After lots of adjustments I came to this High Key look which I really like for this setting. The white pelicans against a grey water really didn't have much contrast so I just played on that and gave it a "blown out" black and white look.
Finally figured out how to take bird photos. This was shot with a 500mm lens and the camera set to FX mode, that allows the lens to act like a 750mm lens. I also shot it with a 1/4000 sec shutter and aperture at f/8 giving the photo nice background bokeh with crisp subject and great colors.
These Pelicans were just drifting back and forth through the opening in the ice. They seemed to be just relaxing but all of a sudden they would all start dipping their beaks into the water and appeared to be feeding on something. Once in a while a gull or another smaller bird would take off with a small silver fish in their beaks and a whole flock of gulls would be squawking and trying to take it away from the one who caught it.
The ducks seem unconcerned as this beautiful Bald Eagle joins the group, but the gulls and other waterfowl don't take any chances, they just get outta town.
This is 4 captures of the same sea gull as it was taking off. I composed it from 4 different photos, somehow I managed to catch it with its wings in the upward position each time and then blended them into one photo.
These next few pictures were all taken along this river, the Big Cottonwood Creek just east of Salt Lake City, UT on a cold winters day. The golden hue in this photo is a reflection from the mountain on the other side of the valley. It is composed of a golden color of granite and reflects light onto the stream.
