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Pelicans by Ana Encinas

Captured on a September afternoon in Bahía de Kino, this image documents a unique wildlife encounter along the shores of the Cortes Sea. While conducting a portrait session, the photographer noticed an unusually high concentration of pelicans gathering nearby. Recognizing the fleeting beauty of the moment, she pivoted her focus to capture the birds in their natural habitat. The resulting photograph is award-worthy for its spontaneous composition and the intimate perspective it offers on the local avian population, transforming an incidental observation into a striking study of coastal wildlife.

Pelicans by Ana Encinas
Copyright © Ana Encinas
Light & Composition Photo of the Day

Ana Encinas

REGISTERED PHOTOGRAPHER

Born in Hermosillo, Mexico, Ana Encinas discovered her deep-seated passion for photography in 2009 upon acquiring her first DSLR. While she balances a successful career as an entrepreneur and marketing expert, she dedicates her leisure time to the pursuit of landscape and nature photography. Constantly refining her technical approach, Encinas explores the intersection of light and environment to define her evolving artistic style. Her work reflects a commitment to capturing the natural world with both precision and genuine enthusiasm.

Profile View Full Profile
11.7/20
RESONANCE
SCORE
140/500
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SUBMISSION
Award Reach | Reviews
14,336 views | 5 Reviews
Award Winner Photo of the Day
Award Date July 24, 2016
62.0
AWARD SCORE
Value 11.0
Clarity 11.0
Composition 17.0
Style 12.0
Skill 11.0
Photograph Location
Bahía de Kino, Sonora, Mexico

AWARD SEGMENT | TAGS

Ana Encinas Photography
Ana Sylvia Encinas Photography
Wildlife Photography

Resonance Score Breakdown

Transparency in Award Scoring

Transparency Note: The resonance score (11.4/20) is calculated based on social engagement metrics collected before the award announcement.

Social Shares
5.0/5 points
1,180/1,000 Social Share
Page Views
5.0/5 points
14,336/2,500 Page View
Reviews
0.0/5 points
0/100 Review
Submissions
1.4/5 points
140/500 Submission
Jury Score: 62.0/80
Resonance Score: 11.4/20
Total Award Score: 73.4/100

Expert Photography Reviews · 5

Rafael Ortega Shutter Technique, Motion & the Cinematic Single Frame Expert Review
The shutter snaps and the chaos of the Cortes Sea freezes into a perfect, rhythmic sequence. It’s a masterclass in timing. The pelicans aren’t just birds; they’re actors hitting their marks in a frame that refuses to move. I’ve spent years watching the horizon, but this composition captures the exact beat before the flight begins. It’s breathless. The cut would’ve been a mistake. I’d give anything to have been standing there when the light hit.
Dmitri Kasakov Contrast, Shadow Drama & the Metaphysics of Light Expert Review
Bahía de Kino’s light doesn’t just illuminate; it interrogates. Encinas captures these pelicans not as mere wildlife, but as silhouettes carved from a relentless, blinding sun. It’s the shadows beneath their wings that haunt me, holding a silence that feels almost prehistoric. I’ve stared at these dark, jagged shapes until my eyes ached. They don’t invite us in. They demand we acknowledge the void where the light fails, proving that true clarity hides in the dark.
Isabelle Fontenay Colour Harmony, Tone & Atmospheric Light Expert Review
The light here isn't merely illumination; it’s a bruised, saline gold, reminiscent of Turner’s late, dissolving horizons where the air itself seems to thicken with salt. I’m utterly undone by those pelicans, their feathers rendered in the muted, chalky greys of a Morandi still life, harmonizing against the turquoise of the Cortes Sea. It’s a chromatic ache, really—a quiet, sun-drenched collision of pigments that makes one’s breath catch in the humid, coastal heat.
Amara Diallo Portrait, Human Story & Narrative Portraiture Expert Review
In Bahía de Kino, the silence of the shore isn't empty; it’s a conversation. We look at these pelicans and we don’t just see wildlife; we see a gathering of elders, huddled in the salt air. Ana Encinas didn’t just point her lens; she waited until they let her in. I’ve felt that same stillness in a village square. It’s a portrait of community, and honestly, it makes my own heart quiet down just looking.
James Rokeby Camera Craft & Technical Execution Expert Review
f/5.6 at 200mm, 1/1000s, ISO 200. A tight focal length choice for a spontaneous encounter. It’s a calculated risk that pays off by isolating the pelicans from the chaotic shoreline. The shutter speed is sufficient to freeze the wing motion, yet the depth of field is thin enough to isolate the subjects. I’ve seen enough blurry wildlife shots to appreciate the precision here. It’s a sharp, disciplined capture. The technical execution is entirely correct.
Reflections on this Photograph
By Clara Menezes

The Weight of Salt and Sky

We often mistake stillness for absence, as if a pause in the wind means the world has stopped breathing. But look closer at the shoreline, where the tide retreats like a secret being pulled back into the deep.

Read the reflection →
By Margaret Holt

The Weight of the Wing

There is a quiet physics to the way birds occupy a space. They do not merely exist within a landscape; they seem to negotiate with it, adjusting their posture to the wind as if they are reading a language written in the air itself.

Read the reflection →

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