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A Gull
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A Gull

by Mia McPherson

Gallery: AvianPosted March 6, 2010116 views17 comments
I haven't posted a gull in awhile so I thought I'd post this one taken on February 25, 2010 in Utah. I am not positive on the ID but I believe this is a pale 1st year Ring-billed Gull.

Ron Dudley and I were hoping for some eagles to come in and while we waited I practiced flight shots on gulls.

D200, lens resting on pickup window, full frame, f7.1, 1/1500, ISO 400, 200-400mm VR with 1.4x TC at 400mm, natural light. I have provided a larger version for evaluation of sharpness & details.

As always, I sincerely appreciate your comments & critiques. Thank you for looking.

Comments

17 comments
Comment posted by Brian Gatlin on March 6, 2010 at 7:17 PM
nice, Mia. A rather serene look on the face for a gull--I like the look of the eye in the larger version. Nice job keeping this in the frame! If the gull were tilted just a couple more degrees I think I would go for a vertical comp, but as is, I think what you have works though I might add a little canvas, as it is a little tight.

I'm pretty sure you've got the ID right.
Registered on March 21, 2009, 202 Posts, 4187 Comments
Comment posted by Howard Cheek on March 6, 2010 at 8:33 PM
Large view looks excellent Mia!
I like the POV and diagonal wing presentation a lot..
Love that gulls eye too :toast: :toast:
Registered on July 24, 2008, 1201 Posts, 10758 Comments
Comment posted by Steve Balke on March 6, 2010 at 8:50 PM
This bird is a snug fit to the frame, Mia. However, it is a beautiful image of this gull in flight. I find it interesting how well concealed are the legs and feet: quite a streamlined body. :toast:
Registered on June 18, 2009, 229 Posts, 2915 Comments
Comment posted by Gary Gulash on March 6, 2010 at 9:21 PM
The thumbnail had me thinking "ho-hum", but wow the larger the view the better it got! Love the sharpness on the eye and face, something so real and intimate about the shot. :toast:
Registered on January 28, 2005, 879 Posts, 12098 Comments
Comment posted by Richard Ditch on March 6, 2010 at 11:41 PM
Very nice; especially for an inland gull shot.
Registered on November 1, 2003, 1031 Posts, 12705 Comments
Comment posted by Kurt Bowman on March 6, 2010 at 11:52 PM
I really like the wing tilt on this Mia! I also think the small version doesn't do his justice. I am fine wit the tight comp.
Registered on June 19, 2008, 1005 Posts, 8028 Comments
Comment posted by István Molnár on March 7, 2010 at 2:07 AM
Cool shot.
István
Registered on January 7, 2010, 114 Posts, 704 Comments
Comment posted by Kenneth Arni on March 7, 2010 at 6:46 AM
Practice makes perfect Mia, Looks like your almost there. I love the catch light in the eye with such detail. Also really like the diagonal here. :toast: :toast:
Registered on December 24, 2008, 112 Posts, 629 Comments
Comment posted by Monica Siri on March 7, 2010 at 7:44 AM
Mia,
I like the subtle tones, the light in the eye, the wings detail and the diagonal line in the composition. Really nice! :toast:
Registered on September 20, 2009, 132 Posts, 3764 Comments
Comment posted by Robert Bunch on March 7, 2010 at 12:34 PM
Nice flight shot of the gull. The tight crop looks fine to me. From looking at the small version I thought it was a little OOF on the head but the larger version looks very nice. Good job.

I also shoot with a D200 and I am going to buy the 200-400 VR very soon. I am curious about what you think of the 1.4 TC autofocus performance when used with that lens in terms of both accuracy of focus and speed of focus especially in terms of getting good flight shots. I shoot mostly fauna but am starting to really enjoy shooting birds and I feel I need a good TC to get that extra reach for birds.

Thanks,

Robert Bunch
Registered on May 18, 2004, 124 Posts, 2503 Comments
Comment posted by Mia McPherson on March 7, 2010 at 1:32 PM
Robert, I just sent you an email in reply to your question about the 200-400mm VR lens with the 1.4x TC.

My thanks for those who have commented thus far on this image.
Registered on June 25, 2007, 491 Posts, 12566 Comments
Comment posted by Nate Chappell on March 7, 2010 at 2:59 PM
I like the way the eye stands out in this one Mia, very nice flight shot. :toast:
Registered on February 1, 2006, 1158 Posts, 19528 Comments
Comment posted by Luke Ormand on March 7, 2010 at 4:59 PM
About as good as a gull shot gets
Registered on February 4, 2009, 1093 Posts, 7035 Comments
Comment posted by Ron Bielefeld on March 7, 2010 at 5:50 PM
Nice, Mia. I love the detail in the wing feathers the most. I also like the head angle. Not sure about the comp on this. I might mess around with a verticle given the diag position of he bird. I think there would still be enough room in front of the head. Good as presented too.
Registered on December 6, 2008, 360 Posts, 7132 Comments
Comment posted by Doug Backlund on March 7, 2010 at 11:19 PM
I love shooting gulls! Very nice to get this perfect comp in a full frame image.
Registered on September 29, 2005, 252 Posts, 3380 Comments
Comment posted by David Sparks on March 8, 2010 at 10:07 AM
Mia:
I like the angle of the bird in this shot and for some reason the shadow across the body does not bother me, as it does on my shots of birds at similar angles. Perhaps the light was low and the shadow was not deep. Good eye contact. I really like the view of the intricate arrangement of the feathers, visible on both wings.
Registered on May 26, 2007, 290 Posts, 4270 Comments
Comment posted by Jim Hackley on March 8, 2010 at 11:18 AM
Very nice in flight shot, the larger image is a pleasure to view. The eye contact really stands out,
well done.
Registered on September 17, 2009, 302 Posts, 5535 Comments