Pelican Hovering

Gallery: AvianPosted December 10, 2011190 views5 comments

Canon EOS 7D
EF400mm f/5.6L USM
12/10/2011 – 8:54:48 AM
1/1250 sec
Shutter priority
f/8
ISO 400
Handheld
Ponte Vedra Beach, FL
Raw, LR3, CS5, 60% of FF

I think these colors are right but would love your comments on it. This particular brown pelican was very light-colored, as opposed to some that are darker. If I raised the blacks more than 2 it got very dark. The same thing happened if I made much of an adjustment in Curves. Or maybe there's some other issue that I don't even see. :)

Stan Rose said in a post that lack of confidence in one's work promotes other people's lack of confidence in your work. I'm sure that's very true. But I don't know how to ask for feedback without saying what I wonder about.

Comments and suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you!

Comments

5 comments

Comment posted by Richard Ditch on December 10, 2011 at 5:12 PM

I think the technicals on this are fine: exposure, focus, sharpness, detail all look good. If the tones of the pelican look right to you then they likely are correct - only you saw this particular bird and can speak to how well the image matches what you saw. To me it is well within the range I've seen for this species.

For me the only aspects that could be better are the wing position and the direction of the light. About all you can do in that regard is patiently take lots of photos whenever you have the opportunity.

Registered on November 1, 2003, 1031 Posts, 12705 Comments

Comment posted by Harry Harris on December 10, 2011 at 8:23 PM

Barbara, I agree with Richard. I do like the dangling feet. Fun image.

Registered on August 2, 2010, 169 Posts, 741 Comments

Comment posted by Brian Gatlin on December 10, 2011 at 9:42 PM

nice work, Barbara. I agree with Rich that this was well executed technically and the color looks fine to me. I like the dangling feet and the overall pose. The larger version shows a nice catchlight. I agree that the direction of the light wasn't ideal--I'd like a little more light on the underside and wish the bill wasn't half-shadowed--but like Rich says, sometimes that works out and sometimes it doesn't. You're certainly making me want to see some pelicans....hmm....time to start thinking about where to take a winter trip.....

Registered on March 21, 2009, 202 Posts, 4187 Comments

Comment posted by Ron Bielefeld on December 11, 2011 at 7:11 AM

A really nice flight shot Barbara. Good techs with a nice sharp bird. Light was from behind the bird, so the bird is a bit dark, but exposed properly given the light direction. Birds often land into the wind, especially big birds like brown pelicans. I would go to this spot at the same time of day when the wind if from the opposite direction. That should result in a fully lit bird for you.

Registered on December 6, 2008, 360 Posts, 7132 Comments

Comment posted by Sharon Hallowell on December 11, 2011 at 8:35 AM

This is as good as you could do given the light. Techs look good. Only thing I might add is to try to get some separation of bill and wing when you go back! Sharon

Registered on November 1, 2003, 392 Posts, 4810 Comments