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The plunge


The plunge
Photo Information
Copyright: Monika MvJ (thistle) Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1317 W: 77 N: 3012] (9272)
Genre: Animals
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2007-01-21
Categories: Birds
Camera: Canon EOS 350D, Sigma 70-300 f/4-5.6 APO DG Macro
Exposure: f/4.5, 1/2000 seconds
More Photo Info: [view]
Photo Version: Original Version
Date Submitted: 2008-11-10 0:51
Viewed: 949
Points: 30
[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note
Hello TN,

This is another quite old picture, but I'd like to share it with you because this is probably one of my best "freezes".

It was taken in London's Bushy Park at the same day as my previous gull shot. Every Sunday there's loads of people there feeding ducks and geese. And gulls, of course, are trying to nick bread of off other birds and generally catch as much as they can.
Some of them are doing it in flight, before the bread even hits the water. Some odd ones are just sitting and waiting and quite a few of them is trying their luck in flight, but when they not succeed they take a plunge.
Photographing gull in flight is quite easy. If you have a bread they will basicly "hover" close to you waiting for the snack. This gives you relatively long time to get your settings right.
Gull taking a plunge was a bit of a pain to photograph. All I could do was setting high shutter speed and higher than usuall ISO and just keep shooting till I got lucky. I'm pretty pleased with this result though.

Hope you'll find it interesting.

Cheers,
Monika

Janice, eng55, matatur, Alex99, cataclysta, haraprasan, carper, horia, crs, red45, valy67 has marked this note useful
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Discussions
ThreadThread Starter Messages Updated
To red45: Hej! :-)thistle 1 11-24 02:22
To horia: AFthistle 1 11-11 14:17
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Critiques [Translate]

  • Great 
  • Janice Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 3316 W: 149 N: 6113] (18648)
  • [2008-11-10 1:34]

Hello Monika
I had a good laugh when I saw the thumbnail - this greedy gull can't let another bird or fish get the food.
You did shoot him well here. Very good focus as his feathers are all nice and sharp. - Good to see,
TFS
Janice

  • Great 
  • eng55 Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1129 W: 32 N: 1134] (3500)
  • [2008-11-10 2:59]

Hi Monika,
Beaautiful capture and timing.Excellent work!
Thanks for posting..

A fine archive material and a very good frozen movement scene Monika, the feather detail of both of the wings is exquisite and that small "corona" of water droplets at the point of entrance demonstrates this as a perfect plunge in the terminology of divers. A very good image indeed, TFS and cheers,
Mehmet

Czesc Monika
Piekne ujecie. Zamrozona z ucieta glowa :-)Nie tylko swietne uchwycenie fajnego momentu ale i idealne naswietlenie na bialych skrzydlach przy ciemnej wodzie i ostrym sloncu
Wszystko swietne
Pozdrawiam
Krzysiek

  • Great 
  • Alex99 Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 3581 W: 143 N: 5669] (18529)
  • [2008-11-10 9:12]

Hi Monika.
This is fantastic shot. Terrific timing and great pictured moment. All is perfect. Shutter speed is spot on. Sharpness of the scene is great. Exposure and colours are brilliant. My congratulations and best wishes. Bravo.
Alexei.

Hi Monika,
A nice capture of this gull. Very good action capture. Superb details and a lovely composition. Thanks a lot for sharing.

  • Great 
  • carper Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2009 W: 122 N: 2581] (8424)
  • [2008-11-10 11:16]

what a capture what a shot dear Monika,
nice to see you again, I know you as a very good photographer, you prove that here Marvelous photojob, have a nice evening
regard jaap

  • Great 
  • horia Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2169 W: 218 N: 4382] (14898)
  • [2008-11-11 5:54]
  • [+]

Hi Monika

A very very good result here, if you ask me :)
I haven't tried many bird shots since i've got my dSLR, but i would imagine i'd have to try a lot to get to one of these :) Can i ask you one thing: which AF mode did you use here? Continuous or single?
Either way, the sharpness you got here is impeccable and the timing is outstanding. I really love the details on its feathers as well as the lovely reflection broken my all the ripples from the water.
Superb composition and spot-on exposure, on top!

Bravo and TFS
Horia

  • Great 
  • crs Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 523 W: 0 N: 920] (3543)
  • [2008-11-11 9:40]

Hello Monika,

What an astonishing image! You have taken this photo with great skill. It is not easy to freeze the movment in this way. There is an excelent sharpness in your image despite the obvious, quick movment of the bird.

Thank you for sharing,
Cristian

  • Great 
  • joey Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2001 W: 226 N: 6845] (24727)
  • [2008-11-13 2:45]

Very awesome shot, Monika!
The timing is spot-on!
Really sharp and crisp.
Superb pose.
Impeccable focusing.

Very well done,
Joe

p.s thankyou very much for adding me as a favourite :-))

Hello Monika,
I guess the shutter speed is very important in this work.
And of course it is a precise moment.
Finally it's well composed and it's a good presentation as well.
TFS
Annick

hello monika,
i am so impressed to see your gallery, you have mentioned in your profile that you are a photographer by heart and that can bee seen through your images, very well done,
this is a fine capture and your timing is perfect here, i like the sharpness, the composition , the pov and the framing very much,
tfs & regards
pankaj

  • Great 
  • red45 Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2705 W: 74 N: 8864] (30243)
  • [2008-11-23 4:24]
  • [+]

Czesc Monika, kope lat :-)

Fantastyczne ujecie. Przede wszystkim mewa w tej pozie wyglada jak jakas awangardowa, nowoczesna rzezba. Swiatlo jest rewelacyjne, pieknie wspolgra z odbiciem w wodzie. No i oczywiscie sam moment! Mamy podobny sprzet, ale nigdy nie udalo mi sie zrobic czegos takiego.

Jak tam zycie w Londynie? Pewnie masz malo czasu na aktywnosc fotograficzna. Rzuc okiem tu: http://www.treknature.com/viewphotos.php?l=3&p=175521
Jakis czas temu wspominalem Cie i nasz ulubiony film :-)

Hello Monika !
Good to hear news from you again - it's been such a long while ! You have frozen this bird at the best moment, he looks really funny like this, with the head in the water. Sharpness and details are absolutely perfect, as well as composition and POV, and I really like the texture of the water and the reflections. Very well done !
Valerie.

  • Great 
  • masror (25)
  • [2009-03-31 23:35]

dear monika
Superb details and a lovely composition!
i love it!

Thank you for sharing
masror

oh my god, it is the headless gull, it has returned! *lol* excellent frozen action, love the pose and reflections on the water.
good job & hope to see you back here again soon, thor.

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