showcase Elegant Feline 2

This is actually a stray cat. She was still taking a nap when I

first saw her. But when I approached she awoke and looked at me. I

grabbed the opportunity and fired away. This image was cropped from

a larger image.

I see this very much as a record shot. The cat isn't big enough in the frame to capture my attention and the white strip is too eye-catching.

I would have cropped a little tighter--but you were using 35 mm format, so that might not have been feasible. I don't like the lighting, and I agree with Mr. Platter that the white line is a distraction.

The photo is not that bad as the two previous comments seem to indicate. Granted, a tighter composition of the cat and maybe some burning of the white strip would have produced a better picture, but still I like the general tone and color, and the texture of the background which works well with this cat.

Massimo, thanks, you are very kind. I accept the direct opinions of harvey and charles too. I knew I would get into problems with that white timber strip. Someone just freshly painted it, judging from the white droplets all around the cat. I couldn't get rid of the strip no matter how I crop because it is right smack in the middle of the cat's face. Burning it might be the solution, but is it legal, photographically, I mean? But what I really like to draw your attention to is the cat's look. It's glare. Almost hypnotic if you look at it long enough.

Daniel, yes I noticed the gaze of the cat, that's why I think it is not a bad photo. About the white strip... yes I think you can burn it, it is perfectly legit doing it in photoshop, since it is something that you could easily do in a conventional darkroom, if you were printing the photo yourself. If you want to try, don't overdo it though, just a bit darker because it is anyway part of the composition.