Pelican Sunset

I am in Florida, and will be out and about taking pics over the next few days, so here is a transition shot from a trip to Destin FL last winter.

A friend had a tip from a local about this harbor at sunset, so we left our convention and drove down to see what was to be seen. The pelicans against the sunset offered lots of opportunities. This shot also catches a boat moving in the harbor behind the outer dunes. Composition is critical here, with the pelican carefully placed…even though “he” is facing the wrong way in the frame. Swinging him to the other side would caught hotels on the outer dunes. Still, I think it works.

Exposure was another issue. I exposed for the clouds and sunset, which left the pelican too much of a silhouette. To me silhouettes too often look unnatural…dramatic, yes…but in nature there is almost never a true silhouette. We see some detail even against the sun, or the sunset in this case. I knew while taking the image, just home much “fill light” I could apply in post-processing to bring up at least some detail in the pelican.

Sony DSC H9 at appoximately a 100mm equiv. F4.0 @ 1/200 @ ISO 100. Programed Auto.

Processed in Lightroom. Moderate Recovery, Clarity, and Vibrance to bring up the sky color, then a good deal of Fill Light for the pelican. Standard sharpening.

The image is in the Emerald Coast Gallery.