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“Looking Glass”
Description:
A Western Gull preens its feathers along McPhillips Beach on the Oregon Coast. This stretch of shoreline near Cape Kiwanda hosts large gull populations, where birds gather to feed, rest, and engage in natural grooming behavior during low-tide conditions.
Story:
A seagull is caught mid-preen on a tide-swept beach along the Oregon Coast.
Seagulls, as most people know, are seabirds that have completely adapted to human presence. If you’re holding food, they’ll gravitate toward you. If you’re walking toward them, they’ll wait until you’re just a few feet away before taking off. But to photograph them behaving naturally, you have to stand far enough back for them to forget you exist — yet close enough for a meaningful composition.
This young adult was busy cleaning himself (or herself; I couldn’t tell). I caught the moment when he lowered his head and looked straight at his own reflection while preening his feathers. Maybe he was checking himself out for a special gull — wink wink — but in that instant, frozen by a fast shutter speed, it almost felt human.
He ruffled his feathers right after, but this single frame gives the illusion of self-admiration: a gull contemplating itself in the surf.
This is the same seagull featured in “Facing West.”
-BAP
Location:
McPhillips Beach
Cape Kiwanda
Pacific City, Oregon
45° 13' 47.3'' N, 123° 58' 25'' W
Google Map Link
Time: 19:38 PDT
Date: July 29th, 2019
Camera & Settings:
Single shot
Nikon D800E, NIKKOR 70-200 mm f/4G
ISO 100, 200 mm, f/4, 1/640 sec
📥 Download FREE desktop wallpaper
🖼️ View artwork details & shipping
📸 Request a free wall preview
“Looking Glass”
Description:
A Western Gull preens its feathers along McPhillips Beach on the Oregon Coast. This stretch of shoreline near Cape Kiwanda hosts large gull populations, where birds gather to feed, rest, and engage in natural grooming behavior during low-tide conditions.
Story:
A seagull is caught mid-preen on a tide-swept beach along the Oregon Coast.
Seagulls, as most people know, are seabirds that have completely adapted to human presence. If you’re holding food, they’ll gravitate toward you. If you’re walking toward them, they’ll wait until you’re just a few feet away before taking off. But to photograph them behaving naturally, you have to stand far enough back for them to forget you exist — yet close enough for a meaningful composition.
This young adult was busy cleaning himself (or herself; I couldn’t tell). I caught the moment when he lowered his head and looked straight at his own reflection while preening his feathers. Maybe he was checking himself out for a special gull — wink wink — but in that instant, frozen by a fast shutter speed, it almost felt human.
He ruffled his feathers right after, but this single frame gives the illusion of self-admiration: a gull contemplating itself in the surf.
This is the same seagull featured in “Facing West.”
-BAP
Location:
McPhillips Beach
Cape Kiwanda
Pacific City, Oregon
45° 13' 47.3'' N, 123° 58' 25'' W
Google Map Link
Time: 19:38 PDT
Date: July 29th, 2019
Camera & Settings:
Single shot
Nikon D800E, NIKKOR 70-200 mm f/4G
ISO 100, 200 mm, f/4, 1/640 sec
