Bad Hair Day
A white Pelican primping himself in Pyramid Lake
A white Pelican primping himself in Pyramid Lake
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Dec, 2014Views
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Behind The Lens
Location
Pyramid Lake, NevadaTime
11:00 PSTLighting
It was a bright sunny day with no clouds.Equipment
Cannon EOS 5D Mark ll + 400mm tele. no flash, hand held.Inspiration
The American pelicans migrate through Pyramid Lake Nevada in Early March and breed there mostly on Anaho Island. They are beautiful to watch as hundreds will take flight against our Nevada dark blue sky. They are very skiddish and will fly away if they feel threatened. Thats why I used my 400 lens. I was hiking along the beach and saw a few Pelicans come in for a landing. They land like jet liners as they skid across the water and then ruffle their feathers. Then the pelican noticed me on the shore and looked right at me as if to say, "Like my new Do"?Editing
Lightroom 5- crop,clarity and contrast and took the highlights down a tad.In my camera bag
Canon 5D Mark ll, EF 24-105 1:4 L IS USM 70 to 200 2.8 L IS ll USM Extender EF 2x lll 17-40mm 1:4 L EF 100mm 1:2.8 L IS USM Macro 320 EX Flash. The 24 to 105 is my all around lens along with my 70 -200. The 2x multiplier only works with the 70 -200 telephoto. I use it for wildlife mostly. The macro is nice to have along when I see those wild flowers blooming and want a close up and my wide angle is great for some landscapes.Feedback
Pyramid Lake is a remnant of Ancient Lake Lahontan and is fed by the Truckee River which is fed by Lake Tahoe. There is no outlet once the Truckee flows into Lake Pyramid. The weather on the Lake can change in a matter of minutes, so always be prepared. There is no shade, just sage and wild grasses. I didn't plan on seeing the Pelicans as they don't usually hang at the northern end of the lake. Although I didn't have a tripod on this hike, it would have been easier to capture this moment because the pelicans are always moving. My ISO was 640 and shutter was 3200 at F9. Luckily for me, I had time to change my ISO before he noticed me. Right after I snapped the only shot, he swam away as fast as he could go.
