Gull Images of 2013

Friday, 3 January 2014

This is a collection of my best Gull images of 2013

I've chosen one image of each species, which I consider my best of that species for the year

A total of 15 species of Gull for 2013

Some of the more commoner species allow for multiple chances to gain images, although with the rarer species you may only get one chance ..

The challenge is to create artistic images, all the elements within the frame have to work together, to compliment or add interest. Its not just about the subject, the surroundings are equally important.

Audouin's Gull



1/1600 ~ F4.5 ~ iso 640

Low angle & narrow dof  has blended the foreground into the background creating a nice bokeh. 
The side lite image casting a shadow over half the bird and add to this the bubbles makes for a very pleasing image ...



Black-headed Gull



1/2500 ~ F9 ~ iso 640

A bright yet partly overcast day, gave good speed against grey background.
The immature gulls are alot more interesting with there plumage marking as this bird shows with a nice wing spread ...



Bonaparte's Gull



1/500 ~ F8 ~ iso 400

I just love low angle shots which diffuse the foreground and background and blends them together. Slight head turn towards the lens is nice ...



Caspian Gull



1/2000 ~ F7.1 ~ iso 320

Well lit, nice wing spread, catchlight in the eye. Low over the water and a fairly diffused backround ...



Common Gull



1/2500 ~ F8 ~ iso 640

Nice ventral view showing the course underwing markings and tail spread.
Well lit with catchlight ...



Glaucous Gull



1/800 ~ F4 ~ iso 400

Good pose and detail, with eye contact ...



Great Black-backed Gull



1/1600 ~ F4 ~ iso 400

 The light has picked out the ripples together with the bird coming into land ...



Herring Gull



1/800 ~ F5 ~ iso 320

The low angle just blends the foreground & background together ...
 A simple shot that works well ..




Ivory Gull



1/2000 ~ F4.5 ~ iso 320

Low angle to try to diffuse the background as much as possible ...
I was wishing for more but with poor light and limited possibilities it was a struggle ..



Lesser Black-backed Gull



1/1600 ~ F4 ~ iso 800

Set against the grey overcast sky works better than blue and even the bird looks moody ...



Little Gull



1/2000 ~ F6.3 ~ iso 400

The curve of the water droplets with the background sufficently diffused sets the birds pose and spray off nice ...



Mediterranean Gull



1/2000 ~ F8 ~ iso 400

The curves of the wings and the minimalist background ...



Ring-billed Gull



1/2500 ~ F8 ~ iso 400

Nice pose and feather detail ...



Slender-billed Gull



1/2500 ~ F8 ~ iso 320

The colours picked up on the ripples makes this simple side-on pose ...



Yellow-legged Gull



1/640 ~ F7.1 ~ iso 400

Clean background, interesting rock with big yellow feet on it ...
Would of liked a bit more bill separation from the body ..



Working with Gulls to create or simply take pleasing, artistic images of gulls isn't easy ...
Just pressing the shutter isn't enough ..
Thinking and planning the image beforehand is sometimes possible, like your positioning for background or your angle on the subject ..
Some images are purely down to luck, right place, right time ...

Hopefully lucky in 2014

1 comment:

Jonathan Lethbridge said...

Aaaargh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!