Just a Brown Pelican

[WIlliam Maroldo]

Sony A850~Sony 70-400G~ISO640~1/2000sec~F8~manual exposure~HH~11-28-2010~Texas City Dike~CS5
Nothing really special-sort of liked it anyway. Comments and critique welcomed. regards~Bill
I have an image of the same bird taken a few seconds later for the head angle purists here (http://avianimagesource.com/Content/11-28pelican1b.jpg).

my website (http://avianimagesource.com)

[Sharad Agrawal]

Excellent one...water droplets on head is just WOW for me.........great details....

[Hazel Grant]

I think that it would have really been "just a pelican" and dull if it weren't for the clarity of the shot and the balancing of the horizontal wing to the vertical bill. Those two work together for an interesting set.

[WIlliam Maroldo]

Thanks Sharad, Hazel! Hazel; you nailed precisely why I liked the image; the balancing of the horizontal wing to the vertical bill. regards~Bill

[denise ippolito]

Very nice pose and sharp details. Exposure looks great. I like the way you copped this but I would give a tad more room all around.Nice work Bill:)

[Daniel Cadieux]

William, pelicans look great with a straight-on head angle and there are times when it is advantageous to explore that option. Your image is no exception, and I prefer it to your "head angle purist" version (and I say this as HA purist!:)) The far wing being raised also adds interest to the pose. I'd prefer a bit more room top and right, just to loosen the composition a bit. Well done!

[William Malacarne]

I agree with Daniel but would also like to see a little more room on the bottom for the virtual feet.

Bill

[Peter Farrell]

Beautiful image, Bill. Great clarity and lighting. A very unique pose.
Peter

[WIlliam Maroldo]

Appreciate the comments as always. William, obviously this bird had his feet tucked up under him! :):)
Good point and as mentioned more space all around is a good idea, and with CS5 and content-aware fill, real easy to do.
Peter, I'm sorry I forgot to answer your question (from the last time you commented on an image)about the Sony A850 as compared to the A700. Very similar set up, menu, function wheels, most everything else, except being full frame and twice as many MPs. A bit better on high ISO noise, but nothing to write home about, and only 3 frames/sec. Greatest difference for me is dynamic range, which is outstanding, and something called intelligent preview which turns out to be very useful. The Sony 70-400G, which you also own, is made for this body! regards Bill

[Julie Kenward]

Such a beauty, Bill! I also think a bit more room might be nice on the top and right sides - but everything else is killer!

That wing spread behind it and the angle of the head staring right at you...just magnificent!