Diagonals Make Images Stronger

[Arthur Morris]

This Great Black-backed Gull (a winter plumage adult) was photographed at Shinnecock Inlet this afternoon with the Canon 800mm f/5.6L IS lens, the 1.4X II TC, and the EOS-1D MIII. ISO 500. Evaluative metering + 1 2/3 stops: 1/200 sec. at f/8. The bird seemed to be performing a courtship behavior as there was another great black-backed right next to it.

Don't be shy. All comments welcome.

[Ilija Dukovski]

Very different but excellent, I like the contrast between the dark seaweed and the white head,
almost a B&W feel, but the bit of color on the bill and eye placed in the corner add a lot to the composition.
Nicely done maestro...

[Sid Garige]

Excellent composition Artie. Sharp eye and colorful beak.

[Ramon M. Casares]

I like the light, exposure, detail, BG, colors, and pose, great natural moment for what you have told us.
The tight framing makes it dificult to understand what is really happening and actually made me wonder why is the grass going up in stead of falling down, but I like it very very much though.
Congratulaitons!

[Joe Senzatimore]

Love the comp. on this. Just my taste , but I think a little catch light is needed.

[Axel Hildebrandt]

The seaweed and composition make this one for me. I actually like that there is no catchlight and might raise the color temperature a bit since the whites look a bit blueish on my monitor.

[Harshad Barve]

Guruji
Seaweed , dirty beak , eye and head details and above all compo makes this beautiful one
TFS

[Rich Steel]

Hi Artie

An interesting angle. There is some good detail in this close up and I like the combination of elements. The seaweed enhances the angled line of the head t but I find it a little odd with it defying gravity. I agree there is no need for a catchlight here as there is plenty of interesting detail in the eye.

Cheers

Rich

[Arthur Morris]

Note; the bird was on a sand bank and was leaning forward into a pretty strong wind as part of its display. You can see a hint of the bank in the lower part of the image. I am guessing that the wind hitting the bank is what made the seaweed rise.

Thanks all for commenting.

[David Fletcher]

Like the feel to this Artie. Almost high Key, but a flick of color leaps out and adds interest. Was wondering about the gravity/seaweed, out of curiosity, :D, and scrolling down provides the answer... :D. Superb details, composition and sharpness. Nicely done Sir!

[Doug Brown]

The streaming seaweed and the strong diagonal composition really make this image for me. I like the placement of the eye in the LLC.

[paul leverington]

Wonderful image Arthur--defininitely a strong composition. At first I thought it was a fly by. Overall we get more of a sense of the bird and an aspect of his life/behavior with this one. Nice one, and very break away from the "must get all the bird in the frame" type of shot.

Paul

[kevinmat]

An interesting pose, it does merit close attention, especially with the seaweed being drawn parallel to the neck by the wind. Very distinctive eye, the rim of color around the eye and splashes of color at the end of the beak really contrast well with the whites of the bird and and creamy background.