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The Gathering
1st PlaceThe Gathering
karenk


Photograph Information Photographer's Comments
Challenge: Wildlife IV (Advanced Editing VII)
Camera: Canon EOS-40D
Lens: Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS
Location: Perdido Key, Florida
Date: Oct 19, 2008
Date Uploaded: Oct 19, 2008

Thanks for all the wonderful comments all week long. Was a very exciting week.

Statistics
Place: 1 out of 159
Avg (all users): 7.4019
Avg (commenters): 8.8250
Avg (participants): 7.5467
Avg (non-participants): 7.3209
Views since voting: 10556
Views during voting: 489
Votes: 209
Comments: 112
Favorites: 38 (view)


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AuthorThread
07/13/2013 05:47:37 PM
funny how I came back to this shot..just traveling around the site to look for new challenges, and boom! i realized that this image impact me so much, that every time I think of taking an image, I try to look for the leader :)

amazing capture and most of all one you can't forget.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
10/11/2012 02:19:56 AM
I love to come across old pictures on DPC and this is a beaut! Adore everything about it, and am delighted it won the challenge. Congrats, so well deserved. Would love to know how you managed the shot. I'm guessing from your lens and the shallow dof that you were a ways away...?
  Photographer found comment helpful.
07/09/2009 09:16:08 AM
This photo always fascinates me!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
04/04/2009 03:56:53 PM
Don't remember seeing this. Great shot.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
11/01/2008 03:43:00 PM
Is he as vicious as he looks? :) Beautiful shot.....Congratulations.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
10/31/2008 07:21:16 PM
This is absolutely fantastic, congrats!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
10/31/2008 09:56:07 AM
Congratulations. Very cool shot, you actually made seagulls look scary!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
10/30/2008 06:14:03 AM
Fantastic shot...
  Photographer found comment helpful.
10/29/2008 07:12:34 PM
What a great shot! Lovely DOF. So fun - what do you suppose he's thinking? Whatever he's thinking, it was very kind of him to model for your fabulous new PB and lovely splash of blue for your profile! I hope you at least offered him a cheese doodle for his effort!? : )
  Photographer found comment helpful.
10/29/2008 12:49:11 PM
gorgeous photo, the focus and dof is great, this photo reminds me of one I took of sheeps here in Iceland:



Message edited by author 2008-10-29 12:50:47.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
10/28/2008 06:33:14 PM
Lovely dof usage here. Something I would expect to see in Nat Geo. Great tonal values throughout this image, love the bokeh, just enough to still make out the birds. Beautiful.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
10/28/2008 10:58:27 AM
Congratulations on a well deserved blue ribbon.

I really like the way you used a shallow depth of field to single out the one bird. Make him/her look like the spokes person for the group. And although I guess birds don't really get expressions, the coloring and camera angle are perfect for a ver humerous "expression".
  Photographer found comment helpful.
10/28/2008 10:17:09 AM
beautiful work, congratulations.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
10/28/2008 09:51:53 AM
i like the way you centered the subject and still had the rest in the background.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
10/28/2008 09:02:44 AM
Congratulations Karen, this shot is awesome!!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
10/27/2008 10:05:12 PM
Really great shot. You can imagine the bird saying "Take us to your leader" or "Me and my pals are gonna make you eat that camera." A well-deserved blue ribbon.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
10/27/2008 09:28:31 PM
very cool shot!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
10/27/2008 08:27:34 PM
exceptional work!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
10/27/2008 07:39:25 PM
Yup, this one got a 10 from me too. Very striking. Congrats

