best "decisive moment" photography seen in a while...

<p>http://jet-point.com/2009/02/24/birds-stealing-ice-cream/</p>

<p>I am not so sure. Looks like the photographer knew the location and it happened so often that he just be there shoot shoot shoot.</p>

<p>Yep. So many shots, it obviously was not a one-off, so the photog. could probably sit there all day snapping tourists being robbed. I think even I could have got one or two in that situation.</p>

<p>Wow. I've never seen gulls that bold. And I have plenty of them around here. Big birds too. They always seems to know where I park my car though.</p>

<p>I wouldn't characterize that as "decisive moment" photography.</p>

<p>Don't you see what's happening here? It's a conspiracy. The ice cream vendor, the gulls, the photographer...they're all in it together. For gosh sakes, wake up people!</p>

<p>It's like a Hitchcock movie!</p>

<p>I've seen Gulls that bold. Ocean City, MD. I've had them steal fries from my cup of Thresher's Fries twice before. The 2nd time (about 2 months later) I clocked the bird pretty hard. It still managed to grab a fry and make off with it (with nothing more then a big squawk on getting hit). It did make me feel a little better though.</p>

<p>I like the first shot, the guys hand is in denial still gripping his virtual icecream lol</p>

<p>Decisive moment photography is defined as being that instant where both the spontaneous action and the compositional relationships in the frame align to express visually something bigger than just recording an action.</p>

<p>These gull shots are just good snapshots but they don't meet that criteria. Set your standards higher.</p>

<p>Decisive moment? Nah if you buy this lot you're way to gullible! BW Combs is right - its a cone-spiracy......</p>

<p>"Decisive moment? Nah if you buy this lot you're way to gullible! BW Combs is right - its a cone-spiracy......"</p>

<p>I think you're being much too critical of the photographer. I think he captured some brilliant shots, considering his awkward vantage point...</p>

<p><a href="http://i.gizmodo.com/5158150/otters-making-home-videos-of-passing-photojournalists-in-monterey-bay">http://i.gizmodo.com/5158150/otters-making-home-videos-of-passing-photojournalists-in-monterey-bay</a></p>

<p>Saw that one Sarah - once they've saved enough clams to get the waterproof housing we're all sunk!</p>

<p>For an animal with the brain the size of a shelled walnut, they've learned pretty well.</p>

<p>Just another reason to hate seagulls. Flying rats.</p>

<p>Doug</p>

<p>i guess my tongue in cheek tone did not come through in my post...<br>

i think they're funny...best 'DM' photography?..nah ;)</p>

<p>At least the gulls are reminding those patrons to eat healthy food. Of course that can't be said of the gulls but then when have you seen a bird keel over from a heart attack.</p>

<p>Birds are smarter than we think. I discovered this very quickly when a while back we had to switch to dry dog food because the birds kept eating the canned stuff we left on the back porch which was close by to a plastic kiddy pool used to keep the dogs cool during the hot summer.</p>

<p>Of course the birds figured out our clever ploy and picked the big chunks of rock hard dry dog food in their beaks and carried them over to the swimming pool to dunk them so they'ld soften and break apart for easier consumption. I guess those birds at one time conducted a scientific study on the absorption properties of dog food made to look like rocks. You can't fool them.</p>

<p>Good laugh, Matt. The quotation marks on decisive moment made your intent clear, just a great giggle. My wife is still laughing over the expressions on some of the victims faces. I have to wonder if there are signs posted in the area warning folks, it seems to be a very common trait, but maybe it ultimately leads to increased ice cream sales. Are the replacement cones discounted? Thanks for sharing :>)</p>

<p>PS</p>

<p>NPPA publishes a monthly magazine (<a href="http://www.nppa.org/news_and_events/magazine">here some information ) </a> at the end of the year they send a magazine totally devoted to winning photojournalist images. Those images are all decisive moments as they're taken from news all over the world/country throughout the year.</p>

 

<p>Take it from Erwin head dipper of Coney Island Basking Robins. " When you seen one herring gull scoop off an ice cream and a super size sugar cone from a visitor you seen 'em all. <br /> They are smart and get nasty if you won't share. They seem to go for Pralines n Cream,the most. You gotta love this crazy town. I give a junior scoop free to anyone that can't run fast enough...we need the business, " </p>

<p>In the VAST majority of those photos, guarantee, the Birds are doing the people a major favor by stealing their ice creams!</p>

<p>Rich - I am in Massachusetts and I can tell you that the Seagulls at Revere Beach are that bold - they stole a french fry from my wife's fingers. When there an abundance of food and people, they get very used to it and learn from their siblings/parents. Another example is with squirrels. My wife and I were at the UN building park in NYC. We had been walking a long time and she sat down on a park bench for a break and a squirrel jumped up on her lap (she didn't even had any food).<br>

Dennis</p>

<p>If people regularly feed seagulls they do start to behave like that. The photos are not good compositions and those moments are easy to see if one goes to the right places.<br>

One annoying occurrence was when I was shooting in a park with a tripod and the squirrels kept running up on my legs and the tripod in an attempt to beg for food. After while they did give up, though.</p>