By Mia McPherson, on February 28th, 2012% While I prefer to have beautiful morning sun, photographing in fog can be quite fun too.
Foggy sunrise ~ Fort De Soto County Park, Florida
Nikon D200, handheld, f5.6, 1/2500, ISO 400, Nikkor 80-400mm VR at 300mm, natural light
During the winter months sea fogs can roll onto the shore of Fort De Soto and it doesn’t usually show up on radar. After driving for 45 minutes to get to the beach I often felt like it would be foolish to turn around without taking a shot so I would walk the beach with camera in hand. Besides it is difficult to tell how quickly the fog will burn off.
The glowing orb in the photo above is the sun through a thick fog bank.
People feeding gulls in a fog ~ Guess they were ignoring the “Do Not Feed the Birds” signs
Nikon D200, handheld, f6.3, 1/2500, ISO 400, Nikkor 80-400mm VR at 400mm, natural light
The fog muffled the sounds, I remember I could barely hear the waves lapping the shoreline the day I took these photos, the cries of the gulls sounded distant and the fog on my skin felt like dew drops. I had remembered to open the windows of my vehicle while driving to the fort so my camera and lens were the same temperature as it was on the beach, that helped to reduce any fogging on my lens.
Herring Gull (Larus argentatus)
Nikon D200, f6.3, 1/1250, ISO 250, Nikkor 80-400mm VR at 400mm, natural light
When photographing in a fog I like to be close to my subject to minimize the softening effect of the moisture laden air. I sand-crawled up to this adult Herring Gull just inches at a time and then raised my lens to photograph the subject.
Preening Laughing Gull (Larus atricilla)
Nikon D200, handheld, f6.3, 1/1250, ISO 250, Nikkor 80-400mm VR at 400mm, natural light
Not too far from the Herring Gull I found this Laughing Gull preening where the gentle waves were being pushed onto the sand. Despite the thick fog I was able to get a catch light in the bird’s eye even in this funny pose.
Resting Ring-billed Gull (Larus delawarensis)
Nikon D200, handheld, f6.3, 1/1250, ISO 250, Nikkor 80-400mm VR at 340mm, natural light
Between the Gulf and a tidal lagoon there was a spit of hard packed sand where I found this resting Ring-billed Gull, how could I resist taking its picture? Some people won’t bother to photograph gulls because they are common, I guess I don’t fall into that group. I like to photograph them.
Sea Star in a lagoon
Nikon D200, handheld, f6.3, 1/350, ISO 500, Nikkor 80-400mm VR at 145mm, natural light
After photographing the birds on the beach I prowled in and around the mangroves at the edge of the tidal lagoons and found this huge Sea Star, it was about the size of a dinner plate. I don’t know what species it is and would appreciate an ID if anyone knows what it is. I wish I could have used more depth of field to get the tips of the arms sharp too, but I had to work withe the light I had.
I’m glad I didn’t turn around to head home when I saw the thick sea fog that morning, if I had I would have missed photographing some of these beautiful things and the memories of wandering in a fog.
Mia
By Mia McPherson, on December 18th, 2011% I am not sure why but it seems that many bird photographers avoid taking images of gulls, most of the time when I’ve asked them why they don’t take more photos of gulls I hear “I just don’t like gulls”.
Ring-billed Gull in front of crashing waves ~ Pinellas County, Florida
Nikon D200, f5.6, 1/3000, ISO 320, Nikkor 80-400mm VR at 300mm, natural light, not baited
Gulls can be very noisy, act like scavengers, snatch food right out of your hands and are often associated with waste management facilities and because of that they might be called garbage birds. I’m not disputing any of that.
But I do believe that photographs of gulls can be stunning, very appealing and done right they can be considered artistic and visually stimulating. There are bird photographers who will drive right by the opportunity to photograph them though. I am not one of those photographers.
Ring-billed Gull Portrait ~ Pinellas County, Florida
Nikon D200, f6.3, 1/2000, ISO 200, Nikkor 80-400mm VR at 280mm, natural light, not baited
I’m the type of bird photographer who will photograph any bird. Large, small, common, uncommon, beautiful or homely; all birds have a place in my portfolio. I guess you could say I am unbiased when it comes to the birds I photograph.
In the case of gulls “we” have encroached on their habitat, we flock to the beaches that they once only shared with other birds and animals and open hot dogs stands and drop our food where the gulls can easily find it. It’s not really their fault that they have adapted to humans being sloppy.
We have open waste management areas where the gulls can readily find edible wastes, it isn’t really their fault for taking advantage of the easy pickins’ we create.
Personally I don’f find the calls of gull annoying but then I have lived in places where there weren’t any gulls and I really missed hearing them, sort of my own version of “Silent Spring”.
Ring-billed Gull floating on a breeze ~ Pinellas County, Florida
Nikon D200, f6.3, 1/1000, ISO 200, Nikkor 80-400mm at 400mm, natural light, not baited
I do know that gulls are graceful in flight, have amazing variations of leg, eye, and bill colors and delightfully different plumage patterns in the different gull species and even within each species as they mature. Nearly all of them have striking white feathers combined with varying shades of grays, browns and blacks. What’s not to like about that?
They can be a challenge to expose properly but in the end I believe they are well worth the time I invest in photographing common birds that can be uncommonly beautiful.
Mia
By Mia McPherson, on January 17th, 2011% 
Ring-billed Gull chasing baitfish in the shallows
Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, Florida
D200, f5.6, 1/2000, ISO 320, 80-400mm VR at 300mm, natural light
Yesterday was another gray day here in Utah so I worked on processing some of my older images, these are from September 12, 2008. Hurricane Gustav was churning out in the Gulf of Mexico heading towards the Texas coast and although Florida escaped the brunt force of the storm we did get some strong winds and wave action. The sky was clear when I left home and headed towards Fort De Soto’s north beach but I could feel the wind blowing as I drove to the county park. The wave action was destructive to the shoreline but it also pushed baitfish towards the shore. Tossed around in the waves, injured and probably dazed baitfish appear to be easy catches for sea, shore and wading birds.
Laughing Gulls chasing a Reddish Egret in hopes of stealing egret’s prey
Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, Florida
D200, f5.6, 1/2500, ISO 320, 80-400mm VR at 250mm, natural light
There were quite a few Laughing Gulls (Larus atricilla) on and near the shoreline, a few Ring-billed Gulls (Larus delawarensis) and two Reddish Egrets (Egretta rufescens) hunting on the beach that day. I always have great fun watching the reddish egrets hunting, they dance in the waves, dash back and forth at near break-neck speed, wings flying in all different directions. At times they look graceful and quite often comical.
Because of the wave action that day there were plenty of baitfish where the waves on the beach are shallowest and the reddish egret was in its full glory. The laughing and ring-billed gulls seem to instinctively know if they follow the egret around they may get a chance to steal some prey from them. It was amazing to observe and photograph these gulls and the egret dashing around.
Landing Ring-billed Gull
Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, Florida
D200, f7.1, 1/1600, ISO 320, 80-400mm VR at 400mm, natural light
None of us liked how Hurricane Gustave affected the beaches of Fort De Soto, it was without a doubt damaging to everything in or near its path. It did; however, create some amazing conditions for photographing these birds.
Have a great day.
Mia
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Photographing a Tricolored Heron from a tidal lagoon
Focusing on Wildlife Contributor
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