C&C Request: Another Impromptu Cat Portrait

[Cortian]

This is another of those "opportunity presented itself" portraits--this time as I was just foolin' around with my new-to-me 430EX II speedlight. Feedback on all aspects welcome.

 

[zombiesniper]

Exposure and colour look really good.
If possible try to get down as close the the animals eye level as you can. This tends to make them seem more personable.

Overall a good image.

 

[Derrel]

I think the eyes of the cat are riding too low within the overall frame as-shown, so I'd crop some off the top of this, and in doing so, that will move the eyes up higher within the final picture area. Other than that, and maybe slightly darkening the overall exposure is all I'd do to this.

 

[Cortian]

Exposure and colour look really good.
If possible try to get down as close the the animals eye level as you can. This tends to make them seem more personable.
Overall a good image.

Thanks and noted!

I think the eyes of the cat are riding too low within the overall frame as-shown, so I'd crop some off the top of this, and in doing so, that will move the eyes up higher within the final picture area.

I know that in this digital age this isn't strictly necessary, but I try to stay with "standard" aspect ratios when I can. In this case 3x4. I didn't want to crowd his whiskers or ears, so that's how it ended-up framed like it is. I'll play with it, though.

Other than that, and maybe slightly darkening the overall exposure is all I'd do to this.

It did seem to me almost on the edge of slightly over-exposed. Not certain how to do that in the Gimp, but I'll look into it.

Thanks!

 

[tirediron]

The exposure looks fine to me, but I agree that most of the empty space on top should be binned. Normally I would agree with getting lower, but this seems to have captured a real, "Hey.... you forgot to feed the cat" expression.

 

[Derrel]

I took a stab at this, cropping off some top space, but still keeping the original, 3:4 aspect ratio. I burned the wood floor down a tiny bit, and made a slight exposure tweak. What a nice-looking cat this is. I love cats. I was trying to get the background a slight bit darker, to make the cat's face and eyes stand out more. I really think though, that a non-3:4 aspect ratio could make this an even better portrait.

 

[smoke665]

Wow, love those eyes!!!!!!!!! Looks like you got some good advice above already.

 

[Cortian]

Thanks, Derrel. I believe I like that edit. At first I thought it might be better to give his left whiskers a bit more breathing room, but then his right ear would be crowded. Yes: To make it any better I'd have to lose the aspect ratio.

 

[Derrel]

I know what you mean about cat whiskers, and not crowding them to the edges of a frame...often a challenge in a "tall" shot of a cat from close-range. As to aspect ratios...I dunno....there are multiple aspect ratios in digital cameras. I LIKE the pro-Nikon in-camera capture option of 5:4 (aka 8x10); the 4/3 cameras are 4:3; the standard 3:2 ratio of most d-slrs is IMHO, NOT the best one for many portraits.

Personally, I like to crop to whatever looks best to me, and since 2013 I think I've _substantially_ cropped more images in post than I had in the previous 30 years. There's plenty of room for non-cropped images, or fixed-aspect shooting, or a mix. Then there's the old 1:1 or square. Every picture is different. I was taught NOT to crop, to show "the whole frame"...but that's a 1960's era affectation.

 

[SquarePeg]

I know that in this digital age this isn't strictly necessary, but I try to stay with "standard" aspect ratios when I can. In this case 3x4. I didn't want to crowd his whiskers or ears, so that's how it ended-up framed like it is. I'll play with it, though.

Unless you're printing for a specific size, what reason is there to keep a strict aspect ratio? I understand the intent and I try to keep to one of the standards because they're more visually appealing to me but I'll often change from the original to a 5X7 or 8X10 if it better suits my composition, especially when I know it's not destined to be printed.