Domesticated?

[Revo]

not much to say except i took a picture of my cat that i liked new to photography just got my dslr a couple of weeks ago. please give me feedback and tips!

iso400 55mm f5,6 1/60

[zona5101]

oooh - that kitty needs to be RESIZED!

[Revo]

there you go now spam feedback

[zona5101]

just like with people, direct flash is flat, eye contact is desirable and negative space works best when the subject leads you to there or from there. On the upside, it's a handsome/pretty kitty and the focus is sharp. Compositionally he not smack in the middle which is good...

[Revo]

so wait i should have used a speedlite or some other lighting? i actually liked the way the eyes turned out here but i get your point.

"negative space works best when the subject leads you to there or from there" dont quite understand this.

thanks alot for your feedback

oh and its a she

[zona5101]

on the negative space...it works best as a compositional element when the subject is looking towards or facing the open space, it gives them a "place to go"...or conversly the subject is facing away from the open space as if they just left it.

on the lighting...it looks like you used either the built in flash or a flash mounted on the camera. That lighting position produces "flat" lighting, lighting without clues to depth & contour that shadows provide. Using a light source that is off camera will produce shadows that give the image a sense of dimension. The light doesn't have to be off camera flash, it can be window light or even a table lamp. Granted with a multi-colored kitty getting shadow detail will be difficult but in the posted image you can see the shadow from the flash under the chin is sharp - you'd want to either move that shadow or soften it or both.

[Laurenbiz]

I agree with the direct flash. I am not a fan.

What bothers me the most is that I really, really can "see" the high ISO here. I'm not sure if ISO 400 would really create this much grain. ISO 400 with a direct flash, mixed with a moderate shutter speed and a fairly open aperture is an odd combination here. You would be able to pull off a nicely-lit photo with that EXIF data without flash in many situations.

[Revo]

hehe i actually added grain in lightroom but it failed to give me the look i wanted instead it just looks like too high iso but thx. yea need to put it through lightroom one more time to get rid of the unnessasary grain but what im seeing i should avoid direct flash at all costs

[Revo]

didnt see you reply earlier zona but thx that was really helpful. helped me understand flash and lighting alot better. cheers