Classic Pelican throw

[Jean-Luc Vaillant]

First time I happy enough with a "throw" shot as I always seem to clip the bird, get the pouch flat, the eye closed or motion blur. This time I waited very patiently for the single decent looking bird to do it, had my short lens on... and the stars finally aligned.

Comments welcome,

JLuc

7D, 70-200 + 2x, 1/640s @ 7.1, ISO 400, +0v, cropped down a bit to avoid a rock on the BLC.

[Colin Driscoll]

Lovely subtle colors and they contrast well with the BG. Maybe it is all a bit too much straight down the middle but see what others think. What is the bird doing here, throwing anything or just a show-off exercise?

[Ofer Levy]

That's awesome! Fantastic pose and colours! I like the placement in the frame but it feels a bit tight IMO.

[Craig Brelsford]

The stars did indeed align. Congratulations on cultivating this story-in-a-shot. If anything makes pelicans distinctive, it's the exaggerated throat pouch, and your shot illustrates this characteristic very well. It's as if you photographed two birds: from the base of the neck down, a normal water bird, and from the neck up some outlandish creature.

[Jean-Luc Vaillant]

What is the bird doing here, throwing anything or just a show-off exercise?

As I understand it is part of their cleaning routine. After preening they often shake their pouch and throw their head back fairly violently, presumably to dislodge any debris in their pouch. I'm sure many of the experts here could provide a more accurate explanation.

[Arthur Morris]

Actually, this is purported to be a form of intra-flock communication (though it often follows the bill pouch cleaning where they pull the pouch down over the upper breast.

Jean Luc, when were you there??? I just got back. Was this on the lowest shelf?

Yes, the stars did align very nicely. I love the image; it is quite similar to my BBC film image that was honored long ago. It is a bit tight and the image is processed a bit too dark overall. Thus the repost :)

Are you coming to Homer? We will be announcing the 2012 Japan trip very soon.

[Jean-Luc Vaillant]

Actually, this is purported to be a form of intra-flock communication (though it often follows the bill pouch cleaning where they pull the pouch down over the upper breast.

I was hoping you would chime in as I did not know that :-)

Jean Luc, when were you there??? I just got back. Was this on the lowest shelf?

Was there Jan 8 to 12. A bit cold but nice. This was on the top actually. One of the few birds there so separation wasn't much of a concern. Most of the birds were pretty ugly though...

Yes, the stars did align very nicely. I love the image; it is quite similar to my BBC film image that was honored long ago. It is a bit tight and the image is processed a bit too dark overall. Thus the repost :)

Thanks for that. Got to seriously recalibrate my monitor as the image is totally different from my ipad... should have checked before posting
I'll try to photoshop that rock in the corner as I had some good headroom before cropping. Thx for the feedback.

Are you coming to Homer? We will be announcing the 2012 Japan trip very soon.

I thought Homer was sold out... Definitely going to Japan though :)

[santhosh kumar]

terrific shot, i think a little more space in the top would give the image a more appealing

[RakeshDhareshwar]

Yeah ! You did well to ensure that you had the shorter lenght lens for this one . Would have loved it in a wider canvas . Other than that , it works awesomely well for me .

[Arthur Morris]

Homer is sold out. I was just not sure if you were going :)

Thanks for the info. We will see you in Tokyo at the latest :)

[Joerg Rockenberger]

Great capture. Agree with Arthur re colors and prefer his repost.

It sounds like this was taken also in San Diego. Seeing that you were from San Jose I for a moment had hoped that you found a local spot with Pelicans allowing such images... JR

PS: I am leaving Sunday for Hokkaido. :D

[Steve Uffman]

great shot. love what you did with the image and the 7D. amazing how our Louisiana state bird comes in different colors on the west coast. Looks like your patience was clearly rewarded QUOTE=Jean-Luc Vaillant;626901]First time I happy enough with a "throw" shot as I always seem to clip the bird, get the pouch flat, the eye closed or motion blur. This time I waited very patiently for the single decent looking bird to do it, had my short lens on... and the stars finally aligned.

Comments welcome,

JLuc

7D, 70-200 + 2x, 1/640s @ 7.1, ISO 400, +0v, cropped down a bit to avoid a rock on the BLC.[/QUOTE]

[Arthur Morris]

Note for Steve: Jean Luc is quite and excellent photographer. And a heck of a nice guy. He has attended several IPTs over the years and it looks very much like he will be joining Robert O'Toole and I in Japan in early 2012.