A little over a week ago I posted a photo of a brown pelican at the National Zoo in Washington, D.C. that was full of vivid colors in the pelican and in the reflections of light on the water. Today, I want to show the same pelican in a different way. I changed the angle of the camera and captured a background that was more somber and simple. In post-processing I desaturated the colors a bit to place the emphasis on the textures of the feathers, the branch on which the pelican is perched, and the rock in the right hand corner. I toyed with the idea of going completely to black and white, but decided I liked the hint of a color in the beak and part of the pelican’s head, as well as on the branches. The overall look is more somber and perhaps a bit more formal.
I haven’t made my mind up yet whether I like this presentation of the brown pelican more than the previous one, but it certainly was fun experimenting with various settings in Photoshop Elements with the intent of making the colors less bright (usually I am moving in the opposite direction).
Somber brown pelican at the National Zoo
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
Whoa! Beautiful picture of this bird! I love how crisp it is, must have not seen ya coming 😛 Thanks for sharing this. 🙂
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This was at the zoo and it was taken through a wire fence. I was surprised how well the shot turned out. I had read some blog postings about how to make a fence disappear by shooting with the lens wide open (which mean that things close to me would not be in focus). It seemed to work. Thanks for your gracious comments.
Psh, wow, that’s great! If I ever get a real camera I will have to remember that! 🙂 Right now I just use the camera in my iPad. Which is alright enough to have a blog I guess ;D Hahaha! Have a great evening!
Excellent shot!
You have captured one of my favorites! Love this 🙂 makes me miss this south on a frosty morning here in NH
We can trade! I grew up outside Boston and miss fall in New England. I would like to say that I photographed the pelican in the wild (which would mean I was in a warmer climate), but it was at the zoo. We had our first frost warning last night, but we’re a bit warmer here in the DC area than you are in NH.
🙂 Yes I saw the zoo part after I said how I loved it. lol
Love DC and all that you can see We spent a Christmas there a few years ago and we had the place to ourselves mind you I did not travel side streets lol too much action there 🙂 We visited all the indoor spots and when they were closed for holiday we hit all the Monuments and Arlington to give our respect. Love the city hustle and bustle but I always love coming home 🙂
I too grew up 20 min out of Beatown lol bedroom community of Billerica rich with history as well