I’ve been trying to get more focused on creating a project with my wildlife photography. I’m really happy that I think I have finally found a focus and something to keep in the back of my mind while I am out shooting. It’s nice to get out and take photos of wildlife but as an artist I am always trying to imagine a larger project that can contribute to a wider conversation.
I love having a focus and while I build up my image bank for my new project I’ll still be out there working on practising my technical skills and sharpening my photographer’s eye.
I find the mundane can be surprising in the right circumstances. I’ve watched seagulls over the last little while and lots of folks see them as common and boring as ravens or ptarmigan. I’ve been trying to see them differently and capture their quirky personalities in some new images. It’s a work in progress. Here are a couple of my latest images of those boring old gulls, that I quite like.
We have five species of gulls that are regulars around Yellowknife: Short-billed gulls (formerly known as Mew gulls), California Gulls, Herring Gulls, Ring-billed gulls, and Bonaparte’s gulls. We sometimes get Glaucous gulls and Iceland gulls stopping over during migration. Each gull species has its unique characteristics and preferred feeding pattern so often you can discern which species you are observing by where you are and their behaviour. Of course field marks help too!
See if you can identify the species in the photos.
Have a great week everyone!