Canon 1D Mark IV
800/5.6L
Manual Exposure
1/2000s @ f/8
ISO 500
Nearly full frame - tiny crop off the left and top.
(First time I've used anything but the center AF point on this camera - I selected the point right over the gull's eye)
I know - this isn't the most exotic subject :)
With no bald eagles in sight this guy seemed happy to pose for me. Thinking "what would Artie say?" in the back of my mind, I waited and waited for just the right head angle.
Self critique: would have liked to get a solid brown background but I could not find a way to get myself up any higher. In the end, I think the angle of the background split complements the bird and perch angle. Also since I was set up for BIF I had the camera set up for the fastest shutter speed rather than best DOF, but in hindsight I should have closed down the aperture a bit for this subject.
thanks
Charles
Last edited by Charles Scheffold; 01-25-2011 at 09:22 AM.
Often when people post an image of a gull on a photography forum, they are almost apologetic. I am always amazed by that. The species of bird should not come into play when looking at or judging a photograph, not on a photography forum. That at least is my strong belief.
This is a nice image, Charles. It's a pity the bg is as it is, but as you say, we can not always choose our background. I would try to tone that light area down though, or better yet replace it with that lovely colour from the lower half.
The bird itself looks pretty good I think with very nice whites and I like how the light hits it. But because of the light the front part of the bird -the head most notibly- also seems a bit desaturated, a bit bland, so I would try to give it a bit more colour using a saturation adjustment layer, and maybe also increase contrast a bit with curves. And possibly some sharpening.
Thanks for the honest comments, Levina. I guess you are right that gulls get a bad rap on forums - especially with all of the beautiful avian species that many of the members here post! :)
I had some time this morning and decided to see what I could do in Photoshop. I was able to tone down the background and increase the saturation slightly. Also did a bit more sharpening on the head. I think it's an improvement.
This type of shot is the perfect case to use an off center focus point. Eye can be the focus point, but you can compose the image to your liking and not based on where the center focus point falls.
The redone background as suggested by Levina does help show off the head better, and certainly makes it stand out more.
There are some processing artifacts along the transition line between the dark and lighter BG. A series of lines paralleling the transition. Probably not visible in the original file, but popped up when reducing for web use.
Beautifully exposed, and a nice pose. I like the bit of snow on the perch. I like what you did to the BG on the repost, but prefer the sharpening on the first. Comp-wise I find the subject rather tight in the frame, you can give it a bit more breathing room if you have it. Nothing wrong with the DOF, fine as is.
I too love gulls and I do not hesitate to post some when I get nice images of them!! They are very photogenic, always up to something, and they are the perfect exposure and flight practice subjects
Thanks for the comments - don't have any room as this was nearly full frame. I will take a few steps back next time :)
Previously I would throw away a less than perfect shot, but I wanted to see what I could do with this one. Spending much more time in Photoshop these days!
Nice Herring Gull Charles! I thought this was going to be a Mew Gull (Common Gull in Europe). I like the BG, HA and the sharpness. I want some CCW rotation though. The legs (IMO) should be perpendicular to the bottom edge of the frame. He seems to be tipping over to the right!
Common Gull
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