He is not the first, but he is best so far...

[IzzieK]

of all the shots I did when we went to Florida earlier this year...I will appreciate C&C...be harsh to me...it is how I learn...

[NorthernFocus]

Hey, Izzie. Gotta love a pelican shot. You handled the exposure pretty well. This was a challenge in harsh light. The side of the bird's face is in shadow. You may be able to lighten it a bit in PP. From a compositional standpoint, taking a step or two to your left would have provided a cleaner BG by moving the pilings out from behind the head. Would have been more of a back shot but the bird's head was turned which for a pellie is the most critical thing.

[Geoff F]

For me, there is a fraction too much space above the bird so I would reduce that by up to a half. Which will mean a different size ratio or losing a bit from the sides, which should work without any problems.

And it will reduce the impact from those piles.

Otherwise, it looks good.

[IzzieK]

Yes I could had moved but there were a lot of people at the deck of the restaurant where we were so that was my best shot there. It was at clambake festival time... Thank you for looking and offering advice. There will be a next time I can assure you...Florida is just 3-4 hours if we fly in the Baron...

Hey, Izzie. Gotta love a pelican shot. You handled the exposure pretty well. This was a challenge in harsh light. The side of the bird's face is in shadow. You may be able to lighten it a bit in PP. From a compositional standpoint, taking a step or two to your left would have provided a cleaner BG by moving the pilings out from behind the head. Would have been more of a back shot but the bird's head was turned which for a pellie is the most critical thing.

[IzzieK]

Thanks Geoff...I appreciate your looking and critique. I will do that.

[Otavio]

Hello, Isabel. Nice shot of a beautiful bird! I agree with Dan and Geoff. Besides that, maybe, if mine, I would raise the saturation bar a little. I feel a small lack of colors. I believe more vivid colors here would provide you an improvement. Just try it and see if you like it. Thanks for sharing!

[Brownbear]

Hi Isabel,

I adore pelicans and think this is a nice shot, and agree with the comments already made. Nice shot and I'm looking forward to seeing more of your pelicans.

[chauncey]

Isabel...I used to think that trying to herd cats was a tough job...it's nothing to getting birds to pose in an area that is more photogenic! Nice job nonetheless!

[IzzieK]

Otavio...you are right of course...when I was doing the PP for this, I was sort of scared to use the vibrance and saturation options. I don't know why...I tried all other options and I soft of feel icky if I use too much colours to up my ante...I will try as you suggested.. Thank you very much for the advice. Happy New Year...to you and yours.

Hello, Isabel. Nice shot of a beautiful bird! I agree with Dan and Geoff. Besides that, maybe, if mine, I would raise the saturation bar a little. I feel a small lack of colors. I believe more vivid colors here would provide you an improvement. Just try it and see if you like it. Thanks for sharing!

[IzzieK]

Eeeeee...I have one more birdie photo to upload, so thank you if I get the courage to do so. Truth to say, I have been hesitant to touch my camera as of late because I was burned by a recent event my husband and I hosted for his airplane club, so I bought a digital piano to amuse myself. I can't sing either so my best bet is either to continue my photography or play my piano.. Having been here at CiC where images are more prolific and the camaraderies very refreshing might encourage me not to be scared of touching my camera again...who knows? At the moment I am building up some courage.

Thank you for your comments and critiques. I wish you and your family the best of the New Year ahead and beyond.

Hi Isabel,

I adore pelicans and think this is a nice shot, and agree with the comments already made. Nice shot and I'm looking forward to seeing more of your pelicans.

[IzzieK]

Thank you, Bill -- I guess that is a compliment... Happy New Year to you and yours.

Isabel...I used to think that trying to herd cats was a tough job...it's nothing to getting birds to pose in an area that is more photogenic! Nice job nonetheless!

[rawill]

Thank you, Bill -- I guess that is a compliment...:

I am sure that was what was intended.
It is a pity the birds (and animals won't pose for us as we want!)

I agree with the comments about improvements,
but as already said, it is a great shot.
And sometimes we know it would be just a bit better if the pose or position could be changed a little, but it can't.

So we take the shot, better that than not have the shot at all.
And how else do we improve.

Thank you for posting.
And as you say, this forum is just great.

[IzzieK]

Thanks Robin...as usual very helpful...Happy New Year to you and yours. 'Was able to watch NZ have their New Year ahead of us here. At the moment we have 4 hours 15 to have ours...

I am sure that was what was intended.
It is a pity the birds (and animals won't pose for us as we want!)

