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Florida Pelican
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Florida Pelican

by Jonathan Lent

Gallery: AvianPosted November 23, 201086 views10 comments
Took this image today while vacationing in Florida. Was at Pass-A-Grill Beach on the Gulf Coast. There was a bunch hanging out close to a fishing pier hoping someone would throw them a treat so it was not hard to get very close to them. It was really enjoyable to sit back and watch them upclose. I don't get to photograph cool birds like this back home so this is a pretty rewarding shot for me.
No crop, this is the full frame.

Thanks for looking (large posted also)

Nikon D700
Tamron 70-200mm f/2.8
200mm @ f/2.8
1/1600
Handheld

Comments

10 comments
Comment posted by Steve Kennedy on November 23, 2010 at 10:04 PM
Very cool portrait! The colors and detail are excellent. Nice capture and great you had fun doing it.
Registered on March 9, 2009, 79 Posts, 676 Comments
Comment posted by Ian Macdermott on November 24, 2010 at 7:17 AM
Lovely portrait :toast:

Wish we had them in the UK :frown:
Registered on January 31, 2008, 15 Posts, 135 Comments
Comment posted by Joel DeYoung on November 24, 2010 at 8:44 AM
Nice head turn and eye contact. The colors look good and I like the clean dark background. This bird looks like it's expecting a treat from you. :biggrin:
Registered on July 12, 2009, 92 Posts, 1074 Comments
Comment posted by Richard Teller on November 24, 2010 at 10:35 AM
Very nice portrait. The background and the light is very nice. The only thing I am not sure of is the dof. I wish the whole head was in focus.
Registered on August 23, 2010, 1162 Posts, 6692 Comments
Comment posted by Mia McPherson on November 24, 2010 at 11:13 AM
Jonathan,

A classic nice Pelican pose and I think the background is beautiful. With a subject this large and not moving I would have used more depth of field to get everything in focus and crisp, probably f8 or f9, you don't need much shutter speed for a static, perched bird. To my eye the larger image lacks critical sharpness of the eye, some selective sharpening there may help.
Registered on June 25, 2007, 491 Posts, 12566 Comments
Comment posted by Ron Dudley on November 24, 2010 at 11:14 AM
An attractive portrait Jonathan. I reallly like the pose and the background is effective for the situation. I too wish for more DOF to get the back of the head and neck sharper.
Registered on March 30, 2007, 437 Posts, 10915 Comments
Comment posted by Ron Bielefeld on November 24, 2010 at 1:46 PM
Love everything about this portrait shot. Just needed more DOF to make it perfect and it looks like you had the SS to increase your f.
Registered on December 6, 2008, 360 Posts, 7132 Comments
Comment posted by Sally King on November 24, 2010 at 2:17 PM
A wonderful portrait. I love the way he's looking over his shoulder at the camera.
Registered on December 2, 2008, 416 Posts, 4450 Comments
Comment posted by Andy Shepherd on November 24, 2010 at 2:51 PM

Great looking portrait Jonathan, slight nits already covered.

Andy...
Registered on September 24, 2006, 123 Posts, 1254 Comments
Comment posted by Angela McCain on November 24, 2010 at 9:10 PM
I like so much about this image. I LIKE the DOF. Gives a very ephemeral look to the bird as a whole. The eye is very nice and combined, there is a painting like quality to this. I love the dark blue background. The feathers over the back and wings almost look like zebra stripes. I also like the framing you have chosen. Thanks for posting this beauty.
Registered on April 19, 2009, 367 Posts, 3589 Comments