The lazy cat

wong1979 · 2nd November 2005

This cat, although ordinary, is so nice. Allowed me to put him on the boulder for a shoot

Did some digital work on it with PSP, is this considered B/W photography?

Cheers..

vkashi · 2nd November 2005

i think the subject is really good

maybe you should have bumped up the iso to get a faster shutter speed. due to the 1/15sec exposure camera shake becomes evident, as does subject movement. you could also have chosen f3.5 or thereabouts rather than f8 to get a shallower dof. that would have thrown the background oof and emphasized only the cat.

wong1979 · 2nd November 2005

Originally Posted by vkashi

i think the subject is really good
maybe you should have bumped up the iso to get a faster shutter speed. due to the 1/15sec exposure camera shake becomes evident, as does subject movement. you could also have chosen f3.5 or thereabouts rather than f8 to get a shallower dof. that would have thrown the background oof and emphasized only the cat.

Thanks! This shot although planned was actually quite candid, and hence I've not much time to think too much on the settings. Also, the original was overexposed and hence I converted it to B/W

... play cheat

espion · 2nd November 2005

" ... not much time to think ..."

Ah that make all the difference ... must practice and practice until you see a scene you dont think and your hands just select all the settings without thinking ... :-)

since the cat is so friendly could have done more with it ... at the least can think more deliberately and take plenty plenty shots ...

Azure · 2nd November 2005

Nope this picture is clearly not B&W nor sepia. Its an attempt at toning.

About the picture -
1. I won't caption it "lazy". The cat is obviously trying to move or stretch.

2. The numerous distractions in the background do not help. Burn them out or blulr them away (since you used PSP to post-process).

3. Do correct your focus point, please, as it looks like your camera had focused on the cat's fur and paw. Ask yourself - is that what you want to draw attention to, or is it some other part of the cat.

Just some brutal comments.
If too harsh, please ignore.

Isaiahfortythirtyone · 2nd November 2005

erm....if u had put to f/3.5, a part of the cat would have been OOF...hmmm..

but i dun like the colours leh. a bit too washed out. maybe try again using B&W actions?

vkashi · 2nd November 2005

Originally Posted by Isaiahfortythirtyone

erm....if u had put to f/3.5, a part of the cat would have been OOF...hmmm..

but i dun like the colours leh. a bit too washed out. maybe try again using B&W actions?

but if i am getting 1/15s at f8, i will at least try 1/60@f4 to avoid fuzzy pictures.

LolliPoP · 2nd November 2005

Not sharp. People at the background very distractive.
Good pose though!

Ben1223 · 2nd November 2005

The background is distracting. It's competing for attention.

wong1979 · 2nd November 2005

As mentioned, this picture was actually ruined by over-exposure or something. Tried my best to salvage it. I did something like making the hue and saturation to 0 (whatever these are) and added 10% Sepia to it. I thought B/W simply means no colour other than shades of b/w

Thanks azure for pointing it out. Will go and experiment somemore.

Regarding the caption 'Lazy Cat', isn't stretching out on a sun-filled boulder appear lazying around? If not, what then?

Yup, focussing seems to be on it's paw rather than his face. But the reason I go f/8 is to enable the cat to be sharp throughout. Looks like it didn't work due to handshake or something. Still a newbie but not an excuse. Practise!

Regarding the background, well, I kinda like the fact with something visible, but not so distinct. I think those people fishing behind serves some purpose in the depiction of this picture/caption. As if the cat is waiting for them to catch fish for him. But the people there weren't part of the plan,of course, they just happened to be there fatefully and hence the whole picture.

Cheers..

wong1979 · 3rd November 2005

Ok the bottom one is definitely B/W right? Coz I used a B/W conversion software and added 10% Sepia toning. But imho, I feel that there's no significant diff btwn the 2 except that the latter looks blacker? How do you define B/W photography? Are there any finer points that needs to be highlighted?

Cheers..

2nd November 2005	#1
wong1979 Member Join Date: Aug 2005 Posts: 540	The lazy cat This cat, although ordinary, is so nice. Allowed me to put him on the boulder for a shoot Did some digital work on it with PSP, is this considered B/W photography? Cheers..

2nd November 2005	#2
vkashi Member Join Date: May 2005 Location: university! Posts: 258	Re: The lazy cat i think the subject is really good maybe you should have bumped up the iso to get a faster shutter speed. due to the 1/15sec exposure camera shake becomes evident, as does subject movement. you could also have chosen f3.5 or thereabouts rather than f8 to get a shallower dof. that would have thrown the background oof and emphasized only the cat.

2nd November 2005	#4
espion Deregistered Join Date: Aug 2005 Posts: 1,533	Re: The lazy cat " ... not much time to think ..." Ah that make all the difference ... must practice and practice until you see a scene you dont think and your hands just select all the settings without thinking ... :-) since the cat is so friendly could have done more with it ... at the least can think more deliberately and take plenty plenty shots ...

2nd November 2005	#5
Azure Deregistered Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: ClubSNAP community Posts: 2,783	Re: The lazy cat Nope this picture is clearly not B&W nor sepia. Its an attempt at toning. About the picture - 1. I won't caption it "lazy". The cat is obviously trying to move or stretch. 2. The numerous distractions in the background do not help. Burn them out or blulr them away (since you used PSP to post-process). 3. Do correct your focus point, please, as it looks like your camera had focused on the cat's fur and paw. Ask yourself - is that what you want to draw attention to, or is it some other part of the cat. Just some brutal comments. If too harsh, please ignore.

2nd November 2005	#6
Isaiahfortythirtyone Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Clementi Posts: 2,470	Re: The lazy cat erm....if u had put to f/3.5, a part of the cat would have been OOF...hmmm.. but i dun like the colours leh. a bit too washed out. maybe try again using B&W actions?

2nd November 2005	#8
LolliPoP Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Somewhere Posts: 149	Re: The lazy cat Not sharp. People at the background very distractive. Good pose though!

2nd November 2005	#9
Ben1223 Member Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Bedok, Singapore Posts: 548	Re: The lazy cat The background is distracting. It's competing for attention.

2nd November 2005	#10
wong1979 Member Join Date: Aug 2005 Posts: 540	Re: The lazy cat As mentioned, this picture was actually ruined by over-exposure or something. Tried my best to salvage it. I did something like making the hue and saturation to 0 (whatever these are) and added 10% Sepia to it. I thought B/W simply means no colour other than shades of b/w Thanks azure for pointing it out. Will go and experiment somemore. Regarding the caption 'Lazy Cat', isn't stretching out on a sun-filled boulder appear lazying around? If not, what then? Yup, focussing seems to be on it's paw rather than his face. But the reason I go f/8 is to enable the cat to be sharp throughout. Looks like it didn't work due to handshake or something. Still a newbie but not an excuse. Practise! Regarding the background, well, I kinda like the fact with something visible, but not so distinct. I think those people fishing behind serves some purpose in the depiction of this picture/caption. As if the cat is waiting for them to catch fish for him. But the people there weren't part of the plan,of course, they just happened to be there fatefully and hence the whole picture. Cheers..

3rd November 2005	#11
wong1979 Member Join Date: Aug 2005 Posts: 540	Re: The lazy cat Ok the bottom one is definitely B/W right? Coz I used a B/W conversion software and added 10% Sepia toning. But imho, I feel that there's no significant diff btwn the 2 except that the latter looks blacker? How do you define B/W photography? Are there any finer points that needs to be highlighted? Cheers..