Patterns in Black & White

I think the various patterns in this shot were pretty awesome so I added a touch of digital to enhance the circle that the pelicans beak was making.  I also tried a few other settings in the digital software since I usually don't work with photographs.  I had read recently that you should never use the brightness/contrast on a photo, but use the curves instead.  I gave the "curves" and "levels" each a try and I have to agree, that the curves, while harder to manipulate (small preview thumbnail), did produce the best results.  I also read that you should never use the auto anything buttons-but I gave the auto sharpen button a click for good measure.  I was impressed with the result.  We are never too old to learn something new, so play!