  Photographer found comment helpful.
10/27/2008 04:24:32 PM
Wow! Beautiful use of DOF. Someone wanted to know what those gulls were thinking. MINE!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
10/27/2008 04:10:53 PM
Congratulations, Karen - this was one of my 10s and a favorite for the challenge. Really well-done handling of DOF. Great good luck with the composition too, to have them all more or less looking forward at you like that, with that frontrunner's enigmatic expression - lends a weirdness to it, like we just might be in danger from them.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
10/27/2008 03:25:49 PM
Congrats on the BLUE! I loved this when I saw it. Great use of DOF!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
10/27/2008 02:05:44 PM
holy shit
  Photographer found comment helpful.
10/27/2008 12:47:26 PM
7.4! what a score, congrats
  Photographer found comment helpful.
10/27/2008 12:13:51 PM
I smile every time I look at your BLUE RIBBON image. Congrats, Karen!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
10/27/2008 11:43:32 AM
wow,outstanding!
greate DOF!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
10/27/2008 11:12:57 AM
This is one of the cutest pictures on the planet. Congrats on your blue! :)
  Photographer found comment helpful.
10/27/2008 10:49:27 AM
Congrats on your first place win! Well done.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
10/27/2008 10:32:21 AM
Really really really beautiful. Well done!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
10/27/2008 10:05:35 AM
Karen, I am so glad this won! This is a National Geographic cover! Mega Congratulations!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
10/27/2008 09:54:16 AM
Nice
  Photographer found comment helpful.
10/27/2008 09:02:01 AM
Well done! This was an instant 10 and a favorite for me. You need to market this shot, it has sales potential for sure.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
10/27/2008 08:38:18 AM
Cogngrats! This is a huge favourite of mine, a well-deserved blue.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
10/27/2008 08:32:41 AM
Glad to see this ribboned. It's lovely! :) Congrats.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
10/27/2008 07:16:23 AM
WOW!!! What a great shot Karen! It was my favorite. Congratulations on your first blue!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
10/27/2008 07:11:41 AM
WTG Sis big congrats on your wonderful first Blue Ribbon. :)
  Photographer found comment helpful.
10/27/2008 06:27:54 AM
This is awesome the way the one gull is staring right at you. Well done and congrats!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
10/27/2008 06:14:54 AM
brilliant, congrats on a well deserved ribbon
  Photographer found comment helpful.
10/27/2008 05:34:16 AM
Congratulations on the Blue ans personal best with this wonderful composition!! Fantastic Capture!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
10/27/2008 04:44:22 AM
Proficiat! Good winning Blue. I gave this one a 9 during voting.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
10/27/2008 04:18:48 AM
Well done, won by a mile :)
  Photographer found comment helpful.
10/27/2008 04:01:59 AM
Fabulous image. Congratulations on your first blue ribbon.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
10/27/2008 03:38:21 AM
That depth of field really makes this, plus the look on the birds visage. Congratulations on the Blue.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
10/27/2008 03:15:10 AM
Karen - a well deserved win - I think this is a fabulous shot. Just goes to show that with the right shot you don't need something big and exotic to capture peoples attention - just a really great picture !!

  Photographer found comment helpful.
10/27/2008 02:08:40 AM
A very worthy blue ribbon winner - congratulations!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
10/27/2008 01:40:58 AM
A wonderful capture and your first blue ribbon! Many congratulations, Karen.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
10/27/2008 01:11:06 AM
Congratulations on your first blue, Karen. Great shot that I am sure was either a very fortuitous situation or, more likely, a lot of hard work and waiting.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
10/27/2008 12:57:52 AM
Congrats on a much deserved Blue Ribbon!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
10/27/2008 12:57:02 AM
Congrats on the Blue, Karen... and your first Blue at that! Stellar image tha had my wife & I laughing out loud when we first saw it - somehow just has a comical feel to it. What a perfect title :O) Well done!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
10/27/2008 12:40:57 AM
Congrats !!!! My fav for this challenge. Well done !
  Photographer found comment helpful.
10/27/2008 12:39:15 AM
Congrats on the ribbon. I thought it really was a very well done and creative shot! Well deserved!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
10/27/2008 12:37:27 AM
Congrats - this is a great capture and the composition was spot one - way to go a deserved blue!!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
10/27/2008 12:35:08 AM
This shot stopped me cold when I was going through them. Great composition!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
10/27/2008 12:33:59 AM
Congratulations for the blue! One of my favourites in this challenge!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
10/27/2008 12:20:41 AM
Congratulations! This is such a fun and delightful shot - I'm very pleased to see this win the blue! Alternate title - Leader of the Pack. I also get a kick out of how he appears rather cross-eyed.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
10/27/2008 12:14:04 AM
Hrmm. One of my very elusive 10 votes (I think I've given out like five of them in 3 months), is actually a blue ribbon winner.

