Jonathan Livingston I presume?

[outwithmycamera]

I've been able to get out a couple of times to play with a new lens for my sony a6000, the 55-210 OSS. For the cost this is a pretty nice lens though its slow (4.5-6.3) and a bit soft on the long end. Like all tools I just have to figure out where it fits, and for walking around this seems to do well. One of the things I was trying to sort out also is using af-c with zone focus area and high speed shutter release. So I went out and was shooting the gulls at a local pond, here is one result. Normally I don't shoot BIF, but i can see how it could get fun and drive one to get ever better gear.

[JBW]

I like Jonathan but what is BIF?

[Tronhard]

I like Jonathan but what is BIF?

Birds in Flight???

[FootLoose]

Nice, Chris. It works well in black and white.

[IzzieK]

I like it too...I guess there would only be 2 colours there, the blue of some parts of the sky and the white of the bird and the clouds, best to convert to mono. I'd like to suggest a crop but the more I look at it, the more I like it this way...Good job.

[Shadowman]

Nicely captured.

[Wavelength]

Beautiful

[Sergio M.]

Well captured and processed.

Sergio

[chauncey]

Like the image...I left mine in color to exhibit the translucence in the wing's edges against the sky.

[Dave Humphries]

Hi Chris,

This is good for the focus, exposure and conversion.

My only suggestion would be the composition, which for BIF is usually achieved in PP by cropping.

If this were mine, I would lose fully 45% of image width off the right hand side and perhaps 10-15% off the bottom edge.

That would result in the subject flying 'in' to the frame (and not 'out', as now).

Shooting gulls is very good practice, I must have another go myself sometime.

Hope that's helpful, Dave

[Manfred M]

+1 to Dave's comments. While not a photographer who does a lot of bird shots, using the space around the bird to strengthen the composition as per Dave's suggestions are similar to what I think when I look at this image.

[bnnrcn]

Beautiful image

[outwithmycamera]

+1 to Dave's comments. While not a photographer who does a lot of bird shots, using the space around the bird to strengthen the composition as per Dave's suggestions are similar to what I think when I look at this image.

Thanks everyone for the comments. Here is an updated version, cropped as suggested. I hadn't gone this route originally because i liked having more of the cloudy sky background and there wasn't a great deal of additional room to the left of JLS for him to fly into. I just need to get better at capturing the bird as it enters the frame than as its about to leave!

[Dave Humphries]

I just need to get better at capturing the bird as it enters the frame than as its about to leave!

Yeah, we'd all like to do that, but it is largely a matter of luck (in my experience) - so some you'll win, and others not

I'm usually just grateful if it is sharp, properly exposed and not missing a wing tip

[Chrisclick]

... but it is largely a matter of luck (in my experience)

Oh dear!

[chauncey]

Yeah...and some of us are lucky quite often.

[bnnrcn]

I still prefer the original as there is vast sky in the frame although the bird looks flying out of the frame. The cropped image looks more correct compositionally but I think the image lost the feeling of freedom