[Birdnet] Are those real?

[Paul Higgins]

I've have had fiun with the "Short-eared Owl--full moon" image I posted last Friday.  Several people have responded to ask if the image is real or "photoshopped".  I even had a couple of people say it was pshopped because it was too perfect not too be.  I guess I better quit trying for the perfect bird image... no one will believe it even if I get it.
   
  No one yet has told me why they thought it was pshopped except it was too perfect.
   
  This is why I think it is pshopped.  (1)  both the owl and the moon are in sharp focus.  No one makes a lens/camera with that large of a depth of field.  The only way you could get both images sharp is by double exposing two images(my camera does that), or imprinting one image upon another(photoshop).
   
  (2) The lighting is good but has some problems. With a full moon behind the owl, and dark ambient light, the owl would be extremely backlit and would appear black.  This could be overcome with some fill light but as you can see the fill light is coming in from the high right.  It could possibly be done in a gallery but highly, highly, unlikly in the wild.  The owl wouldn't just sit there while you did all of this preparing.  Enlarging the images and looking at the congrous edges is another good help in detecting pshopped.
   
  Is it too perfect?...maybe.  Are those real?...I'll never tell.
  Here is the image again, I hope you enjoyed it.
   
  http://www.pbase.com/phiggins/image/89386724
   
  Paul

       
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