Ring-Billed Gull

[John Mack]

This image was created at Cayuga Lake in Ithaca, New York on 1/26/18 at 8:41AM. Image adjustments in Lightroom and Photoshop.

Hand held, Medium Crop.

Canon 5D MarkIII
Sigma 150-600 Contemporary
600mm
ISO 800
f8.0
1/1600sec

[David Roach]

Both BG components wonderfully painterly and this beauty really pops against them. Love the eye, the banking position and hint of spread tail on both sides. Normally the BG transition going right through the subject would bug me, but not here as the transition line (like the entire BG) is nice and soft. TFS

[Jonathan Ashton]

Nice one John, i would be tempted to soften the background with NR or a little fine blur and maybe blend in the stripe top right. The gull looks good.

[greg cowle]

When I saw the thumbnail it looked like the background transition was spoiling the image, but on the full image it is beautifully soft, and makes for a very nice image for mine.

[Daniel Cadieux]

I too was sure the horizon line would have been problematic and I was ready to comment on that, but to my surprise it looks OK. I would for sure get rid of what appears to be an OOF tree in upper right corner, and run some NR to the whole BG. Good pose, exposure, comp. I personally would have photographed at a wide-open aperture to help with the BG's blurring a bit more.

[gail bisson]

It is amazing how we all think alike.
Daniel has touched on my major issue which is the tree in the RUC. I would clone that out in a New York minute!

[Arthur Morris]

It is amazing how we all think alike.
Daniel has touched on my major issue which is the tree in the RUC. I would clone that out in a New York minute!

It is not a matter of us thinking alike. What is going on is that we understand the principles that go into making an image successful. There is a big difference. IAC, ditto Dan and Gail on all counts.

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