Beneath Santa Monica Pier
I knew this photo was a keeper as soon as I pressed the shutter.
I would not have predicted that going into the dark and looking away from the ocean would produce such an interesting view at the Santa Monica Pier.
In fact I had may back to this setting, having not even noticed it, until the gull called out and I turned to see what was going on behind me.
The lesson is pretty clear – look behind you.
I made several photographs of this view, but this is the only one with the gull reflected in the pool and standing upright.
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Click the photograph for a larger version.
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burnt embers 
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Would love to see the black and white version
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Hi Richelieu – thanks for commenting, nice to see you around here.
I only did a quick conversion in Lightroom and it was so much less dynamic that I discarded it. Perhaps I should give it a proper try. The photo does have a lot of elements that allow it to work well in black and white. But if it diminishes the impact then there is no point to that kind of post-processing.
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Look behind you, and be alert to all the senses. This is a knock-out. The eye keeps moving around, and returning to the gull.
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Thanks Lynn. The gull was what was needed. It’s an interesting setting without the gull as well. In the shots I took without the gull, the cup is a more important part of the scene as a focal point that the eye comes back to.
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I’m sure it’s a very different feeling without the gull – it animates the scene – and adds little bits of color, just the right amount.
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Without the gull it is what Sam calls a “study”. Animated with the gull brings it a lot closer to what he call’s a “photograph”. And I agree about the colour too, this shot is much better in colour than converted to black and white.
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I like the way you cannot see the tops of the pylons, nor the bottoms due to the black depths in which they are sunk. It gives the impression they are suspended in space and about ready to fall like pick-up-sticks.
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Thanks Kate – the reflections from the pool really emphasize that suspension. It doesn’t seem like a friendly place, and if you could see the corpse the seagull was washing you’d want to run out into the light.
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Such is nature. I have recently appalled some friends after telling them about my first taxidermy project using a mummified rat which I found in my front garden. It was dried up and not smelly. I imagine the seagull’s morsel wasn’t as palatable and it may have concerned me just a little.
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Taxidermy is one thing. Eating it is quite another!
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Yep, those seagulls must have cast iron guts!! 😊
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Yes, it is wonderful, Mr E!!
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🙂
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what a great photo!! Congratulations on a wonderful composition.
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Thank you Sherry – I am pleased you like it. A shot like this makes a morning of shooting worthwhile.
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Very moody.
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Thank you. The view in the opposite direction was far from moody. It’s an interesting place, where I am unlikely to ever be again.
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Great shot! A keeper indeed!
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Thank you Peter. It’s not often that I have that feeling at the moment of taking the photo. It lightens the step afterward!
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