Le Chat
by ptenisnet

Comment by snaffles:
Greetings from the Critique Club!

Initial impression: I love cats and own two, so was glad to see a cat in the shot. This is a very peaceful shot, showing what cats do best...waking from a nap, about to nap, or falling into a nap. :-)

Technical: As has been noted, composition is a little centred; and as you went b/w you want to watch your tones. The more gradients of grey, the better. Like the highlight in Kitty's eye. Kitty is almost asleep, an ISO of 400 or even less, 200, would have been more than enough. With a tripod, and an aperture of a half-second to full second, could have made a ton of difference. That would have also allowed you to experiment with stopping down to, say, f4 - get more depth.

Artistic: Good use of the single light as a light source. Must be careful in challenges like Low- or High-Key, because too much or too little, and you get blasted.
FWIW: Kitty is almost asleep, so I would have tried to get more of a 3/4 profile on the face, that would put the bulk of the body behind it. With the paw stretched out in front as it is, may have resulted in some kitty bokeh, too.

Overall: A pretty good attempt especially for a first try at Low Key. If you don't already have a tripod, can get an inexpensive one at Wal-mart or similar. For shots like this, the tripod is your friend. Don't be afraid to mess with the settings and see what you get. Lighting can make or break a shot.

Good work and keep shooting!

Feel free to PM me with any questions,

Susan

self portrait
by ptenisnet

Comment by mefnj:
neat concept

self portrait
by ptenisnet

Comment by sekarmalathy:
I like the way the whole thing look like a smiley.

self portrait
by ptenisnet

Comment by fitz3000:
hmm so where exactly are you? I mean if its self portrait

self portrait
by ptenisnet

Comment by vexillologist:
ogood

Le Chat
by ptenisnet

Comment by ptenisnet:
Thanks for all the feedback. I wasn't quite sure what Low-Key meant and eventually went with what wikipedia had to say about it. Centering the subject has always been an issue for me and it's something I need to work on.

self portrait
by ptenisnet

Comment by ASTONishing:
I think I would have went for an equal crop around the ball bearing. Also, fire seems a bit more natural than artificial light

Le Chat
by ptenisnet

Comment by bvy:
Certainly low key but at the expense of losing some definition. Great subject though.

Le Chat
by ptenisnet

Comment by Yo_Spiff:
Not sure if this is low key or just darkened. I feel the highlights could use a little more contrast against the dark background.

Le Chat
by ptenisnet

Comment by fldave:
Many challenge entries have too many highlights for low key... yours is the opposite for me and has too few highlights. The cats face is mainly in midtones with no real highlights. Also, the composition may have been more effective with the cat less centered in the frame.