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Just a random image of my pet cat 'Pumpkin' edited slightly using GIMP,
Just messing about, trying different things. Think i may have gone a bit overboard with the color enhancment.
| Brand: | Canon |
| Camera: | Canon EOS 350D |
| Lens: | 50.0 mm (35 mm equivalent: 78.1 mm) |
| Recording media: | RAW (digital) |
| Date Taken: | 2 Apr 2012 - 5:41 PM |
| Focal Length: | 50mm |
| Aperture: | f/2.0 |
| Shutter Speed: | 1/125sec |
| Exposure Comp: | 0.0 |
| ISO: | 800 |
| Exposure Mode: | Shutter speed priority AE |
| Metering Mode: | Evaluative |
| Flash: | Off, Did not fire |
| Title: | On The Prowl |
| Username: | 
EvasiveSkydiver |
| Uploaded: | 3 Apr 2012 - 11:29 PM |
| Tags: | General, Pets / captive animals, Wildlife / nature |
| VS Mode Rating |
100 (0% won) These stats show the percentage of wins and the rating score that your photo has achieved. You can go to the VS Mode by clicking on this icon. Signup to e2Signup to e2 to see which photo this has won or lost against in the vs mode |
| Votes: | Voting Disabled |
 | Critique Wanted |
| Modifications Welcome (Upload a Modification) |
Comments
I really love the angle youve shot this it, - different and very nice.
Youve done well to get the eyes sharp at f/2 also. You have gone overboard a little with colour, and also, part of this is that theres a colour cast in the original that might be due to auto white balance making a poor decision
I would suggest you crop space from the top, - it makes the shot 99% cat; Ive done this in the mod, and also worked on the colour balance, and removed some noise. I added 2 small catch-lights using a small white brush, - this helps bring the eyes to life.
Its a really good shot, and shows whats possible when you get right down to the level of the subject.
regards
Willie
Quote: I really love the angle youve shot this it, - different and very nice.
Youve done well to get the eyes sharp at f/2 also. You have gone overboard a little with colour, and also, part of this is that theres a colour cast in the original that might be due to auto white balance making a poor decision
I would suggest you crop space from the top, - it makes the shot 99% cat; Ive done this in the mod, and also worked on the colour balance, and removed some noise. I added 2 small catch-lights using a small white brush, - this helps bring the eyes to life.
Its a really good shot, and shows whats possible when you get right down to the level of the subject.
regards
Willie
Hi Willie, Thanks for the great advice you've given me, i'll take it onboard and hopefully keep improving with practice.
Thanks again,
Craig
I like it too, Willie's done the mod I would have done, but the catchlights are in the wrong place for the light. As with a lot of things, it is the subtle that can make the difference, but it has to look real, otherwise your brain tells you something isn't right (such as replacing skies that are lit differently to the ground, or adding a moon to a picture against the shadows etc).
I would also love to see a pic like this with eye contact, as cats have such an intense look sometimes.
Nick
Hi Craig... Yes like Willie says you have gone overboard with the colour and I like the jaunty angle. I would like to have seen a little more room to the right as the cats whiskers are very slightly cropped.
In my mod I have removed the dark area in the background and added some room to the right of frame, I have also assume that your door frame is white and adjusted the colours to that. It may have increased the blue in the image but hopefully bought back the natural colours to the muggy.
I agree with the catch light so have added a small amount to the eyes.
Trev
Quote: Hi Craig... Yes like Willie says you have gone overboard with the colour and I like the jaunty angle. I would like to have seen a little more room to the right as the cats whiskers are very slightly cropped.
In my mod I have removed the dark area in the background and added some room to the right of frame, I have also assume that your door frame is white and adjusted the colours to that. It may have increased the blue in the image but hopefully bought back the natural colours to the muggy.
I agree with the catch light so have added a small amount to the eyes.
Trev
Thanks a lot for the advice!!
Love the mod 
Quote: I like it too, Willie's done the mod I would have done, but the catchlights are in the wrong place for the light. As with a lot of things, it is the subtle that can make the difference, but it has to look real, otherwise your brain tells you something isn't right (such as replacing skies that are lit differently to the ground, or adding a moon to a picture against the shadows etc).
I would also love to see a pic like this with eye contact, as cats have such an intense look sometimes.
Nick
Quote: I like it too, Willie's done the mod I would have done, but the catchlights are in the wrong place for the light. As with a lot of things, it is the subtle that can make the difference, but it has to look real, otherwise your brain tells you something isn't right (such as replacing skies that are lit differently to the ground, or adding a moon to a picture against the shadows etc).
