localigrown

Pelican Landing

Pelicans were swarming around the Santa Cruz Municipal Wharf during a feeding frenzy.

Pelicans were swarming around the Santa Cruz Municipal Wharf during a feeding frenzy.
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Canon EOS 7D

settings

Aperture f/6.3 ISO 640 Shutter 1/640 Focal Length 84/1

upload_date

Feb, 2015

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Staff Winter Selection 2015

Top Choice

Superb Composition

Absolute Masterpiece

Outstanding Creativity

Magnificent Capture

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Behind The Lens

Location

I took this photo just a couple of years ago while visiting my family in Santa Cruz, California. My parents house is just a walk away to the beach and the Santa Cruz Municipal Wharf. There is an abundance of wildlife around there and I am always looking for the opportunity to capture the motion of the ocean.

Time

This photograph was probably my favorite shot that day. It was a super foggy morning and I wanted to get some photos before the fog burned off in its typical fashion. I gathered up my gear and started my walk mid morning.

Lighting

There is something about the fog and the dark green ocean that really make the colors of the pelican pop.

Equipment

When I am shooting digitally, I always use my Canon 7D. For this shot I used an 18-55mm Canon kit lens.

Inspiration

From my parents house I could see flocks of birds swarming around the wharf. This doesn't happen very often and is caused by a generous amount of fish that appear at certain times of the year. I wanted to try and capture the movement and the energy of these birds flying way up into the air and dive bombing down into the ocean. It is a incredibly neat thing to watch.

Editing

I am not one for major post processing unless I am going for a drastically different look from my original photo. For most of my nature photography, I just make sure to correct the colors and brighten the photo up a bit. Sometimes I up the contrast just a little. I believe I barely touched this photo in post.

In my camera bag

I am fairly simple when it comes to equipment. It depends on what I am shooting but I usually bring my Canon 7D, my 50mm Canon lens and my 18-55mm Canon lens. Sometimes, if I feel like I am going to want to shoot with film, I will bring my cheap little Canon Rebel 2000. I love it and it is super easy to use.

Feedback

I never have a set way of taking photos. For me it is all about trial and error. I took hundreds of photos this session and payed attention to what I liked and what I didn't like. My advice is patience and bring lots of memory cards just in case. With animal subjects I find it very hard to take only a few photos because of how many variants there can be between the motion of the animal and its surroundings. Every time that I capture an image that is beautiful and unique, I get a rush of satisfaction.

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localigrown

localigrown

Pelican Landing

Pelicans were swarming around the Santa Cruz Municipal Wharf during a feeding frenzy.

Behind The Lens

See more amazing photos, follow localigrown

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