Ring-billed Gull in Fresh Breeding Plumage.

[Daniel Cadieux]

Most bird photographers look at me funny when I say that always look forward to photographing the RBGs during April. They are a "dirt bird" to most, but not me! Just look at how gorgeous they are at this time of year. If this was a rare bird, these same bird photographers would be flocking (pardon the pun) to be able to photograph them and would be oohing and aahing at its beauty

Canon 7DII + 500mm f/4 II + 1.4TC III, manual exposure, evaluative metering, 1/2000s., f/8, ISO 400, natural light, handheld, full-frame.

[William Dickson]

I totally agree with you Dan. Gulls are great looking birds and wonderful to photograph, as I have done on many occasion. Fabulous looking whites with nice 'soft' feathers, and great detail. The colour of the eye almost matching the colours on the bill brings a lot to the image. As does the greys on the bird and on the BG. I like the POV and HA.

Will

[Isaac Grant]

Nice portrait with beautiful soft feather details. I love gulls also and spend lots of time looking at them.

[stuart wanuck]

beautiful capture sharp eye

[Dorian Anderson]

As an avid birder and gull aficionado, I really like this. Subtleties like orbital ring color are often used to identify the different species,
so it's nice to get such a close and nicely exposed look at this guy.

[Jim Wetherall]

Can't stop looking at this image, very cool! Exposure of the whites is perfect showing off tons of fine feather detail. The clean beak is great, did you do any clean up in PP to get it looking that good? Catchlight in the eye + eye contact, also the red eyelids are really cool. Great work Daniel, it's inspiring me to go to the coast soon and get some Gull photography in!

[Daniel Cadieux]

Thanks a bunch guys! Jim, glad you like it too. This was as perfectly clean an individual I have seen. Some other gulls were bathing in a nearby puddle - I suspect this one had done the same earlier and its bill was still as clean as we see here.

[Arthur Morris]

Oooh and ah! You know how I feel about gulls. What was the BKGR?

with love, artie

[Stu Bowie]

Hi Dan, excellent IQ and I like the overall light in this. Killer eye, and you have nailed the exposure on the whites. Great portrait for the theme.

[Bob Smith]

This is such a stylish image and a textbook showpiece on exposing whites. Your right on about what a great subject gulls are Daniel...

[Daniel Cadieux]

Thanks again guys. Artie, the background is a large patch of ice.