American White Pelican

I captured this image at Lake Morton in Lakeland, Florida. Comments and critique welcomed and appreciated. Thank you for viewing.

Nikon D500
Nikon 500mm F/5.6 VR AF-S ED PF, camera and lens supported by a Oben carbon fiber monopod with a Wimberly MonoGimbal head
1/1600 F/5.6 Matrix Metering EV +2/3 ISO 720 Auto 1 WB, image captured at 500mm (750mm 35mm Equivalent)
Post processed in Lightroom Classic, Photoshop CC 2021 and Neat Image for noise reduction when needed
Cropped for composition and presentation, canvas added to vertical 2x3 for composition

P.S. You can learn more about Lake Morton and the birds there in the BAA Middle Florida Photography Site Guide that Artie and I co-authored. It is available at this link https://birdsasart-shop.com/the-baa-...ic-site-guide/

To give an idea to what the lake is like when the pelicans arrive I am posting this image. At times there are a hundred of more pelicans. In this image the darker out of focus birds are Double-crested Cormorants. The pelicans and the cormorants work together feeding cruising the lake in a large pod. One had to work the edges to isolate a solitary bird.

Joe, that is quite a convention of Pelicans, wow!!

I like the composition of the first. Super sweet light and a nice pose, parallel to the sensor. You processed some nice details in the plumage. Subtly pretty bkg.

You could consider reducing some of the blues in the shadows. It also appears there's a faint brush stroke or something just above the front of the head.

It is very sweet there when the sun comes over the trees behind the birds.

With love, artie

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Brian Sump

Joe, that is quite a convention of Pelicans, wow!!

I like the composition of the first. Super sweet light and a nice pose, parallel to the sensor. You processed some nice details in the plumage. Subtly pretty bkg.

You could consider reducing some of the blues in the shadows. It also appears there's a faint brush stroke or something just above the front of the head.

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Hey Brian, thank you for viewing and commenting. I see the faint brush stroke you mentioned. It sure looks like a brush stroke but I don't remember changing anything in the background. I removed it, in this repost.

Very nice portrait Joe! I like the light most in this. I do agree with Brian about working the blues a bit in the shadows, but like the repost with the brush stroke gone.

Gorgeous portrait. Love that light. Nice to see a behind the scene shot.