[Irma]

We went to the sea yesterday and we found lots of gulls fishing. As we were prepared for any bird shooting, we tried our luck...













Thanks for looking...

[Rabid Penguin]

how do you get such sharp focus on a fast-moving small target?

[NT73]

They are really crisp and the light is perfect.
It is fun for me lying on my back on a harbour wall just waiting for the bird to fill the frame, but I don't think Irma does it that way.

[guerito]

With Irma's permission...





For me, it was amazing. I had never thought about how seagulls get their food when they do no steal it from a fisher or get fed by tourists. It seems they are quite capable fishermen themselves. The success rate was certainly above 75% while I was watching.

[Irma]

Thanks for your comments RP and NT...

Most of the times I take my pictures with f/8 and raise my iso to 800 to have fast shutter speed. Yesterday I needed only iso 320 to get a reasonable fast shutter speed of 1/640sec at f/8. I focus in the seagull while they are far and I keep them in focus and follow them till they come close. Yesterday I was focusing on a bird and waiting till it decided to go down to pick something from the sea. I also use continuous focus. My best results were when I sat in the beach, always to have some sort of support helps a lot.

My persentage of good ones was very low this time, more or less 5% I'm afraid. It was very difficult to catch them. Practice every time you have the chace would be my advice.

I tried yesterday to work my exposure more to the right, I had many blown out birds, I think I did it too much. But I am happy anyway because the pictures that are well exposed look fine and my post processing was easier and I got nice colors.

Thanks again for your comments...

[Wedding Shooter]

Lovely day for it - love the diving birds. Great captures.

[matthew]

Irma, I really love #2.

My persentage of good ones was very low this time, more or less 5% I'm afraid.

That's about what I get for a keeper rate when I'm shooting something that doesn't move. :/

I had never thought about how seagulls get their food when they do no steal it from a fisher or get fed by tourists.

It had never even occured to me that there was anything they could do to 'earn' their food. That makes me like them more. (I've always been fond of gulls, because they can really fly. Every scrap they scavenge is one less for those lazy pigeons.)

[wulinka]

Irma, which lense did you use?

I love your shots, the fourth is the nicest to me, the composition is nice and the people in the background really add. Also like J's second, so close!

Hope you enjoyed the sea! It looks like it was a nice day.

Uli

[Irma]

Thanks Chris, Matthew for your comment...

I like very much seagulls, and we have here so many different ones.

Uli, I used the same lens as G. The 100-400mm but his pictures are closer than mine.
It was a lovely day, indeed. We will go again. There is also a tour in a ship to a bird sanctuary. Unfortunately, this time, it was a bit late to take the tour, but next time we'll do it.

[Zig]

That's still a good percentage there Irma!
Number 2 is superb; great capture.