Why do I take time to process an image like this?

[bajadreamer]

Sometimes I look at an image that I have taken and have to make a decision whether or not to spend time processing it. Occasionally I decide to process it because it pleases me-what I consider a nice image. Other times I process it because it is a unique bird. Bottom line is if it evokes a memory or emotion for me it is worth the time. This is one of those images. A Long-wattled Umbrellabird seen in Ecuador. I will probably never see one of these birds again so I decided to put some time in and process it. Cannot make a "silk purse out of a sow's ear" so it will never be a Nat Geo image. In the past I have spent too much time on images like this.
Converted from RAW in DXO Pure Raw, processed in ACR (bird up, BG down), WB set, brought to PSCC and some wire holding grapes cloned out, and some bright areas brought down. Finished in DeNoise AI.

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[bleirer]

You've mentioned before about the double noise reduction - pure raw to start and Topaz to finish. Is that your regular workflow, and just wondering why not get all the noise in the pure raw on the first pass?

I've got nothing for the critique except wondering if there is some detail in those shadow areas on the breast.

 

[bajadreamer]

You've mentioned before about the double noise reduction - pure raw to start and Topaz to finish. Is that your regular workflow, and just wondering why not get all the noise in the pure raw on the first pass?

I've got nothing for the critique except wondering if there is some detail in those shadow areas on the breast.

My normal workflow is to convert from RAW with DXO PR, open in ACR and then PS. Depending on what I do (raising shadows, etc) I sometimes run Topaz Denoise AI in the low light mode before converting to JPEG. Prior to running DN I save a layered TIFF as the master copy. I find that DXO does a very good job with colors, contrast and noise on my files, but typically I still have a very light grain in the dark areas and especially within the eyes of many birds. If I need to raise shadows, etc, that becomes exagerrated; hence the DN as the last step. If you want a good explanation of that workflow, watch Alan Murphy's discussion of the Topaz products. He made sense to me.
As to the shadows on the belly, the bird has already been raised 2/3-1 full stop with the shadow and exposure sliders. If I try raising it any more, he starts to turn gray rather than the blue-black he actually is. If I use the black slider to counteract this, it just darkens the area again.

 

[PhD69]

Thank you for posting this photo. I didn’t know this bird. Looking on the Internet, I find : "Both sexes are short-tailed and carry an erectile head crest; those of the males are slightly longer at 20–30 cm. The male is distinguished by a large throat wattle of feathers, while females and juveniles have no or a much smaller wattle." Wikipedia.
It looks like this bird is relatively rare.
It is worth developing. We don’t always have the opportunity to bring back perfect images, but simpler memories are also important.

 

[Mark Garfinkel]

I like a model that brings their own lunch. Like the picture.

 

[bajadreamer]

Thank you for posting this photo. I didn’t know this bird. Looking on the Internet, I find : "Both sexes are short-tailed and carry an erectile head crest; those of the males are slightly longer at 20–30 cm. The male is distinguished by a large throat wattle of feathers, while females and juveniles have no or a much smaller wattle." Wikipedia.
It looks like this bird is relatively rare.
It is worth developing. We don’t always have the opportunity to bring back perfect images, but simpler memories are also important.

Thank you for looking. I have seen these birds previously in Ecuador, but always at a lek, where they display. With these birds, all the leks I have seen have been high in large trees, so you are looking up at them through heavy foliage- poor photography ops. This one came to a moth feeder that had a few grapes put out. When I first sat down (in the dark) I wondered what type of bird would come to the grapes. I quickly found out. To my knowledge, this is the only place in Ecuador where this species comes to a feeder set up.