Portrait of Pelecanus Occidentalis
Uploaded: March 23, 2008
From the east, in the direction of the Shuttle’s Vehicle Assembly Building, came the huge Mr. Pelecanus, flying low and his wings nearly touching the waves of the Indian River. He made a broad sweep then banked right and headed toward me, entering the studio and landing fairly close to me for his portrait session. He did various poses, I approached closer, we took some more images and then he did this pose, staring straight at me. When our portrait session was over, he just flew off and headed back toward the Kennedy Space Center, just like walking out the door of a portrait studio and heading back to work at the VAB, following nearly the same path he took when arriving.
The sun was backlighting the subject thus highlighting his new hairdo. There was little sky in the background as the subject was so close so I decided to change the background to black to highlight his hairdo and also to make the image look more like a studio portrait.
Exif: F Number: 6.3, Exposure Bias Value: 0.00, ExposureTime: 1/640 seconds, Flash: did not fire, compulsory flash mode, ISO: 400, White balance: Manual white balance, FocalLength: 400.00 mm, Model: Canon EOS 40D
Michael Umbreit March 23, 2008
Robert - Neat shot! It was nice of him to pose for you! - Mike #883997paul parent March 23, 2008
Superb work #5683476Carolyn M. Fletcher March 23, 2008
He looks wonderful! I hope he comes back and buys some shots for the family. #5683753Dawn M. Schneider March 23, 2008
what a great shooting day for you!! this shot is amazing and your presentation is perfect. #5684233Paul G Slate March 23, 2008
great capture! #5684854Robert G. Stalnaker March 23, 2008
Thanks all of you for stopping by and visiting and for your comments. This was one of those totally weird things you sometimes see dealing with wild animals. There was some good activity going on with terns and gulls, but my eye caught this brown pelican way out and it ended up coming to where I was and close. It stayed a short time and just left, headed right back from where it came from. Normally, pelicans stick around and rest and will stay real close to people. This one came a long way, stayed briefly, then left, almost like it came just to have some photos taken. Very strange. #5685835Linda A. Braddock March 24, 2008
Robert, very creative. Great work, I like it! Linda #5690424David J. Geaney March 28, 2008
Robert - Awesome shot. I am familiar with the road to the Kennedy Space Center - Pelicans love to hang out along the Roadside. Way to grasp the moment. #5712965Karen Engelbreth March 30, 2008
Fantastic bird and a Wonderful portrait, Robert! #5719238william r. griffin March 30, 2008
Robert this is a stunning shot, one of the better bird shots I have seen on this site, great work!!! #5720608Yulianto Soeroso March 30, 2008
wonderfull expresion Robert #5721831Robert G. Stalnaker March 30, 2008
Thank you all for visiting and for your comments. I have a 23 inch monitor and I can make out my reflection in the pupil of the subject, showing my baseball cap and the lens to my camera. I wish you all could have been there with me watching this guy take this long journey in, the photo shoot, then the long journey back. As David said, these guys normally like to just hang out when they arrive. Weird events like this is what makes photography so enjoyable. #5721957Candice L. Carter March 31, 2008
This is a brillant crop, with a crisp, colorful, explosion of dramatic creativity! Excellent capture! #5723480Linda M. Walker March 31, 2008
For me, who would never be able to experience this...thanks for sharing...awesome image! #5725116Raquel J. Ruiz April 03, 2008
What a cool capture! Excellent job! :O) #5741187Melinda F. Schneider April 04, 2008
Wow...great portrait...great story! #5743142Robert G. Stalnaker April 04, 2008
Thank you Candice, Linda, Raquel and Melinda. I had more fun doing this photo shoot with this pelican than any others I have taken. Thanks for visiting, your comments and sharing the fun with me. #5746174jennifer B. short May 15, 2008
What an amazing portrait Bob, I really like the sharp tack focus. #5928815Songbird Cline May 25, 2008
amazing close up. excellent #5975119Sign up for an interactive online photography course to get critiques on your photos.
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