Does this suck?

[AmandaSees]

Hi did a picture of my cat and I was wanting some critiques on the composition and stuff. Actually I was just wanting some good constructive criticism I like the image but I am always open for how it can be a better shot. I am trying really hard to get that it factor to my photography that makes some photos so awesome and others just cool pictures but missing that critical element that makes it great.

[LeeR]

When I was in school there was a rule about what kinds of images you could bring for critique to photo class; no dogs, no cats, no girlfriends/boyfriends, no babies and most certainly, no cannons. "Cannons?", you ask. I went to a school in the South in an area where several important Civil War battles had been fought and cannons were on every street corner. Boyfriends, girlfriends and babies because we tend to identify with them personally and we may not be as objective as needed. Dogs and cats? Well, they've just been over done. It is really hard to do something with them that hasn't been done a thousand times before. Your shot is fine, perhaps even clever, but we have seen it before and as a result it fails to evoke an emotional response in any but the most die hard of cat lovers.

[zona5101]

I love kitties!
So i'd be one of die hard of cat lovers Lee speaks of!
I like your shot. I like the intense gaze she has...makes me wonder what she is after! You have sharp focus on her near eye and fur and even a bit of a catchlight. All good. Distractors are the specks on glass she is looking through, the edge of tape and paper and the green plant-like thing. Keep shooting!

[Laurenbiz]

Hmmm...that one critique was just a tad harsh! Everyone agree?

Anyway, I agree with Bruce that the specs on the window, as well as the other extra elements (bottom of mini blinds and the plant,) are distracting here. I would try this photo again after cleaning the window, or I would try a similar angle and feel, just with the cat in the same room - no window dividing the cat and the photographer.

Sometimes I am so concerned with achieving great, blurry bokeh in the background in my photos that I occasionally forget the foreground! So here, the foreground is distracting. Practice makes perfect, so keep going! :-)

[Barbara V]

Amber is such a pretty girl. Give her another photo shoot, and let's see what else you can come up with. This photo comes off a little sad, to me, with her behind the window, like she's longing to go out.

I know people say that there are tons of cat and dog pics, but I think a great majority of people do enjoy those. Heck, there are tons of people pictures, and nobody much complains about that. In that eyes are such an intricate part of so many photographs, it's only logical that we would want to look into the eyes of cats and dogs. For me, most especially cats. Their eyes are just amazing. There so much there.

[windrider86]

I'm including a link to the guidelines so you can read thru them and get familiar. That way you'll know what to include within your posts. thank you!

[AmandaSees]

That first one was a bit of an ouch! But the rest were great. Yes I know pictures of dogs and cats are done a lot I just thought this one was a bit different. But thanks you guys for the comments and I wondered after I had posted it then read other critiques if the tape and stuff was going to be an issue but I had posted it by then. I might pull it into photoshop and see what I can do about removing some of the distractions and see if it turns out the same. I am just happy someone gave me some critiques even kinda overly blunt one LOL.