opposed to "fill"); probably off camera). But I don't see how you would add a background that wasn't there. (I know there are ways to do it in camera but I'd always choose post)