Dalmatian Pelican

[Florin Sandu]

This beautiful birds are the largest of all pelicans.
The photo is taken in the Danube Delta, Romania which hosts to the largest population of pelicans in Europe.


Nikon D500, Nikon 200-500@500mm

1/2500, f5.6, iso-160

Post processed in Lightroom Classic, Photoshop CC, Neat Image for noise reduction

Cropped for composition and presentation.

C&C are welcomed and appreciated like always.

[Mike Poole]

Nice low POV and excellent sharpness, but I'd prefer the body to have been parallel with the sensor, and the whites look a bit bright to me. I like the little depression in the water he's in

Mike

[arash_hazeghi]

I agree with Mike, wish he wasn't angled away from us. really like the calm water. needs a touch more contrast

TFS

[dankearl]

Nice view of the species and very nice IQ...
Exposure could come down a tad.

[Colin Driscoll]

Interesting looking bird with that big white eye and the soft greys. Those dark blotches at the bottom left are unfortunate. Good IQ.

[John Mack]

Very neat looking pelican. The blue water is great. Detail on the bird looks pretty good. Agree about the bird slightly angled away.

[Gerald Kelberg]

Seems to me that the bill is pretty much parallel to the sensor, so the head angle is good even if the body is slightly angled away. Gives the shot a little more interest.
Agree that the whites look a little too bright/thin and the dark blotches could easily be removed. But I do like the contrast of the white on the blue sky and water.
Dalmation Pelicans were all the rage a few years ago, but you see fewer images of them these days - which is probably a good thing for them.
After seeing them being baited in Greece, I felt this was modifying their behaviour and increasing aggression among the birds.