Ooops! What did I see!
by nagymelis

Comment by SDW:
From the Critique Club

Hi,
Nice macro capture and the focus is good on the face of the cat. To me it appears the best focus area is on the nose and fades into softness from there. However I feel that you photograph is a little busy and cropped a little to tight. The exposure is ok even though the burned out sky is a little bit distracting. The colors are nice with the exception that I would of downed down the reds a little.

You picture has nice balance to it and the arrangements are good. The cat is a strong center of interest but with the few distracting elements mentioned above, it over powers the viewer.

Your subject does grab my attention and I find it to be appealing. But it doesn't show strong emotion or much creativity - IMO only the title ties it to the challenge and even then loosely. I feel your picture would of scored higher if related to the challenge a little clearer. I am not say you did not meet the challenge, just out of the box. We all suffer from that from time to time.

I hope you find this critique helpful. Keep up the good work and this is a good macro shot. Keep shooting and I wish you well in future challenges.
-SDW

Ooops! What did I see!
by nagymelis

Comment by MayaM:
There seems to be a yellow cast on this picture, it is hard to discern the different colors, the problem is that I don't know how you could fix it, color levels maybe?

Ooops! What did I see!
by nagymelis

Comment by Gracechild7:
A pretty decent cat photo, but the "oops" is created by the title.

Water of glass
by nagymelis

Comment by PERCOM:
If I am not wrong this photograph has been maid with Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W5 ;o)
Nice Capture Meli.

Blooming thistle
by nagymelis

Comment by CEJ:
Hello from the Critique Club!

I have studied your image and have the following to offer:

Composition/perspective - your distance from your subject and the balance between subject and negative space is good. It may have been nicer to have the background a single color, but it is not really a distraction as it is. The subject leaves the frame on both sides and bottom which is good - one side would have weighted the image to appear unbalanced, two sides would have appeared sloppy. You are close enough that this works since the bulk and meat of the subject you were going for are large. That said, the center of the subject is too centered left to right I think as well as a bit too much top to bottom. Although there is negative space above the image, the main 'sunburst' of your subject is almost exactly dead center.

Lighting - obviously natural or at least appears as all natural. It also appears as though it is the cusp of evening and the sun is creating a shadow on the lower part of your background. Nice choice and good timing. A little earlier and it would have been too bright and later too dark. A photographers nightmare.

Color - this image has a very rich palette of strong colors and tones that really hold their own in the combination. The rich autumn tones of the hillside in the background are a nice contrast to the soft powder blue of the sky above. The tans and faded greens in the subject are a nice contrast to both halves of your background.

Challenge requirements - I look at the center of your subject and I am reminded of soft fur and warmth - petting my dog(s) or past cats. Sound funny? You have captured the delicate element quite well. I think your single biggest detractor is the focus. You may try being a little farther away from your subject, zooming for some of the distance, then cropping to pull your subject to the front. This way you may be able to achieve a better focus and still appear extremely close.

Overall/my opinion - you have a good eye for the shot. So many people would walk right on past a scene/image like this just because they 'can't be bothered.' It shows a creative side and an interest in getting the image the way you see it. If your focus was better I really think this would be a much stronger image.