Pelican

[Diane_Miller]

and a screenshot of the unsdjusted raw (yeah – underexposed – my bad):

I was out on Point Reyes Beach in major fog, going nuts that Pelicans were skimming the water and conditions were miserable with heavy fog and late light. (I assume they were flying this low so they could see where they were going.) I was suffering from “writer’s block” with ICMs, and every time I almost tried one, another group of pelicans came by and I got seduced to try the impossible. At one point Lon said he really would like to see what on earth I was trying to do with these silly birds out in the fog. So here is about the only decent example I got.

Specific Feedback Requested

All comments welcome! Evaluations of my sanity are probably the most appropriate ones.

Technical Details

Did everything I could think of in LR, then into PS for everything else I know, to reduce noise and pull out tonal detail. It’s not worth trying anything more as it was just for fun. I’ll work on finding a better chance in good light.

[peter (Peter J. Morrissey)]

Hi Diane
This comes under the tittle of why not try and photograph a low flying Pelican in the fog, or in this case a ghost.
Peter

[Allen_Brooks]

Actually, I think I prefer the original image and the mood it creates. It may not resonate with those far from the ocean, but I can almost hear the fog horn and feel the misty chill of the fog.

[Allen_Sparks]

Hi Diane, your processing seems about as good as could be given the original image. Gives a painterly look.