Ring-billed Gull

Gallery: AvianPosted January 19, 2011415 views24 comments

Larus delawarensis

Haven't posted in awhile, been tied up with other things.

This image was taken in Florida when Hurricane Gustav was bearing down on the Texas coast, while the storm was over the Gulf it created big waves for us on the west coast of FL. There were lots of baitfish being pushed on shore and plenty of birds were taking advantage of that. This Ring-billed Gull was one of them. I filled all of my CF cards that day before I left and wished then that I had carried more.

D200, handheld, f5.6, 1/3000, ISO 320, 0.0 EV comp, 80-400mm VR at 300mm, natural light. larger version provided.81% of the original frame.

As always I sincerely appreciate your comments & critiques on my images. Thank you for looking.

Comments

24 comments

Comment posted by Michael Lotito on January 19, 2011 at 12:09 PM

The background makes this one special!

Registered on June 26, 2009, 181 Posts, 1558 Comments

Comment posted by Ron Bielefeld on January 19, 2011 at 12:15 PM

Sweet exposure Mia. Love the flight posture of this gull with the wings up and the head turn. The wave and water BG is perfect. Bird is sharp with great detail. Well done.

Registered on December 6, 2008, 360 Posts, 7132 Comments

Comment posted by Mauro Pasquero on January 19, 2011 at 12:20 PM

Wow, great shot, Mia. The pose of the bird is awesome and the terrific BG makes it even better!

Mauro

Registered on January 21, 2010, 650 Posts, 2500 Comments

Comment posted by SandyRichardsBrown on January 19, 2011 at 12:54 PM

Spectacular water here and great pose for the gull. Really shows the power of the ocean.
Exceptional handling of the whites and DOF, as always.
Sandy

Registered on November 24, 2003, 3937 Posts, 12909 Comments

Comment posted by Dan Harbour on January 19, 2011 at 1:03 PM

Great capture, Mia. Beautiful flight pose, and the Background is outstanding.

Registered on January 4, 2008, 113 Posts, 2416 Comments

Comment posted by Geoffrey Baker on January 19, 2011 at 1:53 PM

I agree, it's a great shot made even better by the lovely BG

Well done.

Geoff.

Registered on August 20, 2010, 192 Posts, 980 Comments

Comment posted by Jim Hackley on January 19, 2011 at 2:11 PM

I like the layered background effect and the placement of the bird with the wave really makes this gull stand out, well done.

Registered on September 17, 2009, 302 Posts, 5535 Comments

Comment posted by Wayne Willison on January 19, 2011 at 2:40 PM

The wing up posture is striking, but even more so is the rolling waves that provide a great backdrop for this bird.

Registered on April 10, 2009, 292 Posts, 3967 Comments

Comment posted by Dennis Plank on January 19, 2011 at 3:28 PM

I wasn't too sure about this one, Mia, but the Gull separates from the wave nicely in the larger image. The large breaker does add some dynamics to the image that I like.

Registered on January 28, 2008, 1767 Posts, 23192 Comments

Comment posted by Dan Moore on January 19, 2011 at 5:42 PM

Mia, Welcome back -it is not the same without you.
As always a very nice shot. The seperation between the Gull and the wave is perfect and hats off to you on the whites.I do not know how to take the images and check them out in PS so I am only going on my eyes. It seems to need just a little clockwise rotation.

Dan

Registered on February 11, 2010, 143 Posts, 1248 Comments

Comment posted by Rob Drummond on January 19, 2011 at 6:35 PM

Wonderful setting, comp and background Mia. Love the flight pose too.

cheers
Rob

Registered on November 8, 2003, 617 Posts, 8267 Comments

Comment posted by Ron Dudley on January 19, 2011 at 7:16 PM

Excellent Mia. Love the wing position, dangling feet and perfect head turn against that wonderful background setting. Excellent exposure too. Well done.

Registered on March 30, 2007, 437 Posts, 10915 Comments

Comment posted by Albert Darmo on January 19, 2011 at 10:49 PM

Hi Mia

The Ocean and waves make an excellent background for this marvelous capture!1 The detail and mood are amazing

Albert Darmo. Canada

Registered on November 25, 2008, 1386 Posts, 11978 Comments

Comment posted by Gary Marquart on January 19, 2011 at 11:29 PM

Very Very nice Mia, This looks so good it looks fake, (if that makes any sense). It looks like a composite of two seperate photos, and I mean that in a good way.

Registered on October 24, 2009, 126 Posts, 799 Comments

Comment posted by Jim DeWitt on January 19, 2011 at 11:38 PM

I really like the composition with the bird framed nicely against the breaking wave. That makes the shot. Excellent detail in the bird, especially considering only f5.6.

Registered on August 28, 2006, 1240 Posts, 8506 Comments

Comment posted by Matt Shellenberg on January 20, 2011 at 8:27 AM

I really like the position of the gull that you have captured Mia. Beautiful light and great job on the exposure. That breaking wave in the background takes this over the top. Superb.

Registered on February 6, 2008, 168 Posts, 3118 Comments

Comment posted by Giorgio Gregori on January 20, 2011 at 2:28 PM

Really creative way to show a common ( but beautiful ) subject .
Brava .
Giorgio

Registered on November 16, 2007, 87 Posts, 793 Comments

Comment posted by Luke Ormand on January 20, 2011 at 8:19 PM

Nice catchlight and I love that the bird is in a pose that shows all the feathers and detail... exploding wave in BG adds - not competes which can happen.

Registered on February 4, 2009, 1093 Posts, 7035 Comments

Comment posted by Angela McCain on January 20, 2011 at 11:36 PM

Nice to have you back. I like the superposition of of the gull on the large wave in the background. Makes a nice habitat shot. I like the water drops falling from the bird. Only thing worse than full cards is a dead battery.

Registered on April 19, 2009, 367 Posts, 3589 Comments

Comment posted by Monica Siri on January 21, 2011 at 9:55 AM

Mia,
beautiful flight pose, head turn and setting. Brilliantly done.

Registered on September 20, 2009, 132 Posts, 3764 Comments

Comment posted by Howard Cheek on January 21, 2011 at 7:19 PM

Your POV and the birds flight pose look excellent Mia, I like this.
I especially like the BG, it makes for a beautiful comp IMO.
Well done!

Registered on July 24, 2008, 1201 Posts, 10758 Comments

Comment posted by Howard Cheek on January 21, 2011 at 7:19 PM

Your POV and the birds flight pose look excellent Mia, I like this.
I especially like the BG, it makes for a beautiful comp IMO.
Well done!

Registered on July 24, 2008, 1201 Posts, 10758 Comments

Comment posted by Steve Balke on January 22, 2011 at 7:19 AM

I missed seeing your postings in the past month, Mia. This one combines a beautifully captured flight shot with a lovely composition and bg.

Registered on June 18, 2009, 229 Posts, 2915 Comments

Comment posted by Sally King on January 23, 2011 at 4:42 PM

Makes me feel like a wonderful day at the beach. You must long for that some days. Love the stop action on the gull and the wave behind. Your usual excellent light, details.

Registered on December 2, 2008, 416 Posts, 4450 Comments