[Kajuah]

This is my first time doing a thread like this, so feel free to correct where i'm wrong. It's pretty much natural off the camera aside from some post-processing using the lucis arts mod at 20 % (level 1) and some adjusting for color to correct that deep sunset orange glow.

EXIF:
Time: 10:27 pm, July 13th, 2008
Make:Canon powershot sx100
Aperture: f/4.3
Shutter speed:1/40sec
Focal Length:60mm focal length (infinity)
exposure:0 step exposure bias
metering mode:spot metered on the pelican's white feathers
W/B:white balance is auto (it works the best, sue me)
Flash: Did not fire
ISO: 80

RGB jpeg original image is 3264x2448 3.20 mb and this one is scaled down to something like 250 kb optimized for web viewing.


I tried to include as much data as possible as noted in the rules.

It's a shot i've been wanting to try for a long time where I get the subject (pelican) to be as detailed as possible despite the slow exposure to make the water very smooth. It requires just the right amount of timing to get the pelican to stay as still as possible is just luck, this is one that came out rather well but i'd like to have some critique on what I could do to make it better.

[fionaB]

well im no expert ........ but i dont think there is much you could have done... i love it! and if it had been me that had taken it i would be so chuffed!

Fi

[Dabhand16]

I like it too, but have a couple of composition suggestions.

I'd crop the top to take out the sky. I'd come down to about 50% of the trees. Then I'd crop some from the right hand side to de-centre the bird. I think around 25% of the image to just take out the right hand foaming fall.

[Kajuah]

Thanks very much, fi !

And thank you too, Dabhand16; I have trouble with composition on camera, you're bang on with those crop adjustments I'll have a look to see what I can do!

Cheers

[WOODY]

GREAT SHOT, BUT AGREE WITH DABHAND ABOUT CROPPING

[Markulous]

Agree with Graham, above, re. decentralising and crop

Personally, I'd compose the shot with less foreground, more sky and pelican 'looking' into the shot from on the right (2/3 across to right) as that sky would look good (but is too cut off here) and the foreground contributes little to the image. But fairly minor niggles in a good capture

[Rob Barron]

All composition comments have already been said and I agree with them. You don't say whether you used a tripod for this and I am guessing you didn't. For a shot with a 60mm lens, 1/40th second shutter speed is a bit slow to get it really sharp which is why the pelican is not pin sharp here. You'd definitely have to use a tripod if you wanted to get the water smoothed out, I'd recommend about a 1/4 second for the speed of water here. That would of course require the pelican to stand stock still but you may well get it to do that if you try a few shots.

Having said that, it would not be difficult to select the pelican fairly quickly so you could do that onto a new layer and add some motion blurring to the rest to get a contrast between the water and the pelican.

I think you have done just fine with what you had to play with. You were after a shot that is actually pretty difficult to obtain and you need as much luck as technical skill to achieve it. Well done for what you got

Cheers,
Rob

[JMitchell]

I disagree a little with Graham, I think the bit of sky should stay, so I took some off the bottom instead, see what you think Great shot, the light really makes this one work

[Kajuah]

Thanks for all of the comments ! I took everyone's opinion into regard and then tried to put this into practice with this edit, here:



Also, thanks for your attention, Rob, I know of your videos on youtube find them very well done. Ever had one of those late ephiphanies that you just wish you had thought of in the moment and it seems to obvious? Next time I will for sure bring the tripod. I actually did have it with me, it's just the mosqitous were so horrendous and the light was failing so quickly (didn't want to compromise the image much with ISO). I would've liked a nice manfrotto or even my little nexxtech instead of my knee to stabilize the cam with. Lately the water level around the rapids has dropped a lot, and thus creating this waterfall-sort of thing with the rocks. I was able to get really low down and point upwards to get this shot, almost to the point where you can nearly shoot up the nose of the bird.

The fake sky is a bit unusual, especially since we don't get clouds like that in this region, so I think I'll end up with the original or just crop about halfway down the treeline like originally Dabhand16 suggested
It was fun nonetheless! Thanks for the comments

[Rob Barron]

Well done on the editing, this is much better and the pelican feels just 'right' where it is now. It also looks better larger like this, it makes the bird look sharper which is good.

Thank you for your encouraging words re my videos. Glad you found them helpful

Cheers,
Rob