Silver Gull

A young Silver Gull taking a paddle in a freshwater creek that had broken out into the sea after a huge storm. Very overcast day with the grey sky reflecting in the water.

Specific Feedback Requested

Any comments or criticisms are welcome.

Technical Details

Is this a composite: No
ISO 1000 f8 1/1000 150-600mm@600 Hand Held

Basic adjustments in ACR, including a huge push to the right to increase the whites. Taken into PS for noise reduction and fiddle with the Reds.

3 Likes

Stunning! I don’t know what else to say. Beautifully executed in high key. The only thing I might suggest would be to add a little on the bottom as the reflection is a little cramped and creates a tension that I’m guessing is not your intention. If you wanted to keep this particular aspect ratio you could take an equal amount off the top. But, as I say, stunning.

Thank you Kerry!

Ha! I actually took some off the bottom…but, I’ll have another look at it.

Beautiful. A great image, a real high-key, and with fine tonality in the gull.
The reflection is a very nice bonus, and I can agree with @Kerry_Gordon that just a little bit more space on the bottom can make the image even stronger.

Outstanding, Glennie! Love the reflection, the details you’ve gotten not only in the bird, but also in the ring of ripples around the duck. I do agree with @Kerry_Gordon about the crop. Great capture and processing

Beautifully done!I love how the circle of brown water seems to support and frame the bird. I would like to see more space at the bottom of the image. Seems a little cramped as is. Really a wonderful photo.

Well done. The colors are fantastic. The contrast between the brown tones of the water and the plumage works very well as a composition. The beak color adds to the overall impact. Gulls generally don’t get much respect but this is a winner for me.

This is so dramatic, yet it doesn’t feel forced. I can’t explain why even though it’s so white and bright. Agree about a tiny bit more space on the bottom.

Wow, you nailed it! Great color tones and perfect detail. I agree about the crop. I can see why you love this challenge as you mention in other posts!

Thanks everyone for the comments!

And, thanks for the heads up on the crop. I’ll recrop.

Glennie, this looks great. The bird blends into the surroundings very well, with the bits of grey and brown pulling everything together beautifully. As for the crop, if you add canvas to the bottom, the bird and it’s reflection becomes centered vertically. That will change the viewing…whether that’s good or bad is up to you.