Break Out
Uploaded: March 13, 2008
f/5.3, 1/1600, 70-300mmVR@210mm, DSC_9296, 7:35AM, ISO400
This gull was bathing itself just-off Miami's South Beach when it was about to be engulfed by this breaker. I captured it as it leaped to the safety of the sky shedding sea water in the process. The image has been cropped and adjusted with Apple's iPhoto app. Enjoy!
Exif: F Number: 5.3, Exposure Bias Value: 0.00, ExposureTime: 1/1600 seconds, Flash: did not fire., ISO: 400, White balance: Auto white balance, FocalLength: 210.00 mm, Model: NIKON D40
Sherry McClead March 13, 2008
Another great capture Michael! Can almost taste the salt water in the air... what time of day? #876556isabel C. Zepeda March 13, 2008
Wow.Aimee C. Eisaman March 13, 2008
YOu are a patient man Michael to get these great shots! I love the breaker chasing this gull. Nice comp. Did you crop off the tip of that wing or was it shot that way? Just wondering why you didn't include that. You title is nice, but I just thought of a neat one for this I thought I'd share....."the great escape"! :-) #5637690Eivor Kuchta March 13, 2008
I love the action here, how the wave is forming, and the gull taking off. I've been looking at the picture for a while, trying to decide what I really think of that wing cut off. I think it would have been nicer to have the whole wing, but that might not work for your composition. My thoughts... #5637770Joan E. Hoffman March 13, 2008
This is incredible! Great shot Michael! #5639306Michael S. Lazarus March 14, 2008
First of all, Thank you Sherry, Isabel, Aimee, Eivor, and Joan for you wonderful comments.Second, regarding the gulls clipped wing, I did not have the wing tip in the original photo. I actually cropped more of it off in the version you see here. My focus when taking the shot was on getting the wave and the gull together and though I would have liked to have had the full bird to experiment with, I think this image still has more impact in that it's closer to the action. I have done some research here at BP (by way of the subject search option under photos) and see many finalists that only have portions of the birds in them. This does not seem to be a fatal flaw in terms of judging. I have included them below as this was somewhat of a surprise to me as well but it's something to take note of for all of us when considering cropping and composition. Use the search function to see these images:
Casey A. Hanson's "Another gull shot......." Finalist
Doug Gibson's "Water's Edge" Finalist
Donna R. Moratelli's "A Running Start" Finalist #5641567
Michael S. Lazarus March 14, 2008
To find these photos referenced above, it might be easier look through the subject category MARINE BIRDS. You will find these photos and many others in the first couple of pages. It really is an eye opening experience and gives great insight into what works in terms of composition factors. I'm very curious to see what happens with this one. #5641634Aimee C. Eisaman March 14, 2008
I'll be curios to know too after looking at those finalists! Those are gulls with parts missing, but one difference from those shots and yours is that they are single subject shots and yours is more of a story. After looking at your photo again going up higher would have shown the washed out reflections of the sun.....you made a good choice of moving the crop down to where you did! #5642327Eivor Kuchta March 14, 2008
Thank you Michael, for an eye-opener here. I checked out the ones you referred to. I didn't like the first one at all. Art is very subjective. I think I leave too much empty space sometimes in my cropping, just to get a nice composition. I should perhaps be more brave.Candice L. Carter March 18, 2008
Great capture Michael! Very crisp and rich in color! #5660210Candice L. Carter March 18, 2008
Great capture Michael! Very crisp and rich in color! #5660211Michael S. Lazarus March 21, 2008
Thank you Candice for your comment. #5674240Sign up for an interactive online photography course to get critiques on your photos.
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