Gull

[Splatsworth]

I'm very new to the forum and decided to show one of my favourite pics which I recently took in cornwall, the gull was very friendly and very obliging and I took lots of Pics. Please feel free to critique I aprreciate I should probably do a little myself but I'd rather hear it from someone else

f11
1/250
ISO100
39mm

[Donald]

Trev

You will see that I've posted your image into your post.

You just about got there with posting images, but missed out on the last step. Have you read through the 'How do I post images' thread? It can be accessed via the HELP/Rules tab on the menu bar above. If that doesn't help, then please post up a request for further assistance.

You and others will enjoy the images much more if they're not just attached as thumbnails.

As to the image itself, a couple of quick points.

• I think it needs a clockwise rotation. If you look at the line of the water against the sky and then the land, it's running uphill from left to right. Horizons always need to be straight, unless of course you're deliberately going for a skewed horizon for artistic purposes. But I don't thank that was your intention.
• What do you think about that metal handrail in the background? Maybe it shouldn't be there?
• The bird is looking right to left. It is more to the left of the image than to the right. It's looking into the left-hand edge of the frame rather than into an expanse of space, leaving a lot of spare space on the right hand side. With it standing as it is, do you think it might have been better to place the bird in the right hand half of the frame and leave more space in front of it rather than behind it?

[FrankMi]

Hi Trev, there are a lot of things about this image that I feel you've got right so it's easy to see why it's one of your favorites. Good foreground for depth, subjects viewpoint, interesting background and a three-quarter head-on pose. Technically very good as well. Nice!

Suggestions? More space in front of the bird and level the horizon come to mind. Given the background, what do you think about how it would look if just the bird was flipped horizontally? I'm not suggesting that you change this image but rather, consider how it might look with the bird facing the interesting shoreline to give more space in front? Hope this is the kind of feedback you were looking for!

[Bobobird]

Nice pic. From the angle of the eye it seems that he is looking at you rather then into the distance.

But the earlier comments are spot on - he should be looking to the right. Since you took tons of pics, maybe you do have one like that?

[Splatsworth]

Thank you all, this is just the sort of critique I've been after, family & friends tend to always tell you things are perfect etc. which isn't good (apart from to the ego) when you are trying to learn

I thought I had posted the pic correctly after reading the guidelines, it wasn't until I saw the post that I realised it was a thumbnail, back to the guidance notes me thinks

I would usually have rotated the image in photoshop but wanted the "as was" shot without any tweaking because i'd rather get as much right in camera so left it alone for just such a critique and as you have pointed out the handrail is distracting. I do have others where the gull is facing in the other direction as well as face on, is it considered bad form to post a second image on the same thread for comparitive purposes, I don't feel some of the others are quite as good as this one in terms of sharpness etc. but compositionally may be more along the lines of what you have suggested.

[Donald]

is it considered bad form to post a second image on the same thread for comparitive purposes,

Not at all. Go right ahead. For the future, one of the problems with posting a second image ina thread can be that some people don't notice that the second one has been posted and therefore don't come back into the thread.

However, in a situation like this, then it's absolutely the right thing to do.

[Splatsworth]

Thanks Donald, heres the 2nd picture which I think is more along the lines of what everyone was saying although again, critique is welcome

[Bobobird]

King of the world. This one I really like.

[Dizzy]

King of the world. This one I really like.

Agreed...the updated image gives the bird the "I am the Master of all I survey"
look.

Nice work Trev, and welcome to CiC!

Mike

[FrankMi]

Excellent, Trev. This one addresses all of the concerns noted and doesn't introduce any new ones! Fantastic capture!

[Splatsworth]

Thank You all very much, so glad that I was pointed to this site, I hope to drain you all of your knowledge and experience over time

[Dave Humphries]

Hi Trev,

Yes the second one is really good, we don't often see them this close and the detail, composition, exposure are all great.

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