I've become mainstream.

I cry.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
10/27/2008 12:10:52 AM
This was clearly the best image in the challenge. I can't tell you how many times I came back to look at it! Well done. 10 from me.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
10/27/2008 12:07:20 AM
You are so AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WOOOOOOOOOOOO HOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!! Many many congrats on a very well-deserved ribbon!!!!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
10/27/2008 12:07:02 AM
way grats!!!! very, very much deserved!!!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
10/27/2008 12:06:52 AM
That is so original and beautiful, congrats Karen! It must've felt great to get back to advanced editing after the DPCO basic drudgery.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
10/27/2008 12:04:37 AM
Grats!!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
10/27/2008 12:03:45 AM
Head-on animal shots are always winners. Congrats on the blue!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
10/27/2008 12:02:20 AM
Congrats on your first blue Mom, love this photo, soooo cool :)
  Photographer found comment helpful.
10/27/2008 12:01:51 AM
Glad to see this win. Love it!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 Comments Made During the Challenge
10/26/2008 11:30:22 PM
Super shot to get them at that angle. Nicely seen and titled.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
10/26/2008 10:48:50 PM
Very nice! The "leader" stepping in front of all to check out your lens ...
One of my top rated!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
10/26/2008 05:27:57 PM
WOOOOOW.....what a shot - 10
  Photographer found comment helpful.
10/25/2008 02:50:53 AM
nice work
  Photographer found comment helpful.
10/24/2008 03:24:10 PM
Excellent, may fav so far. 10
  Photographer found comment helpful.
10/24/2008 01:36:07 AM
I love the DOF here and the perspective!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
10/24/2008 01:15:40 AM
Nice!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
10/23/2008 10:19:57 PM
Cool!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
10/23/2008 09:12:17 PM
Great photo. Best of the bunch in my opinion. I can't think of anything to make it better. Perhaps the larger pebble between the bird's legs is a distraction, but I still love it.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
10/23/2008 08:29:14 PM
I love this... the depth of field is perfect and I don't think the image would have worked as well if the group was in focus.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
10/23/2008 04:10:25 PM
Simply wonderful!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
10/23/2008 09:47:48 AM
Marvelous!!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
10/22/2008 10:29:31 PM
This to me, is a great example of a sort of 'ordinary' choice of wildlife subject, but your composition is so delightful in combination with your DOF choice, it is really enjoyable shot. It is great how you got them to line up like that : )
I would highly recommend with wildlife subjects if you do not have catch lights in its eyes that you make the shot 100 or 200% and then take a small dodge brush maybe 4-5 and then dodge in a catch light usually there is a small light there and you can just increase it to be a bit stronger. Works with people too.
Try it and see what you think : )
7
  Photographer found comment helpful.
10/22/2008 03:56:49 PM
Back again. Love this photograph. Still my choice for a ribbon. I love this shot. As a critique, I would have loved to see you carry out the center composition by cropping just a bit more off the right side of the image to completely fill the background with his mates, and placing him dead center. 10 from me.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
10/22/2008 01:01:18 PM
Very captivating capture. I like the soft white and gray hues and the way the main gull is lined up in the center with the rest of his flock lined up behind him with just the right amount of dof to render them a bit out of focus.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
10/22/2008 08:27:04 AM
My favorite in the challenge, wonderful use of DOF and an excellent capture of a difficult subject. 10
  Photographer found comment helpful.
10/21/2008 08:50:34 PM
Love it
  Photographer found comment helpful.
10/21/2008 05:44:46 PM
This is an awesome pic (straight to favs) ...either a long lens or you have food strapped to your camera :D

