Whitby Seagull

[Bobby Canon]

This Gull was shouting at something at the top of it's voice. I don't know what was troubling it, but it was shouting for ages.

Whitby Seagull by Bobby Canon, on Flickr

[rpcrowe]

Creat capture. The gull is certainly showing a lot of personailty! However, I wonder if cropping the botton a bit to avoid the wooden trap floor might not focus more attention onto the gull...

[Bobby Canon]

Thanks for your comments Richard. I understand your remark about cropping the bottom a little, but for me the aim of the photo was to show the gull in a coastal fishing environment, King of the castle and supreme fisherman, and leaving the lobster pot whole contributes towards this aim. But hey....we all view things differently. Life would be boring to the extreme if we all liked the same thing.

[MrB]

This Gull was shouting at something at the top of it's voice. I don't know what was troubling it, but it was shouting for ages.

Bobby, Do you think he might have been trying to call to this young one in Brixham, but the phone was out of order.



Philip

[Bobby Canon]

Ha ha.....I sure the young one would have heard him, even without using the phone, as he was making more noise than I have ever heard a seagull make in my life. Nice capture.

[Dave Humphries]

Hi Philip,

If I had shot/cropped this, I would have made the verticals of the near corner of the phone box vertical, rather than the word horizontal - I am wondering if this was an artistic decision or not given much thought.

e.g.


The above would be better with the whole word visible, also, the bird has ended up fairly central in the composition, because I was maintaining a bit of the side of the 'box. Is this better?



I have to admit, I struggle to be artistic (e.g. with non-straight framings) at the best of times even in PP, let alone at time of capture - I'd learn from what others think, so please don't assume this is me saying how you should do it, it is a genuine question.

I did wonder about Bobby's original cropping, with so much % of image area given to the lobster pot as Richard mentions, but decided that cropped off would be worse.

Now that slant looks OK to me, but whether I'd have shot like that, or cropped in PP is something I couldn't begin to guess - I need to get out more

Cheers,

[MrB]

Hi Philip,
If I had shot/cropped this, I would have made the verticals of the near corner of the phone box vertical, rather than the word horizontal - I am wondering if this was an artistic decision or not given much thought.

I prefer your ideas for the crop Dave. There was not enough below the word "telephone" in the original snap. I was trying to enjoy my seaside lunch - fish and chips in the paper - while also trying to protect it from the thieving gulls, while also trying to get this shot of the youngster on the phone box. It was just humour that prompted the post - it seemed to go well with Bobby's gull.

Philip

[Dave Humphries]

I prefer your ideas for the crop Dave. There was not enough below the word "telephone" in the original snap. I was trying to enjoy my seaside lunch - fish and chips in the paper - while also trying to protect it from the thieving gulls, while also trying to get this shot of the youngster on the phone box. It was just humour that prompted the post - it seemed to go well with Bobby's gull.

Philip

Hah, I sometimes have the "protection" problem at work - a small number of us have Haddock and Chips on a Friday in the staff dining room and defending the chips from colleagues passing by can be an issue - if ever one perches on the adjacent coffee vending machine (its almost as big as a phone box!), I'll be sure to get a picture for you

[ScoutR]

What a great shot, the expression is just the essence of Seagull as I know them. I'm with you on the context, but I can see why the crop has been suggested. To my eye it is not the trap that is bothersome, it's the angle of the trap that kind of skews the shot a bit, but I realize that is not something that could be changed so my vote would be for keeping the context.

Wendy

[Bobby Canon]

Thanks Wendy. The Gull was sat atop a great pile of lobster pots, as though it was a King surveying his domain. The camera was dead level, and the lobster pot was at the angle it is in the photo. At first I wondered whether or not the shot looked right, and the more I kept coming back to it, the more "right" it became to my eyes. As I have previously said, composition is a very personal thing, and I doubt there is a "Perfect photo" that pleases everyone. That is why these forums exist, so we can all voice our opinions. Many thanks for liking it "as is"

[MrMojoRisin]

Amazing Shot Bobby!!! I love the eyes of the seagull!!!

[JohnC]

A great capture. Obviously Mr/Mrs. Angry person (or rather Gull lol)

I put a piece of paper over the bottom of the basket - it needs the whole basket in or you're left feeling that something's missing - so I see it as you do,Bobby.

Mine's an upmarket gull at Oban on the west coast of Scotland.

[Bobby Canon]

Thanks Neno & John. Your Gull even has a smug look and an air of superiority about him John

[Maritimer1]

That is so sharp I can almost hear him screaming all away across the Atlantic! The colours in the lobster trap are such a super contrast to the grey and white of the gull and pick up the yellow of its beak. Are you sure you didn't run in there and colour coordinate the whole shot?