Flying seagull - pesky thing wouldn't stay still

[anghelrox]

I was at the seaside and caught a lot of seagulls flying about. Now I bet the pesky birds flew by me on purpose and then accelerated out of my zoom reach. At last I got this little guy. The image isn't cropped ... I just happened to catch him in the upper right corner. Hope you like it ... I sure do...

Roxana
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Nikon D40 kit

[ZoeH]

This is a good shot, I had the same problem with seagulls whilst on holiday and I didnt get a shot as good as you have here. I like the way the sky is at its brightest just behind him, it has a highlighting effect

[Fred flyfisher]

That's a great picture. I like the way the sky is behind the gull too.

[Chip]

Trying to shoot flying birds can be fun and frustrating. What helps at times is to not zoom in so much - that way, there's a better chance and getting the whole bird in the frame. And you can always crop later if needed.

[longsighted]

Funny thing - Our Sea Gulls look just like yours

[cchazer]

Here is my version of the seagull, shot in Pierre, South Dakota.


Canon Rebel Xsi
Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM

[longsighted]

A Seagull is a Seagull is a Seagull !!

[Glayva]

I really like this shot. What you have done is make a very acceptable picture from a difficult shot. The eye is drawn straight to the gull by the composition. Well done

[windrider86]

Just be careful when standing under a bird this way, they can have incredible aim!

[anghelrox]

Dear windrider86, I really didn't think of that

I was more preoccupied with getting them in my range and focusing correctly ... As I needed the whole 200 mm focus length from my 55-200 mm VR Nikon lens. And as the pesky birds flew above and across me quite fast I had quite a frustrating time until I caught this shot.

And after that... when I looked at the shot at home I saw it was under exposed and because the seagull was directly above me it was all dark as it was shadowed by the wings. I had to tweak it a little in photoshop but I still think it would have looked better if I had used a decent flash.

Overall, I am satisfied with the shot ... And I'm happy I got this composition.

Thanks all for your feedback,

Roxana