A sleepy kitty

I know pet pictures are typically not considered for any awards, but

Neal is one of the best (and only) subjects I have at the moment.

Constructive criticism welcome!

You asked for critique

I agree with the previous comment from Jeff Greene about the highlights. It took me a while to figure out the angle you were shooting from and where Neal (I can call him Neal right?) ended and the rug began. My issue with the highlights is that Im distracted by them. As opposed to looking at Neal, Im trying to figure out what is in that white space.

The right of the picture is too bright as well, and detracts from Neal.

In general I do like the angle and the composition. (I am also a sucker for cats.) And I do want to see more of your pictures of Neal.

You could try whacking this with Photoshop to see if you can tone down the highlights. I suspect youve lost too much information between the compression and the highlights for this to make a serious difference.

Since your model is on the payroll, next time try underexposing half or full stop, and / or shooting during a different time of the day or on a different type of day. Maybe try a reflector (even a piece of paper) to put some of that light from the top while shooting.

I have had real problems with this kind of shot. The one time I was able to get one of my cats into position I blasted away and filled my memory card. Tried every setting I could get my paws on, including fill flash and changing metering. Out of 40 shots I got about 4 good shots with the rest somewhere in the mediocre range. So if you figure out a better technique Im all ears!

Regards and keep shooting!

Matthew