Sunbathing, Part II

ShutteredEye · May 14, 2005

Picked up the camera to shoot a couple frames, and ended up with a whole roll. LOL!!! These are some of the better ones. Critiques welcome!

This is Stinker Squeak the cat.

#1--This one made me laugh, she looks like a bandit b/c of the shadow.

#2

#3

#4

Let me know what you think!

ShutteredEye · May 15, 2005

No comments?

I was hoping for some feedback on the DOF and focus...

Nikon Fan · May 15, 2005

I like the composition in them. In the first image the bright light under the cat distracts me a bit. I think a tighter crop might help it. I like the second shot a lot, it reminds me why cats freak me out

The DOF on it is nice IMO. The third is interesting but seems a bit overexposed at the bottom...I like the fourth image a lot too. I think that it could use a little sharpening to make the eyes really scary but it would be hard to do with the cats fur. I think I would be tempted to try selective color on the last just because the cats eyes are huge

I know this isn't critique, but read your sig and gave my honest opinion

I think your focus is pretty good for the most part...and these pics remind me why cats scare me

ShutteredEye · May 15, 2005

eromallagadnama said:
I like the composition in them. In the first image the bright light under the cat distracts me a bit. I think a tighter crop might help it. I like the second shot a lot, it reminds me why cats freak me out The DOF on it is nice IMO. The third is interesting but seems a bit overexposed at the bottom...I like the fourth image a lot too. I think that it could use a little sharpening to make the eyes really scary but it would be hard to do with the cats fur. I think I would be tempted to try selective color on the last just because the cats eyes are huge

I know this isn't critique, but read your sig and gave my honest opinion I think your focus is pretty good for the most part...and these pics remind me why cats scare me

Thanks Amanda, yah the only reason I didn't stick it in Critique was because there were 4 pictures.

#1. I think a tight crop might work too, and I think I'll try that. I had left most of the pic there so that you could see how she was laying and understand the tilt of her head, but I don't guess that matters too much.

#3. Yeah, after I got done I remembered the circular polarizer sitting in my bag. Doh!! Her fur is so shiny that it reflects light like that all the time so it looks blown out in some pics and shimmery(lol) in others.

#4. I'm glad you said something about the eyes. I too was kind of disappointed that they are as soft on the inside as they are. I was wondering if that's just a victim of the DOF or if the refraction of their lenses makes it tough to catch clearly?

I used the macro setting on my 100-300mm all the way out to 300. For you guru's, does a long focal length make for a shallow or deep DOF?

Thanks for the thoughts Amanda. Oh, and I'm sorry you're scared of cats!!

LaFoto · May 16, 2005

Very shallow DOF - is my experience. No one has ever TAUGHT me those things, but when I use the macro function on my fully extended 300mm lens, I get a DOF of about 2mm. Therefore it is harder than hard to focus on the eyes and not catch the hairs on a cats nose in focus instead, which is what almost regularly happened to my own cat-macro-photos I ever tried to take.

By the way, the first, the "bandid-photo" make me look at it twice, wondering whether this was a very rarely colouring or a shadow. Then I read your comment...

ShutteredEye · May 16, 2005

Thanks LaFoto.

I felt like I need to use the 300 because I was going to spook her if I got any closer than I already was. I took these shots with the full purpose of trying to control focus and dof. I was hoping for some feedback on whether I still have technique issues, or if maybe I've reached the limits of my cheap glass.

I am excited though, I just ran across a Canon MF 50mm 1.4 for $20, and an 1.8 for $15. May pick up one of each at that price! LOL