I agree with the comments about improvements,
but as already said, it is a great shot.
And sometimes we know it would be just a bit better if the pose or position could be changed a little, but it can't.

So we take the shot, better that than not have the shot at all.
And how else do we improve.

Thank you for posting.
And as you say, this forum is just great.

[pnodrog]

I think the above comments cover just about everything I would have suggested. Depending on your PP skills and software you could try completely cloning out the pile behind the pelicans head....

Lightening and/or adding a bit of contrast to the eye area often provides just a spark more liveliness especially when is in shadow. It's not cheating if nobody notices it so make sure any adjustments are subtle.

[rawill]

Depending on your PP skills and software you could try completely cloning out the pile behind the pelicans head....

Now looking at the photo again I think that is worth a try.
If done well I think that would make the Pelican stand out more dramatically.

As you can see I use GIMP, and also Fastone.
I know it would be doable with them.

I would like to see the photo with that work done.

[IzzieK]

Thanks again, Robin and L.Paul...both Kiwis, eh? Per suggestion, I tried to remove the pylons behind. I only removed one just for test..

[rawill]

I like it, certainly an improvement, not just the pole removed, but the head.

Without the distaction of the pole, the head and body are definitely more the main focus.
And I am sure that is what you want.
If it was mine I would not try to remove the second post.
It is certainly a photo worth the effort, but it is painstaking meticulous work, well it is for me.

And, not sure what PP system you are using, I think some have more options than others.
However, see where you took out the post, you have some repeating patterns there, and a slight colour change, to me a sign of cloning/healing. But then I/we know where to look.

When I do cloning I expand the photo so much it doesn't look like a photo, a bit more like a mess of pixels.

So take a look around the rest of the scene and see if you can see some "random" wavelets that you can include to make sure we can not pick up repeating patterns. It is painstaking and a bit boring, and full of traps, well it is for me doing cloning/healing in GIMP and Fastone, sometimes you need a hard edge, so you get an exact edge, sometimes a soft one so it "fuzzes in to the scene.

Take a look on my FB page at the photo I took from Neddies lookout in the Australia album.
It is a stitched landscape but it needed cloning healing at some of the joins and in the sky.
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?f...type=3&theater

[IzzieK]

Well Robin, what I did was a fast clone when the content aware did not work in other areas. I use Photoshop CS5 there. I have all three PS CS4-5-6 installed in my desktop. I want to remove CS4 but haven't had the time yet. I always have 2 succeeding PS installed in my computer until I get used to the new one.

I will take up your suggestion about random cloning. I did not use the healing brush, it might be a good idea. Your two photos of the Neddies are both very good. I live almost an hour away from the Geelong/Lorne area and had taken numerous photos at both area down to the Warnambool where the whale population are. I will try it on mine again until I get it right. Thanks again for the advices...I really and truly appreciate them.

Happy New Year. P.S. You do not mind me copying your instructions, do you?

[Downrigger]

Really nice photo. Nice bird. Nice pose, nice light.
Different point of view, less learned than the above but maybe worth a thought:
1. Pylons are part of the scene. "Removal" requires noticing what's behind the subject at the time of shooting, and moving, or taking one's lumps as sometimes foreground/background problems are just part of the territory shooting wild things outdoors. Endless reconstructing to create a studio effect changes the game in a way I don't enjoy. I like my photos outdoors to be about "what it is" as much as possible, rather than what I wish it was.

2. Dead center is sometimes OK but generally the image is more interesting and "moves" better for me if we get the center of mass of the subject off dead center (in a rule of thirdsy sort of way but not necessarily strictly)

[IzzieK]

Another point of view...thank you...I will think hard along your line of thinking though and I know it will help me appreciate the better stance of taking photographs...my thought had always been "OK I can't move...so I'll take the shot." Then thought that whatever distractions can be edited out later...I like the way you think... Thanks...

Happy New Year to you and yours Mark.

Really nice photo. Nice bird. Nice pose, nice light.
Different point of view, less learned than the above but maybe worth a thought:
1. Pylons are part of the scene. "Removal" requires noticing what's behind the subject at the time of shooting, and moving, or taking one's lumps as sometimes foreground/background problems are just part of the territory shooting wild things outdoors. Endless reconstructing to create a studio effect changes the game in a way I don't enjoy. I like my photos outdoors to be about "what it is" as much as possible, rather than what I wish it was.

2. Dead center is sometimes OK but generally the image is more interesting and "moves" better for me if we get the center of mass of the subject off dead center (in a rule of thirdsy sort of way but not necessarily strictly)