Top Gun

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Top Gun
Photo Information
Copyright: John Plumb (JPlumb) Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 654 W: 159 N: 889] (2827)
Genre: Animals
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2007-01-01
Categories: Mammals
Camera: Nikon D-200, NIKKOR AF-S 18-200mm F3.5-5.6 ED DX VR
Exposure: f/5.6, 1/1000 seconds
More Photo Info: [view]
Photo Version: Original Version, Workshop
Date Submitted: 2007-02-26 20:23
Viewed: 754
Points: 20
[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note
I remember several years ago watching the movie Top Gun, with Tom Cruise joy riding on and off the aircraft carrier. In the movie we had a very good display of the jets coming in and landing and catching a cable with a hook to keep them from flying off the end of the runway. It’s much the same with these guys, but I’m sure they didn’t learn this by watching Top Gun.

In this shot you can see the Grey Headed Flying Fox (Fruit Bat) coming in for a landing. He has picked his spot (near the tops of the tree), his wings are spread, his toes extended down and he is gliding in to grab a branch. As he passes, he grabs the branch and swings down to hang from his feet, head downwards. It’s all a very quick, slick operation.

They can’t land or stand like a bird as their legs are like strong cords, with no bulky muscles. Such muscles would make them too heavy for flight. Birds are made lighter by having hollow bones, but flying foxes are mammals, and mammals have solid bones.

You see these bats occasionally flying in the daytime. Daytime is surprisingly busy for these animals that we usually think of as creatures of the night. You will see them fanning their wings to keep cool when it is hot, grooming, giving birth, tending young, mating, looking around, fighting amongst themselves, even flying around: all during daytime. However they will not be eating. This is reserved for the night.

Much of this from: http://www.bellingen.com/flyingfoxes/the_flying_foxes.htm


Workflow was as follows:
Shot in Raw – NEF file adjusted for shadows and highlights
Adjusted levels
Adjusted RGB and Colour curves separately
Dodged and burned with overlay layer
Saved as a tiff
Cropped, resized, framed and sharpened with smart sharpen for this post.

In the workshop I've included another shot, of another bat, coming straight towards the camera, landing in another tree.
lovenature, Argus, Ken52, elefantino, mlines, Adanac, ramthakur, mvdisco, pierrefonds has marked this note useful
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Discussions
ThreadThread Starter Messages Updated
To ramthakur: Pictures Documentary in NatureJPlumb 1 02-28 18:48
To Adanac: Cool SpeciesJPlumb 1 02-28 18:38
To mlines: Unusual CaptureJPlumb 1 02-28 18:36
To elefantino: Rarely See Flying Foxes on TN?JPlumb 1 02-28 18:34
To Ken52: Never Knew Bats Could be so InterestingJPlumb 1 02-28 18:33
To arfer: Showing off the WingsJPlumb 1 02-28 18:29
To lovenature: Bat With his Wings OutJPlumb 1 02-28 18:27
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Critiques [Translate]

Hi John
In Coming...Top Gun! It would be great to get a video of these Bats, doing what they do all day. I love this capture of the bat with his wings out. Really cool image.
TFS Janice

  • Great 
  • arfer Gold Star Critiquer [C: 2726 W: 0 N: 0] (0)
  • [2007-02-26 22:56]
  • [+]

Hello John

I like the capture.It really shows off the wings well.Good details and you can see the texture too.Well focused ,with nice natural colours.Cool posting,TFS
Rob

  • Great 
  • Ken52 Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 661 W: 98 N: 1202] (4017)
  • [2007-02-27 1:33]
  • [+]

Wow. I never knew bats could be so interesting. It is a wonderful note that you include. The small bat is very sharp against the clear blue sky. I think the workshop photo is OUTSTANDING. I like very much to see the bat flying directly at me.

I love flying fox, and we see rarely them on TN.
Nice shot and TFS.
Andrea

Hi John. Well timed to get such an unusual capture of this flying fox. To have perfect clarity is a great result. Good notes about it also. Murray.

Hello John,
Great in flight capture, you don't get to say that about a mammal everyday. Great composition of a very cool species, thanks for sharing.
Rick

Hello John,
First of all, thanks for dropping by and leaving your comment on my recent picture.
A cursory glance at you portfolio gives me the impression that your picture are essentially documentary in nature.
This image you have posted today reinforces that impression.
It is a great shot in which a Flying Fox is poised for landing.
I too enjoyed watching Tom Cruise doing similar things in that movie long ago :-).
Well done and TFS.
Ram

Bonsoir John,
J'aime bien ce cliché et la comparaison avec le film Top Gun.. excellent cliché et note avec un joli point de vu, good catch with beautiful colors of the fly capture..well done ..
Michel

Hi John,

A good POV of the Grey Headed Flying Fox, the photo has a good composition, sharpness and nice colors. thanks for sharing.

Pierre

Hello John,
Wow! Great in-flight capture!
I have never seen bats fly in bright sunlight, but when they do it gives great photo opportunity...
This is a fine composition with this special little animal!
Greetings,
Pablo -

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