The Unexpected

Sometimes, in photography, you capture the unexpected; and sometimes, you miss it!  That's what happened last weekend when we (my hubby and I) were down at Swan Falls Dam.

I was photographing this beautiful white pelican (in not so beautiful light) and a huge fish jumped straight up out of the water and down in again, in the background of my image.  I thought I may have captured it and was excited to check and see, but sadly, it was not there.  I did get the splash it made though, as you can see in this image.  That's the one that got away that day, both from myself and this pelican that was unaware the event even took place.

  

I think these unpredictable moments are one thing that keeps me going back out in nature; being at the right time and in the right place to capture or yes perhaps, even miss capturing something spectacular.  A rainbow, an elusive animal or one you've never seen or photographed before, a bolt of lightening, etc...The fact that you get to see incredible things, whether you capture them or not is such a thrill!  Nature provides so many fun experiences and it always keeps me wanting to go back out for more of the unexpected...even if it gets away.

Have you had an unexpected moment you captured or even one that you missed?  I'd love to hear your story!  Tell me about it in the comments.

American White Pelican at Swan Falls Dam

I saw this American White Pelican recently when I was down at Swan Falls Dam.  I think it's a cool looking bird and I was surprised to find it there.  I love how the early morning light cast a nice glow on the scene and the reflections.  I love reflections!  I like this close-up shot very much, but I think the ones with the dam in the background add a bit more interest.

In this second image, I included the dam in the background to get a sense of place and the environment where I found the bird.  I really like the compression of the environmental shot and the clarity of my subject in both shots that I got from my new lens.

I added a filter in Adobe Lightroom 5 to this version of the image to add an erosion effect that makes the image seem much older than it is.  I also added a canvas-type textured look to the image.

This last version of the image was converted to black and white.  It's hard for me to choose a favorite. 

Which version of this image do YOU like best?  I'd appreciate hearing your thoughts. Please let me know in the comments.