* Wednesday C&C "No Theme" Thread #928 / Revived #148 on 2026 01 28 *

How American White Pelicans Prep Their Meals

I took a short break from hospital duty today to go get some air and sun, since this will be the only day in the past or upcoming week where the temperature creeps above freezing. The migratory pelicans were out en force as well, forming their now-familiar armada on the lower Pearl.

Here's how they work. They fly in from their winter retreat and set out a loose formation of circles on the river. Today there were about 100. They allow their circle to drift downriver about 100 yards or so, then they fly back upriver to their original positions. They fish as they drift. They gather in smaller groups of 4-6 then blend back into the larger group. They submerge, scoop up a fish, raise their huge bills to drain the excess water, then swallow whole. Their beaks are translucent and you can see the shape of the contents well enough to identify the kind of fish who's becoming lunch. They spend a good bit of their rest time grooming their feathers and performing maintenance on those complicated beaks. They are the second largest bird of North America (the condor is the largest), with a wingspan of about 10 feet, and a weight of 20-30 lbs. The lumps on some of their beaks mean they are shopping for a mate. They fall off after the eggs are laid.

Yes, I like the composition too. The main interest is across the middle, which gives it a stable feel. This space at the top and the bottom could be boring, but in this case, there is enough detail in the attractive clouds and ripples to stop that happening.
The cloud and especially the birds give both balance to the composition and lead nicely to the tiny, but exquisite, skyline.
I also agree with Chris, that the B&W is nicely done and is appropriate for this image,
Nice one.

There is lots of details in the these beautiful flowers. The only thing, which bothers me slightly, is the base of the pot being chopped off. I think if that had been there , together with the slight shadow, which seems to be present, it would add an attractive base to the composition.

The church has a proud interior and presenting it as a vertical panorama makes gives it an unusual and eye-catching format.
I wondered if it would look better if it was taken slightly more centrally, so the middle line would run vertically down the centre of the frame, but decided I rather liked the slight kink, although it means the left-hand side looks a bit cut off, so maybe a bit more of the church there could be food for thought.

I understand your indecision and I am in two minds myself.

As with Chris's cathedral, the vertical panorama is eye-catching, and likewise the subject fits the format perfectly. The snake is not as immediately apparent in this version, so there is a slight buzz when it is discovered. I love the fact that it is half in the water, creating very neat patterns with the ripples, and half on land. I find the white patch on the left to be a distraction, even if it does break up the grey triangle, and would be tempted to tone it down, or feed it to the Photoshop removal tool.

The coloured leaves floating on the water are attractive, but by no means original, so having a snake appear bottom left elevates this for me no end, and sticking out its forked tongue at the right time elevates it a few more notches.

So I like both, but if forced at gunpoint to name one, it would be the first. Maybe.

All three are cool shots(pun intended), but looking at all three, and comparing them allows me to choose the third as my favourite.

In the first, the snow and grass on the left is a bit distracting. I can see why you included it, as it balances the composition and is attractive in itself, but the trouble is, its brightness and detail attracts the eye away from the ice, which is the main subject. Maybe cloning out the long curved piece of grass on the left would help.

I would really like the second, if it were not for the third! I find that concentrating on the main lump of ice in the foreground, together with the flowing water, is my choice. You have managed to get the right amount of motion-blur in the water for my taste, as well.

The wall leads into the frame and a slightly darker patch Interrupts the flow, and helps the eye towards the first mural, not least because it is the same width as the mural and sort of underlines it. The mural is colourful and the man is looking straight at the viewer, making it a strong main subject and visual anchor point, however, he is looking through the flowers, which adds a touch of mystery. Beyond that, the hooded woman(?) is looking out of the frame towards a tree, with no eye-contact with the viewer Below are two small figures which echo this behaviour. The first one, a child, is the smaller of the two, but is wearing brighter colours and looking towards the viewer, making it visually the more dominant of the two, despite its lesser size. The other, a woman(?) also appears to be wearing a hooded gown and is facing away from the viewer.
It is an interesting and well composed image.

