Took some more shots of my cat

[JHew84]

Am I getting any better?
Here is the thread with some of the first shots I took with the 20D:
http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=287365

Here are some pictures I just snapped yesterday. Only thing I did was fix the white balance some, I had it set to indoor lighting but they still came out a little yellow.
http://img262.imageshack.us/img262/4075/3122007130ur4.jpg
http://img389.imageshack.us/img389/1854/3122007153ip4.jpg
I know the focus isn't that great on this shot but I like it, so i'm tossing it in anyway :lol:
http://img389.imageshack.us/img389/3687/3122007171jm5.jpg
On this one do you think a quicker shutter speed might have captured him a little more in focus? I think it was set at 40-60.
http://img130.imageshack.us/img130/2639/3122007187fd1.jpg
http://img404.imageshack.us/img404/9505/3122007192fa1.jpg
http://img141.imageshack.us/img141/3716/3122007197hu2.jpg

[CrazyPuma]

Hehe, I love the 3rd one. :)

[JHew84]

Haha ya me to. I'm kinda upset I couldn't get it focus'd in time but he would only pop his head over the edge for a second before he realized what I was doing and went back into hiding :p. I got a couple in focus shots like that but his tongue isn't out :(.

[mijbril]

Am I getting any better?

I know the focus isn't that great on this shot but I like it, so i'm tossing it in anyway :lol:
http://img389.imageshack.us/img389/3687/3122007171jm5.jpg


If you like it, that's all that really matters.

Trying playing with the custom WB function on your camera, or shoot RAW or playing with it a bit in Photoshop or something if you're worried about the yellow cast, lots of things to try :)

[Dario D.]

These are great shots. :) Full of character (as cats always are), and good lighting. Personally, I think the color/contrast and warm orange glow brings out the warmth and character of the scene (it's intentional, right?). Kind of makes you think the sun is nearby, and I really like the feel. Just personal opinion though.

- Do you have a wide-angle lens? I think shot #1 is just screaming for it. Cats make for great wide-angle shots, where their heads are larger, and their bodies are stretched back behind them. Actually, lots of animals do great in front of them. It enhances their cuteness when you get up in their face, and brings up the professionalism of the shot, simply because it looks unusual.

- Minor note... just some food for thought. Notice in the last and second to last shots there's that picture behind the cat's head? I think the one on the bottom enhances the cat, while the one on top subtracts slightly. Two reasons, I think: the one on bottom is brighter/softer/centered... while the one on top is darker/more_contrasty/off-center. While in Photoshop, if you pay close attention to framing behind your subjects, you can soften or adjust background elements to get an extra 20% subconscious eye-pleasing out of your shot. - Doesn't make the second to last shot any lesser though. :)

[JHew84]

The warmth is and isn't intentional. The original shots were even warmer and I toned them down but stopped because I liked the way they looked. They are still adjusted to a more nuetral contrast though and the coloring is a very good representation of his coloring, he just has a really warm range of brown/tan/and gold in his undercoat.

I do not have a wide angle lense, at the moment i'm not sure what my next purchase will be but it's a toss-up between a good wideangle lense, a decent telephoto lense (something like a 75-200mm, or a 75-300mm), or a battery grip. I'll probably end up with a wide angle lense though because i'm getting sick of having to back way up to get the entire subject into frame, more of a problem with the landscape shots i've been attempting lately.

And I see what your saying, the more I look at it (the 5th shot) the other picture on the right is also kind of distracting. If I were to do anymore PP I might consider cropping that out and possibly bluring the background a little more so the picture behind his head doesn't stand out as much. Good suggestions and thanks for the comments :D.

- James