Love it either way 10
  Photographer found comment helpful.
10/21/2008 04:05:13 PM
I like the title and the composition. It's funny actually :)
  Photographer found comment helpful.
10/21/2008 03:19:36 PM
Magnificent shot !! Looks like some sort of alien invasion with their spokeman pushed to the front Perfect DoF and focus on the lead bird, whilst still showing the orientation ogf the birds behind.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
10/21/2008 03:01:27 PM
This capture reminds me of the movie 'Happy Feet' somehow. I love that its just one bird in focus and the rest of them form a great background.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
10/21/2008 02:35:43 PM
9 for public lol, very funny shot yet menacing too...so many of them...just one of you...
  Photographer found comment helpful.
10/21/2008 02:15:26 PM
great perspective. something about this one made me laugh :)
  Photographer found comment helpful.
10/21/2008 01:52:03 PM
Awesome. Makings of a great nature shot. DOF, focus on the eyes and in its natural surrondings. Hope this lands on the front page. Only regret is that I didn't take this pic.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
10/21/2008 01:17:26 PM
lol its like some sort of seagull militia, kinda frightening almost. like a new remake of Hitchcock's "The Birds". I really love your DOF here, makes the photo very interesting and draws my eye onto the center bird. great photo, i would be very please if i had taken it:) -9
  Photographer found comment helpful.
10/21/2008 12:54:55 PM
wow, this is great, I can see this hanging on a wall
  Photographer found comment helpful.
10/21/2008 11:51:28 AM
we are all the same, and we are all unique. that's what this says to me. i love it.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
10/21/2008 09:32:11 AM
ROFLOL! I love this. My clear favorite in the challenge for humor and storytelling. Sea Gulls always seem to have attitude in spades and you captured that perfectly using this straight-on perspective and enough DOF to single out the leader of the gang. The title is icing on the cake. Well done :-)))
  Photographer found comment helpful.
10/21/2008 02:57:24 AM
Makes one wonder what he is up to, and what the gang are thinking. Great shot!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
10/20/2008 10:38:54 PM
One of my favorites from this challenge. The centered composition works very well here. Well done. 10
  Photographer found comment helpful.
10/20/2008 08:28:45 PM
I love this one. It's perfect from a technical point of view and the composition is great. But most of all, it made me smile :)
  Photographer found comment helpful.
10/20/2008 06:56:16 PM
Wow! Ready for either a rumble or a dance off! LOL! Great catch!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
10/20/2008 04:38:32 PM
This is SO cute!!!! Love the dof that clearly shows the others but, isn't intrusive on the foreground!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
10/20/2008 03:05:07 PM
Yeah, you and what army‽

Love the DOF and the stare the bird if giving you.

My vote for a ribbon, 10 and a fav!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
10/20/2008 02:09:32 PM
LOL! This is one of my favorites for the challenge. I love the DOF and the almost centered subject. Well done.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
10/20/2008 01:08:27 PM
Ha, looks like an army descending on me! Great low-down perspective!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
10/20/2008 12:43:22 PM
This is quite funny and actually a bit spooky! They're all standing watching, as if to say 'we dare you to step any closer!' Awesome.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
10/20/2008 10:33:24 AM
How cool is THAT!!! I love that cute little smile on their fearless leader's face :)
  Photographer found comment helpful.
10/20/2008 09:18:00 AM
Cute pic! A little too centered for my taste but good comp! 9 from me!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
10/20/2008 08:53:58 AM
I love this one.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
10/20/2008 08:48:56 AM
Cute facial expression. Love those stick legs too. I think I would have cropped some off the left to off-center the subject. Nice image.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
10/20/2008 08:42:42 AM
HEE HEE - love the DOF.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
10/20/2008 08:04:12 AM
Wonderful!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
10/20/2008 07:46:34 AM
I really like the idea behind this shot, and love that you got down low and face to face, so to beak. (oops, speak.) I think a just slightly wider depth of field would have brought a tiny bit more of the shot into focus while still clearly separating the front bird from the pack. Bravo on an interesting and thought provoking shot!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
10/20/2008 07:40:45 AM
brilliant, love it. unique , 8
  Photographer found comment helpful.
10/20/2008 03:09:56 AM
Great use of DOF
  Photographer found comment helpful.
10/20/2008 01:58:37 AM
It looks like the leader is organizing an attack on the photographer. Nice DOF
  Photographer found comment helpful.
10/20/2008 01:03:23 AM
wonderful image...the shallow depth of field is magnificent for this...good title as well
  Photographer found comment helpful.


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