A good series supplied with an equally interesting text. The first shot introduces the gang and the next three show the stages of fishing and eating.
Although the last two are more elegant, I particularly like the second. The pelican looks very ungainly with its wings raised, but still folded, and its beak hidden by the water. Maybe this lack of inherent beauty means it is rarely shown elsewhere, making it all the more interesting for me.
They are nicely exposed too, as it is all too easy to blow out white feathers.

My pick. That wonderful street with human figure at the end is very typical of the area.
Horizontal stone on the road is truly amazing.

For some reason this capture is most appealing. Just random birds...

I've visited Istanbul many years ago and spent quite a bit around at the Galata piers and the Bosporus crossing, because the area was so lively (fishermen in the morning, commuters all day, couples in love at night) and timeless.

Your image captures the timelessness that these aging ferry boats exude, and the black&white treatment enhances that sensation.

But there is more.

The composition is peculiar and goes against a few well established rules. You have the horizon (waterline) near the center, while conventional composition guidelines would place it at 1/3 or 2/3. But it is effective, because of the rest that is in the frame.

The left side of the image is very busy, with the boat anchored at the pier, much to see here, and then the smoke from the boat's smokestack also blows inland, again to the left. When our eye wants to explore the right side of the image, that smoke tries hard to pull it back left. So it takes almost an effort to indeed wander right, where a distant shore is waiting across the Bosporus. There is promise there, but many visual forces work against making the crossing.

The lone bird bridges that gap that feels wider than it actually is. The bird symbolizes the freedom to leave behind all that anchors us on the left, and venture into the right.

All that bare wall coming straight at the viewer! I see the photo as a challeng - potential waiting for the young man. Not necessarily a visual art future. More of a nod to Locke's tabla rasa.

crystals fascinated me when I first became aware of them many decades ago. They still do.
It's probably why I like the last shot best. It's a little closer and brings out the crystals a little more. The composition is simpler as well.

Changed my mind. Now I prefer 2 with the glacial valley like Vleading to the highlight area bottom right. An I very much like the line of crystals extending down from the top left. More crystal shapes to enjoy.

I wouldn't want one of those in my pool ;-)

The second one doesn't really work for me because the snake has some motion blur, just enough in the tight crop to make it look as if it wasn't quite in focus.
In the first one you don't see that motion blur and it works well with the bold colours and diagonal lines.

But maybe a crop to remove about 40% from the bottom of the first would work for you ?
It would lose the tail end of the snake but still has all the bold colours and diagonal lines.
The motion blur still isn't really noticeable with such a crop but you'd see the snake better.
All the "vertical layers" would start with about the same width at the bottom and there is no distracting white blob anymore

Looks like the architect did a good job to fill that Cathedral with light.

Good result!
This has the bright light in just the right place and it feels even brighter there, because you included lots of darker shadows around that bright place.
--> Classic Chiaroscuro technique used at its best :-)

Elongated snakes as subjects are one of the best practical arguments that everyone can appreciate, for high pixel counts. The head can only use much of the frame if the snake is coiled, or you just shoot the head. Whenever I encounter an elongated snake, I consider it a big challenge to compose. One of the best photo-ops I've had was a coiled rattlesnake basking in the sun on an asphalt path in Harriman State Park in NY ("Doodletown") about 15 years ago; I was able to lay on my stomach, about a body-length away from the 6 to 7 foot snake, and both the rattle and head used a significant part of the frame.

This shot is loaded with vertical lines. Our response to visual vertical lines has been extensively examined in art and architecture theory. There are reasons why cathedrals choose tall, narrow lines and this photo from Chris explores them.
Generally I don't get overly concerned by leaning verticals but here I think it matters. We respond to tall, narrow vertical lines in a particular way. If the lines aren't vertical however I feel our response is somewhat different. To me, the grace and solemnity that I associate with such lines is being challenged here (although I'm not suggesting this was Chris's intention.)
Any other views on this?