Winter Pelican

[Jeff Barton]

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii282/windanman/IMG_1127.jpg


This was shot on Super Bowl Sunday at La Jolla Cove with the Canon 7D and the 70-200 f4 IS. Shot at 1/1000 at f-8 and ISO 400. Light post in DPP. I am new to shooting birds and my respect for photographers on this forum is growing as I try it out. My BIF's need more work. And I thought shooting surfing was challenging.

[Lance Peters]

Hi Jeff - With a busy BG and the subject parallel to the plane of the sensor one approach is to open right up to minimise the impact of the background.
The rocks and the white water in the BG do draw attention away from your subject.
As presented I think there may be too much negative space above the bird and a need for some more space below.
Likewise behind - generally speaking you want more space in front of your subject than behind. Which would also address the issue of having Mr Pelican smack bang in the middle of the frame, Rule of thirds applies here as well :)
Surfing must be easy hey??? - But then you are probably a expert at that because you have had lots of practise - same applies with birds.
Looking forward to seeing more :)

[Bob Decker]

When you're skilled in another photography discipline bird photography can be really humbling. No doubt about it. ;) But keep in mind, you do have a head-start compared to someone without any photographic background. I think cropping tighter on the RH side and top would help. As presented the subject is a bit centered for my taste. I'm not sure what you did in post but applying a bit of an "S-curve" in post could help make the subject "pop" a bit more. Theres enough separation between the subject and background that you could select the bird via you favorite method, inverse selection, then darken and/or blur the background a bit to lessen distractions.

Good start. Keep up the good work.

[Alfred Forns]

Hi Jeff You sure have a nice area to shoot .... one of my favorites !!!

From the tech point of view did not see the exposure mode, at the cliffs it makes a big difference. If you use any Auto mode (Av Tv) the bg will affect the overall exposure while the bird is in the same light, will lead to lots over or under. Best to go in manual. Lock in a good exposure according to the histogram and your set. Very early metering on the sky one over seem to work fine.

For birds is flight those pelicans can't be any better, just need a morning with a good West wind. Can also go a little further down the coast to the small cove(with the seals) and got lots of pigeons/gulls, great practice !!!

btw for the image as presented would have gone wider to show the entire bird and environment or tight for just the head ... keeping track of the bg !!

[Jamie Douglas]

Looking at the many images on this site and reading the critique will provide so much advice and help you to improve your skills and technique. I am no expert but I now think a little more before I press the shutter button. You have great subjects for practice and have a look at Artie's pelican shots throughout this site for inspiration. Can't wait to see more.

[Jay Gould]

Welcome Mate, since you are in La Jolla I will be looking for lots more from the area so I know where to go when I visit in a year! All the techs have been covered; TFS!

[Jeff Barton]

Thanks to you all. I appreciate the help. The technical excellence shown here by all of you is inspiring and I will keep moving forward. Thanks for the specific advice as it is very useable information.

[Jeff Barton]

Great photography options here. My wife and I explored from Brisbane to Balina two years ago and were very impressed with your beautiful country.