Chuck Hatcher Posted June 12, 2007 Share #1 Posted June 12, 2007 Advertisement (gone after registration) This is Mio. M8, 90/2 Pre-APO Summicron, no IR correction. Harsh criticism is welcome - I need to improve my skills. I know the highlights are blown but I was after the black cat. What about cropping? I considered a tighter crop but did not like any of the results. Thanks in advance! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted June 12, 2007 Posted June 12, 2007 Hi Chuck Hatcher, Take a look here Cat Picture . I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
peter55 Posted June 13, 2007 Share #2 Posted June 13, 2007 Well since the background is disappearing in soft diffused light, to me it does not matter how bright it is. In fact it gives me the impression of another, brighter world just outside of this world of the cat and beautifull plant. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandokan Posted June 13, 2007 Share #3 Posted June 13, 2007 Dear Chuck, As you asked for criticism .. :-) Focus is good and just enough depth of field to show the whole subject in focus and the background slightly out of focus. Great eye contact and a lovely colour to the eyes, which come through because you came down to the same level. You have an out of focus object (finger?) in the bottom edge! Treat it as a portrait session - and like a child Mio cant be controlled, so plan on lots of wasted shots. I dont know about Mio, but my Tamasha was a real feline hunter and looked his best when walking around and owning our garden - like a miniature lion who liked to be tickled. So try getting shots of Mio in action, unless you can fill the frame with him sitting and either licking of staring directly into the camera (with a lightish background but not enough to hide the eyes, or a dark background and have the eyes shine out). If you can visualise the kind of shot you want to frame, then achieving it will be easier. Shoot outdoors in the shade or morning or evening - the harsh contrast and flat light during the rest of the day are not flattering. It looks like you shot in the evening here, but the shadows are still strong and form a pattern on the fur. The red from the plant in front is a distraction and leads my eyes away from the green eyes of the cat. The green plant with the strong leaves (my horticultural knowledge is non-existant) behind the cat, also lead my eyes away from the subject. Treat this as the personal opinion of a not very good photographer who is also a beginner. It is just what I see, as things I find distracting from what is a great subject. Yours, Ravi Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
stuny Posted June 13, 2007 Share #4 Posted June 13, 2007 Chuck - A beautiful cat with really interesting light and framing, nadthexisting image: 1. Consider cropping the light area out of ther bottom left. You might even want to rotate the image one or two degrees to the right, and then crop, which will place much of the area I suggest to be cropped outside the border of what you will save, as well as very slightly tightening the other borders. 2. Try some sharpening. 3. Experiment with using exposure sliders, being careful to maintain some of the brown in the cat's black coat. I think you're almost there. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandokan Posted June 13, 2007 Share #5 Posted June 13, 2007 Hi Chuck, A question occurred to me: "what do you like about the photo and what dont you like?" OK, as well as botany numerology is another weak point . Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrEd Posted June 17, 2007 Share #6 Posted June 17, 2007 Hi Chuck, Did you try something like this?: . Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
spylaw4 Posted June 17, 2007 Share #7 Posted June 17, 2007 Advertisement (gone after registration) I liked the original, even though I felt that it could be improved. Then I scrolled down and saw Ed's version and "Bingo!" - IMO just what it needed. Well done Ed - perhaps you could indicate (apart from the crop) what you did for Chuck's and our benefit. Oh - and (s)he's a lovely cat! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
stuny Posted June 17, 2007 Share #8 Posted June 17, 2007 Chuck - Ed did exactly what I hoped. Now your fine image is excellent. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuck Hatcher Posted June 18, 2007 Author Share #9 Posted June 18, 2007 Hi Chuck, A question occurred to me: "what do you like about the photo and what dont you like?" OK, as well as botany numerology is another weak point . For me the presence of the cat alters the perspective of the garden, transforming it from normal human scale to something larger and more interesting. I wonder what the cat is thinking about. Hi Chuck,Did you try something like this?: . No, I had only been trying vertical format crops. Yours is a definite improvement - thanks. Here is the same cat hiding in the shadow of a shovel along with a first attempt at a B&W conversion/crop: Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuck Hatcher Posted July 24, 2007 Author Share #10 Posted July 24, 2007 He's getting older: Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuck Hatcher Posted July 24, 2007 Author Share #11 Posted July 24, 2007 Or is a square format crop better? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrEd Posted July 25, 2007 Share #12 Posted July 25, 2007 Brian, Stuart, Chuck, ......just did a few adjustments, and after uploading the file I deleted it, so what ever I did, I have no clue:( ....don't remember.....sorry. plus I don't have the greatest memory nowadays....however it looks ok, I guess. The cat is beautiful, my mother has one just like it. Ed. . Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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