¤ Seagull in Action ¤ Photo

Photographer’s Note

[Motivation]

On 07-07-07 (nice date!) I went fishing on sea, therefore we woke up at 5 o'clock..ooch that was early! We drove from Amsterdam to Den Oever, which is located in the north of province Noord(North)-Holland.
This day, the fishes did not want to bite..due to strong wind and heavy streams..probably. Well, atleast those elements were well present!
On the way back gulls accompanied our ship. I attached my telelens on my camera and tried to catch one nearby. It seems this one has more luck in a few minutes than we had in hours with 14 people!
The photo is taken on what's called "De Waddenzee"
I liked this result the most..it just catched a fish!
Unfortunately not tack-sharp (due to movement) but hope you like it.

[Photo technical details]
RAW @ ISO 250, 300mm, F5.6, 1/500th, EV +1.3, Spotmetering, continuous AF.

[PP in RAW @ PS CS2]
* slightly changed WB, exposure, saturation and contrast while importing.
* Strong crop
* Selectively added contrast
* Selective sharpening with USM and Smart Sharpen.
* Added simple border

Now I realize..it might be a bit too magenta..
I didn't edit it on my own PC, maybe it's due to that!
Well, let's see what you think about it!

Well it's simple, but I hope you like it!
Have a nice sunday.

evanrizo, bostankorkulugu, mphotographies, jmcl, aimiliospet, alvaraalto, jaywalker has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

SteveH (3995) 2007-07-21 23:21

Hi Emiel, Nice shot of this gull leaving the water. Composition is good with the gull flying into the image. The texture of the water looks a little strange, perhaps due to a bit of sharpening? I agree with you on the colour too. cheers, Steve

bostankorkulugu (33962) 2007-07-22 0:27

what a cool catch emiel... perfect timing for the gull in the best pose with the fish... the purple tones on the sea is also great... this is one of your best for sure...

cheers

korkut

( becoming a father tomorow morning! >:D )

evanrizo (456) 2007-07-22 2:57

Hi Emiel, a seagull in motion looks stunning, we can see also the fish in the beak.
The end result works wonderful.
The color of the sea looks nice.
Have a nice sunday.
Evan
later...

fragis (689) 2007-07-22 9:22

Hi Emiel
Very nice timing foto
The colors look nice
Bravo Emiel

Cheers
Fragiskos from Santorini

mphotographies (1976) 2007-07-22 20:08

Hey Emiel,

It seems that you have captured more than just a fish...a seagull capturing a fish! You have that patience and drive to capture such moment! Nice speed, shows motion on the other wing, I bet she got more fishes that you did!

All the best!

Jom

marianita (3356) 2007-07-23 0:45

Emiel
perfecct timing! excellent composition! well done
marianna

nisko (2461) 2007-07-23 2:12

hi emiel,
nice cought of the seagull in work time:)nice focus on the bird and good details on your compo..
best regards
thodoris

Cretense (57010) 2007-07-23 6:31

Hi Emiel!

Amazing focus and perfect timing for this very dificult photo. The composition is simple but excellent, given that the positioning of the seagull is perfect on the right part of the frame, leaving his "space" to move. Congratulations!

Hercules

jmcl (14135) 2007-07-23 17:08

hi Emiel,

I agree with you about the tone .. it is actually more pronounced in the the thumbnail I think .. that said .. wonderful capture of the bird .. the focus seems great .. the water is full of wonderful textures. Very nice.

take care,

John

labro33 (2804) 2007-08-01 14:42

Hi Emiel,
Nice taken shot with an impressive timing.
I like the whole composition because i think it has a big amount of difficulty.
Thanks for sharing…
George

Lynette (1615) 2007-08-05 8:50

Hi Emiel, its not very often you can capture a bird in flight as they are so fast and offcourse you have to have a high shutter speed. You have had the perfect timing on this image. As well as the colours complementing the overall image and offcourse with some slight DOF in the background to focus on the bird. good composition and clarity. TFS.
regards
Lynette

coco (28090) 2007-08-05 15:05

Hi Emiel.

Well done with the lens. You made a good photo with an interesting subject.
Also an enjoyable composition and moment.

Thanks for sharing.

alvaraalto (5301) 2007-08-18 12:51

Hi Emiel,
Maybe you had this day no success with the fish, but you did with the camera. And to be honest, I think these fishes are too small for human beings and just the right size for gulls.
Groet Rob

Starscream (890) 2007-08-19 13:15

Hi Emiel,
Well done for your timing. I really like the tight frame and the placement of the seagull at the right side of the photo. Good sharpness and great details.
Thanks for sharing,
Christianna

jaywalker (12302) 2007-08-20 15:12

Hi Emiel, I must say your timing is perfect, you have composed the shot beautifully leaving some air for the gull to fly into, also the sharp focus is a credit, the detail showing the fish & the spray from the sea is excellent, TFS, this great work, kind regards Wilson.

Jonas_Schmitt (3074) 2007-08-30 10:44

hi!
great picture made in the exactly right moment.I like the positioning of the bird very much.i like the simple frame on this picture although it could be a little bit bigger.
but nice work,
jonas

steliosk (4784) 2007-10-11 17:05

nice capture! wow
the settings you've used where made just for it
the focus is awesome!
1/500 to freeze the moment,
f/5.6 to create a shallow depth of field
and iso 250 to maintain the acceptable exposure

the colours you selected in post processing are fine and suitable for the whole scene

Well done again Emiel
Regards
Stelios

greek (7496) 2007-12-25 7:00

Wonderful moment and nature scene, smelling freedom and sea. Happy Xmas from Greece, galantis