I would also love to see a pic like this with eye contact, as cats have such an intense look sometimes.
Nick
Thanks a lot for the advice!!
Just another thought Craig.. Willie alluded to Auto White balance. I don't know if you use it, however I find using the correct WB for the lighting, set it to sun light, shadow, tungsten... what ever light you are in helps. If it's not quite right then as you are shooting RAW then you can adjust in software.
Best of luck Trev
Quote: Just another thought Craig.. Willie alluded to Auto White balance. I don't know if you use it, however I find using the correct WB for the lighting, set it to sun light, shadow, tungsten... what ever light you are in helps. If it's not quite right then as you are shooting RAW then you can adjust in software.
Best of luck Trev
Thanks again for the great advice,
Any help I can get is much appreciated. Im quite new to SLR photography and editing software, so I need all the help and advice I can get!
Hopefully I will improve with practice
Thanks again
Craig
Hi Craig,
I guess i'd better be careful what I say about your image of "Pumpkin", well people and pets you know 
.
First off I agree with you, you may have been a touch over zealous woth the vibrance or saturation but so what it's what you like that matters. The angle is right for Pumpkin to prowl into and works fine in to my eyes. If you use ACR to process your image then alonr the top left is a white balance eyedropper, click on a section in your imag ethat should be white and it will adjust the colours.
Take care
Martin
Quote: Hi Craig,
I guess i'd better be careful what I say about your image of "Pumpkin", well people and pets you know .
First off I agree with you, you may have been a touch over zealous woth the vibrance or saturation but so what it's what you like that matters. The angle is right for Pumpkin to prowl into and works fine in to my eyes. If you use ACR to process your image then alonr the top left is a white balance eyedropper, click on a section in your imag ethat should be white and it will adjust the colours.
Take care
Martin
Excellent, thanks for the comments and advice
It is a bit too ginger I think. The basic shot and plane of sharpness are good, however, and this is where personal preference comes in - I don't go for the angle because too many lines in the background scream tilted! I would crop in much closer top remove much of the background.
You pays your money......
Paul
Hi Craig,
If you're setting the white balance in your camera via a pre-set to suit the shot you're about to take, you'll get a shot with the white balance adjusted as the camera thinks it should be, which may, or may not, be what you actually want. In other words, you'll want to adjust it later in software.
Also, there's every chance that you'll forget to change the setting the next time you use the camera which could mean that the next images will need fixing.
Alternatively, if you leave the W/B setting in the camera at "auto" it makes no difference to your images at the time of shooting because you're going to have to adjust them in processing anyway.
I use "auto" W/B, in camera, every time.
I do however avoid "auto" anything in processing.
Bren.
Quote: It is a bit too ginger I think. The basic shot and plane of sharpness are good, however, and this is where personal preference comes in - I don't go for the angle because too many lines in the background scream tilted! I would crop in much closer top remove much of the background.
You pays your money......
Paul
Hi Paul, thanks for the feedback
Quote: Hi Craig,
If you're setting the white balance in your camera via a pre-set to suit the shot you're about to take, you'll get a shot with the white balance adjusted as the camera thinks it should be, which may, or may not, be what you actually want. In other words, you'll want to adjust it later in software.
Also, there's every chance that you'll forget to change the setting the next time you use the camera which could mean that the next images will need fixing.
Alternatively, if you leave the W/B setting in the camera at "auto" it makes no difference to your images at the time of shooting because you're going to have to adjust them in processing anyway.
I use "auto" W/B, in camera, every time.
I do however avoid "auto" anything in processing.
Bren.
Hi Bren, thanks for the advice, I really appreciate it!!
We aim to please Craig!
We weren't all born knowing how to do this and we're each learning from each other all the time.
Sometimes the advice we put out can seem confusing, even conflicting, that's because we each have our favourite methods but by listening, which you obviously are, and more importantly, by trying things, which you obviously are, you'll soon develop your own favoured ways of getting things done.
So!
If you ever have a question, no matter how daft or silly it might seem to you, ask it anyway. The chances are that, not very long ago, we were asking that same daft question!
Good luck!
Bren.
Quote: We aim to please Craig!
We weren't all born knowing how to do this and we're each learning from each other all the time.
Sometimes the advice we put out can seem confusing, even conflicting, that's because we each have our favourite methods but by listening, which you obviously are, and more importantly, by trying things, which you obviously are, you'll soon develop your own favoured ways of getting things done.
So!
If you ever have a question, no matter how daft or silly it might seem to you, ask it anyway. The chances are that, not very long ago, we were asking that same daft question!
Good luck!
Bren.
Cheers Bren!!
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