Portrait of a "fetch" player (C&C welcome)

[Vortex421]

I have two cats of my own, both of whom manage to keep my life very interesting and entertaining in so many ways. The eldest of the two is Tazer, a marbled tabby who is about 2 and a half years old now. (In fact, I got him from the Humane Society two years ago next week) Tazer is very photogenic in that he will "pose" for a camera if he sees me pointing one at him. He's also unique in that he has learned to play "fetch" with Nerf darts and the game is a near-daily occurrence between us. (It is to the point where he will beg me and pester me until I relent, find a dart, and start throwing it for him)

After one of our sessions not too long ago I got out the camera and snapped this picture of him resting after a game of fetch. Now I confess, his ears got a little cut off in the picture - I realized that afterwards - but I was trying to make sure that I got him and the dart (in the foreground) in the picture. The only other thing that I am not sure I like is this particular lighting... sun was coming through the east window (behind him) which means that things towards the top of the picture got a bit more lightened than I wanted.

Anyways, I'd appreciate any commentary and critique the community has to offer. This did go through post-processing in Lightroom 4 but that was merely to take care of lens correction, white balance, and adjust the tone a smidge.

Thanks!

 

[Photographiend]

:heart: Kitties :mrgreen:

 

[Nolly]

Nice cat! It'd be nice if the dart was in the line of focus (in his paws, perhaps?), as it is it's tricky to tell what it is without the explanation, and it is a shame about the ears being cut off. Personally I'd aim further right so that his face is in the left half and there's more of his body in shot.
Photo-wise I think you'd get more pleasing results with a wider aperture and much faster shutter speed though. The shot is quite dull and soft, and a subtle vignette could help emphasise his face. Here's some basic processing I applied (hope you don't mind):

 

[Vortex421]

Nolly - thank you very much both for the feedback and the processing! I am very appreciative of any suggestions I can use to improve myself and I'll take all that I can get!

Would you be able to give me a quick rundown of the processing work done so I have an idea of what to aim for in the future? Or was that the vignette you mentioned in the post?

Thank you again!

 

[Nolly]

No problem I did use a vignette, but I also used some curve adjustment to fade the shadows and highlights, as well as a slight sepia tinge for a warmer look.