Gull Taking Off

Gull Taking Off

I was observing the gulls last week catching food in the water, and was able to get really close to the water for a very low angle. Taking photos from such a low angle has its challenges, in that it's actually not easy to catch the action in the frame as you have more limited mobility due to the proximity of the camera to the ground (and the water).

This is a photo of a Gull taking off from the water, photographed from a low angle. The splash in front of the bird was made by a fish.

What do I like about this photo? The very low angle makes for a very dramatic photo. The reflection, while not perfect due to the water movement being accentuated by the low angle, still adds interest. The pose is beautiful, as is the "frozen" water splashes. I used a fast shutter speed (1/2500 second) to freeze the action of both the bird and the water. I used an open aperture (f/6.3 - the most open my lens supports at the focal length of 400mm that I used) to have a shallow depth of field, so that the bird and the water splashes are sharp, while the background is not. Also, the dark background, caused by the bird being so much brighter than the background, also makes the subject stand out.

What would I want to improve? An even more blurred background would have been nice. Also, a better reflection by the water being stiller would have upgraded this photo.