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Laughing Gull


Laughing Gull
Photo Information
Copyright: Lesley Mattuchio (Lesley) Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 297 W: 13 N: 913] (2988)
Genre: Animals
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2004-06-07
Categories: Birds
Camera: Canon EOS10D, Canon EF100-400 IS
Exposure: f/6.7, 1/1500 seconds
Photo Version: Original Version, Workshop
Date Submitted: 2005-01-20 13:16
Viewed: 1003
Points: 18
[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note
I am so tired of looking out my window and seeing snow and stepping out my door and freezing my you-know-what off so I went back into my summer files and pulled out this image of a Laughing Gull.

I took this photo when I was visiting Assateague Island in Maryland, USA. We don't see any of these gulls here on the northern coast of Massachusetts so I was so delighted to find them in abundance down in Maryland. These gulls are easily identifiable by their black heads and reddish beaks. The beaks have a downward curve towards the tip. Unlike the Black-headed Gull's red legs, these gulls have blackish legs and feet. They are quite graceful with their long wings when in flight even if they do hang out in fast food parking lots.

I thing these gulls are far more interesting to look at than the Ring-billed, Herring, and Black-backed Gulls that are the most common on our New England shores. I took this image with my old 10D .
pompey, Callie, Luc, carlosaf, marhowie, gerhardt, rlortie has marked this note useful
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Discussions
ThreadThread Starter Messages Updated
To sandpiper2: WsCallie 1 01-22 09:06
To sandpiper2: WorkshopLesley 1 01-22 07:28
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Critiques [Translate]

  • Great 
  • pompey Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 205 W: 4 N: 780] (2762)
  • [2005-01-20 13:31]

Lovely image Lesley, a bird i have seen many times but never managed to photograph so well.
I may have tried to clone out the second post but this is a minor nit.
Good composition and texture.
Good note.
Well done!

  • Great 
  • Callie Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1243 W: 106 N: 2606] (7501)
  • [2005-01-20 13:55]

HI Lesley, I like the way you mention, sort of off-hand, my old D10. That is one very good body! I love this guy, gulls are fun, and if you do not see them often, as I who live 1000km from the sea, then you enjoy enven the common ones. I must post you some Herring Gulls I took in UK - they are vagrants here in SA.

Back to the is picture - I would clone out the OOF pole in the back, it does not add to the image, maybe clone a bit of white cloud over some of the blue, and crop slightly smaller on top. Just suggestions

Would you like to Post Near misses, and discuss maybe the pros and cons - see my post of today, if you are interested.

As for the pirates, I am glad you liked them, I have some other species that I want to post later too.

  • Great 
  • Luc Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2052 W: 315 N: 4301] (14719)
  • [2005-01-20 17:09]

I understand very well your feeling living myself to North of you in Montreal. But I found a place call EcoMuseum where I can freeze my you-know-what while taking some photos. I think it is a paradise for photographers.
Your gull is beautifull. May be I would have croped all the top up to three centimeters of the head and tried to give him more space in front of him, but its personnal.
Thanks for sharing, Lesley.

Very nice Lesley. Great sharpness & detail in the plumage with perfect exposure. Missed your posts..TFS!

Nice shot, but could have been more sharp.
There is something disturbing me, maybe the blue sky.
TFS.

I share Callie, feeling on looking at Gulls. I stay far away from the sea myself and love to see these critters. Interesting composition. Why did you choose portrait ove rlandscape on this one, any thing in the way? No nits, nice shot Lesley.

Nice Laughing Gull Lesley. We occasionally get a few vagrants here in Australia, but I have only seen one, about 15 years agao, with a partly coloured head, so thanks for the memory.
The shot itself is quite good, a classic profile with all the usual qualities of you work.
Old 10D indeed, I wish I had an old 10D.

Like the others, the only nit I had was the OOF post, which I think distracts the viewer from the gull itself. So I did a workshop and removed the post and a bit off the top, hope you don't mind.

Another great shot Lesley. Fine details and "real" colors. I like the pose of the subject on the post. Well done.

  • Great 
  • japie Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1814 W: 100 N: 1904] (5187)
  • [2005-01-23 15:58]

Well, my wishes for you is that your summer is near and that you will take lots of images like this one to cheer you up in the folowing winter, you do know that it is going to be winter again after the summer :)

The sharpness and detail here is stunning. Very well done and thanks for posting.

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