Ring-billed Gull Portrait (Photo of the week)

Ring-billed Gull portrait in soft evening light at sunset
Ring-billed Gull portrait in soft evening light at sunset

We see these birds all the time, throughout most of North America. They invade our parking lots and strip malls, and their calls are ubiquitous. However, when I happened upon this ring-billed gull standing alone at the end of a pier overlooking the San Francisco Bay, I saw an opportunity to turn the commonplace into an interesting shot. The sun was setting behind me, illuminating the bird with a soft glow. That, combined with the fact that this particular bird was clean and quite nice looking, gave me the ingredients needed to create a pleasing portrait.

Copyright 2017 Hank Christensen