Pelican Preening on Perch
South Beach Marina, Hilton Head Island, SC

Hanging out in the condo one afternoon, I noticed this pelican preening itself on this post in the marina so I grabbed my camera and headed outside. I must have spent an hour shooting this bird from several different angles. At first I was shooting him against a background of trees but suddenly I had an image pop into my head of the bird poised against a solid white background. So, I changed my camera angle just a bit so that the bird was placed against nothing but the overcast sky. I overexposed by 1/3 stop and began shooting, and waiting for the bird to give me an interesting pose. Then, the bird bent over to scratch it's neck and it was almost as if the pelican was taking a bow for me after his hour long performance. I kept on shooting for a few more minutes but this pose really captures the essence of these peculiar creatures.

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