White Pelican in Flight

[Danny J Brown]

I photographed this pelican as it and others were foraging along the Mississippi River. The light and shadows were challenging but the image is pretty close to what I saw in the field. Your comments and suggestions are much appreciated. Thanks.

Canon EOS 40D; Canon 300 F4L; 1/1250; F/7.1; ISO 200; Handheld (IS On)

[Harshad Barve]

exposure , compo and sharpness is spot on here , HA is biggest issue ,
TFS

[Mital Patel]

lovely shot. wish you clicked this while its coming in instead going out. which may added more light to wing position and other. but still this is a killer shot to me.

[Doug Brown]

Exposure control of the whites and sharpness are both perfect. Wing position is less than ideal; full up or down would be better. While you can see the eye quite well, the bird has already flown past you; I prefer the bird to be coming towards you. Blacks are a little blocked. You might be able to pull out a bit of detail by reprocessing. Please post complete techs of your photos as it assists with the critiquing process. Thanks for sharing!

[Stu Bowie]

I like the light cast on the head and eye, and as mentioned by the others, he's already past you, and flying away from you. Still, keep them coming.

[James Salywoda]

Great shot Danny I totally agree with Doug on his critique but the main thing was your camera settings were perfect just a little off on timing for the most ideal angle of capture but I still like it.

[Fabs Forns]

Taken a second before, it would have been better because he's past the prime position. I like the eye cont ac but don't care for the harsh shadow across the body.