Michael Weatherford
February 2025 - Bat Falcon
Original
About the Image(s)
Bat Falcon - Ecuadorian Cloud Forest
Every day when I have time I go back and review images from the same date in previous years. I'm conservative about throwing away images, so I frequently find ones that I initially chose not to process, or re-process others that I think can be improved. Something for an old retired photography nerd to do. This is one from a birding trip to Ecuador in late January 2024. It was a trip for hard-core birders, not aimed at photography. I'm not one of those hard-cores, but I enjoyed watching grown people high-fiving one another over a speck spotted in a distant tree. I really don't know why I kept this image but in my review I enlarged the bird, noticed an interesting pose and decided to try doing something with it. I can't remember what all I did, but it's truly one where I "used all possible sliders" in Lightroom. I also let Topaz AI do its magic. And I also used Luminar 4 for "guess what". Nikon Z8 with Z400mm lens and 1.4TC. Lens wide open as usual at f6.3; 1/640; ISO 64. Handheld. I like the image, except for one thing that bothers me. I'll bet you have at least one thing too!
7 comments posted
He's got some mighty big feet there, along with a little itch that makes him quite adorable.
Posted: 02/07/2025 21:36:59
The visual impact as compared to the original is quite stunning. But WOW is that a deep crop. I didn't even know this species existed so you have a rare catch for sure.
As you note there is something that bothers you and I'm guessing (hoping) it is the sky. For me it just looks like the bird is pasted into the image. There are several areas where the blue of the sky is bleeding of sky does not work. First on the bird's back. Then there is the fork in the tail feathers where it there is a white spot, and there is a scond spot directly behind the leg.. Finally the perch has no blending and so looks just pasted in,
Matt K on Youtube has a really good and easy to use video on removing these white areas that is quite easy to follow. Posted: 02/08/2025 21:17:13
I'm not much for sky replacements although it is pretty. If this were mine, I'd have cropped it vertical with more tree letting the bird be a bit smaller- more of an environmental shot. But I like small-in-frame birds.
And, I know what you mean about photographing on a birding tour :)
Posted: 02/08/2025 23:00:11
Well I've never seen that bird before and what a pose!! I As for suggestions for improvement, i noted what I think Larry was talking about too. There is a little haloing around the bird's tail. Also, there is a thin sliver of white between the bird's raised foot and its body. While I feel certain that this is just the color of the bird's belly feathers, it looks like a mistake in processing. I'd consider cloning it out. It took me a little whle to make sense of the head position, but once I did, it is quite unusual! Posted: 02/17/2025 20:26:44