Life in a Fishbowl

Studio lights and a willing subject. Comments?

Greetings Kim, Cats always seem to make interesting subjects especially when they 'think' they are hiding, but this shot fails to grab you by the eyes (in my mind) not because it was not well thought out, poorly focussed or cropped (all this is very good); but wrong lighting.

 

For me the focus point becomes the hot spot you have created on the upper left portion of the glass bowl, when it would have been better to have gotten some sparkle out of the cats eyes plus accentuate the colors on the subjects back orange areas. I am sure there will be those that disagree, but your lighting has not done anything to enhance the picture; it has not created any shadows to enhance or the focal point you wish to draw our attention to.

 

My guess is if this had been front lit (single flash source, from front & slightly above) you would have produced some shadows and sparkle off of the bowl, the cats eyes would and 'expression' would become the primary focal points and you would have come up with a better shot. Just a suggestion; Great concept however.

I agree with Edward about the lighting. But to salvage this photo, try playing with contrast and saturation in PS. You need something to separate the bowl from the background.

Maybe I need to try a black background next time. I'm fairly new to studio lighting and do have trouble with glass coming out right. Toby is a willing participant, so I'm sure he would be okay with me repeating this to find a better way to do it. Thanks for the comments and suggestions.

Love the concept and "willing" subject matter here Kim! Now your cat knows what it's like to be on the other side of the glass looking out. :-)

 

I see the points about the lighting here, but I also know that you are still experimenting with your new lighting equipment so I can hardly be critical. And of course I imagine your kitten would only stay still for so long as you played around. Lighting glass is one of the most difficult things to accomplish in photography and to make this look top notch would have required substantial setup with large flats and big softboxes. And then your cat would really be in shock! Overall I can see you had a fun experiement here. Take care!!

 

Thomas

I just don't believe the kitten sits still for this. This is the best yet, regardless of the lighting.

Throw in some tonic water and rename this one "Catatonic".

Cooperative, all right, but I'd like to know how you got him to cooperate and go inside the bowl. Agree about the light, but the shot remains original. Have you tried to substitute the background with a black one?

No, I haven't tried black yet but I'm thinking it might work better. Toby LOVES having his picture taken. He purrs the whole time - weird cat!

ha ha wonderful Fish Kitty dear Kim :)

 

Biliana

Nice and original idea Kim, well presented.

 

Regards

Beautiful original work, Kim! Best regards, Ruud.

Way, way too cute. Do me a favor. I just posted an image I used Painter to paint. The class is going well, lots of fun :) Picture of Tyson sleeping. I could use your critique. Thanks J.

Creative idea, very well executed, Kim!!! Best regards.

You'll need a larger bowl before long. Very original. I agree with the lighting but wouldn't have a clue how to fix it... nice that people give positive critiques!

Toby is just too funny. What you can make him do is amazing. If I ever tried this with one of mine ....... I had no bowl then.

He is looking like to say... Uh! And where are the fishes? I'm here for nothing?

Beautiful shot.

I can't believe that you got him in there and he stayed! You have his attention too. Fun shot.

If I give Toby something he hasn't seen before, it usually keeps his attention for a few minutes and I can grab a shot or two. He loves having his picture taken, I guess because he gets "new toys" when I'm doing it.

Sweet, He looks triumphant here, as if he ate the fish & Drank the water! Here is my cat Sagwa, he has the same coloring as this guy/girl.

Toby is a "he". My son has a cat similar in marking, too - Turbo is his name. I wonder if most orange tabbies are male?? I can't remember ever knowing one that was female.

yes, you are right! They are all males. All Calacos are females BTW...I should have read the above comments bfore I asked but I try not to let others comments influence what I write, so I read them afterward.

 

Like the scalloped edge of the fishbowl, somehow it adds to the shot.

I love this Picture and i'm grateful for the tips you gave me.