Marc Pi Photography

“Excuse Me, Can I Help You?”

This is a quick moment I caught of three gulls standing in a row on a fence. They had lined up almost perfectly, like they were waiting their turn or following some invisible rule. What made the shot special was the middle gull—just before I pressed the shutter, she turned her head and looked straight at me, like she was asking, “What are you looking for?”

The focus is on that middle gull, and it worked out by chance—she became the center of attention both literally and compositionally. The shallow depth of field helps isolate her from the others, while still keeping the rhythm and repetition of the three birds lined up. That soft blur in the front and back gives the image a nice sense of depth.

It was shot in clear daylight with a clean blue sky, which helped keep everything minimal and uncluttered. I didn’t have to do much in post—just a bit of tweaking to keep the colors natural and the details crisp. Sometimes the best photos are the unplanned ones where something just clicks in the moment.

Camera: Canon EOS 750D
ISO 800
F-stop: f/5.6
Exposure time: 1/2500 sec
Focal length: 235mm
No flash