Backlit Herring Gull

[Steven Budd]

Hi folks.

While practising flight photography in North Cornwall recently, I thought it'd be worth keeping the shutter rolling as birds went beyond filling the frame.
This was coupled to the realisation that the convention of 'sun angle' was off but would provide a form of backlighting that could reveal wing structure and in the trailing edge feathers, a hopefully controlled sense of the strong, directional sunlight that was attractive.

This particular frame provided a head angle that was married to an asymmetrical composition that takes the bird's vision down the wing. A slight edge crop was employed to tighten things up.

Canon 7D MkII / Canon EF70-200mm f2.8L IS MkII @ 200mm + Canon EF2x teleconverter (640mm effective).
1/4000 second @ f11 - ISO 1600

[Colin Driscoll]

Nearly but not quite IMO. It would have been better to see all of the left wing at least. Also there are strange artifacts along the edges of the bird.

[John Mack]

The backlighting through the wing is quite nice. The overhead angle just doesn't work for me here.

[arash_hazeghi]

Hi Steven, this one isn't working for me either, shooting angle is too steep and the crop and HA both a bit awkward. Hope you get a better one next time

TFS

[Steven Budd]

Hi folks - thanks for that, no ruffled feathers or getting in a flap here over the odd Grouse - just a grateful sense of not getting the bird because the concept was an alleged Tern for the worst. Too much to Swallow? It's water off a Duck's back and who wants to Parrot convention anyway, even if it's biting off Moa than one can chew? Time for the fledgling to fly the nest and not go Cuckoo while Lark-ing about with a camera...


TTFN


Steve :-))