Laughing Gull

[Cheryl Slechta]

This was taken late in the day and I forgot to change my ISO. I adjusted the shadows/highlights in PS and cropped tighter.

Comments and suggestions appreciated:)

__________
Cheryl

Canon 30D
Canon 100-400L, f/5.6, 1/500, ISO 200

[Gus Cobos]

Hi Cheryl,
I like the composition, image and capture...the light was coming in from the side, thats why your bird is half in the shadows...this has a good feel to it with the sweet sunset light...I like the raised foot and the head angle and eye contact...good show...looking forward to your next one...:cool:

[Desmond Chan]

I think this looks pretty good. Perhaps some hot spots here and there but they're fixable if you incline.

[Lance Peters]

HI Cheryl - nice feel to it - as mentioned some hot spots - the white on the wave in the BG is brighter than your subject thus drawing attention away from your subject. When shooting at the beach always pays to keep a eye on whats happening with the waves - can work for you or against.
Here is a slightly different take - not better - ust different.

[Alfred Forns]

Hi Cheryl

I like the idea you had with this image Including a little more than the gull and side light can work !! As Lance pointed out you need to be careful with the breaking waves and the only way to deal with it is making lots of images !! Some will be pleasing other not !!

... btw for the whites check what I did with the post below Should work perfectly for you !!!

[Cheryl Slechta]

Thanks, guys.:)

__________
Cheryl

[Arthur Morris]

Hi Cheryl, My advice here would have been for you to move well to your left so that your shadow was pointed at the bird and then to have gotten right down on the ground.

[Dave Phillips]

interesting?
where is the bird's shadow......within another ground shadow?

[Arthur Morris]

Good question Dave. It may lie within the shadow the bird is standing on. Another question: waht caused the two long shadows???

[Cheryl Slechta]

Artie and Dave - I was with a group during the Birding Festival in St. Augustine and couldn't move either way.
The shadows are other people probably. I checked the original and it looks just like this - I cropped a little from
the top and fg and a little from the left side but there wasn't anything else in the image that would show where
the shadows came from:)

___________
Cheryl

[Arthur Morris]

Hi Again Cheryl, When you are with large groups you need to be aggressive while at the same time being respectful. If you had gotten down on the ground you would not have bee blocking anyone. Just walk around the group and get right on sun angle. It sounds as if they were all in the wrong place too!

[Dave Phillips]

Artie and Dave - I was with a group during the Birding Festival in St. Augustine and couldn't move either way.
The shadows are other people probably. I checked the original and it looks just like this - I cropped a little from
the top and fg and a little from the left side but there wasn't anything else in the image that would show where
the shadows came from:)_________
Cheryl

thanks Cheryl....looks much a like a couple of people.
Makes the image a bit odd not seeing the bird shadow with such strong sidelight..
The image is very nice

[Cheryl Slechta]

Thanks guys. I'm going back to Lightroom and looking at the rest of my pictures for shadows and light angles. I honestly am so busy remembering settings, etc. that I forget the obvious. Thanks for your comments - I have
so much to learn - it's really exciting and I love this website more than you can imagine:D

________
Cheryl

[Arthur Morris]

If you want to really speed up your learning curve, get a copy of my CD book, ABP II, or better yet, the original ABP and the CD book are on sale as a package here: https://store.birdsasart.com/shop/item.aspx?itemid=84

[Cheryl Slechta]

Artie, I've got the CD - that's what led me to this website. I don't have the original so I'll order it. (And just
keep practicing:)).

______
Cheryl

[Arthur Morris]

Great. There is lots on light angle in the CD book! Thanks for your purcahse and really glad that you found BPN.

[Arthur Morris]

ps: Where the heck is Micanopy???

[Cheryl Slechta]

Artie, Just south of Gainesville. Old, old town. It's right down the road from Paynes Prairie Preserve. This
winter the conditions were great for the sandhill cranes - we had about 8,000 wintering and about 7 whoopers (from
some of the first ultra-lite groups that are branching out). It was great! Hopefully next winter will be the same.

Thanks.

_______
Cheryl

[Arthur Morris]

Thanks Carol. Have you gotten to photograph any young whoopers at the nest? Call me if you know of any this year (probably too late) or ever Best of luck with your photography.