Nerd
by bs-photos

Comment by fotomann_forever:
Very nice photo of you. Love the color.

You Wanna Piece of Me??
by bs-photos

Comment by fotomann_forever:
Do we have to fight? I'd hate to get hurt :-)

Multiple Me's
by bs-photos

Comment by fotomann_forever:
Clonce me a you, please :-)

Ezzy
by bs-photos

Comment by LucidLotus:
I think this is a very strong picture, the use of black & white has drawn out a lot of detail in the fur and the eyes that many cat images are lacking.

Compositionally I like the 'in your face' view we have, it not only allows for great close up detail but it gives the animal a nice attitude or semblance of personality. I do have to agree with a previous commenter about the ears though. The cut off nature definitely makes me wish I could see them in their entirety, that said I think it would be better to crop it so they weren't in the picture at all. The reason being as they really aren't the focus of this image - at least not anything I find myself interested in looking at - that's market is cornered by the fabulous eyes.

Speaking of the eyes, I am so glad in this particular case you resisted doing a selective desaturation. It would be very tempting with those huge eyes being so well-defined to want to highlight them even more by keeping their color in. While, when done well this *could* create a spectacular attention grabber, there is the equal possibility that'll come across as cliche and forced. Instead, the eyes are clear, they have a nice catchlight in them and their details are exceptional with the crispness both in focus and that B&W helps to provide.

The focus here is wonderful, just what is needed in a shot this close range. The whiskers and short hairs are nicely accentuated and of course the eyes look great - not just the inner part but I actually find myself even more facinated by the rim of the eye, almost looks like it has eyeliner on!

The lighting here is okay - it does the job of lighting the more important aspects of the cat's face, but again I have to agree with a previous commenter about it causing some unfortunate reflection and blowout of the white forehead area. With cats being notoriously hard to work with I'm not sure it'd be feasible to have set up a more diffuse light to capture this shot with. I also don't know if there's really a way to tone down the white on the forehead without potentially making it look strange in relation to the rest of the image.

Great job on this lovely cat portrait, it may be a subject folks like to talk down but you've done a lot with this image and I don't think it'd be fair to lump it in with the truly snapshot cat photos out there. I'm surprised it didn't do better in the challenge.

Fading Into Fall
by bs-photos

Comment by LucidLotus:
I am a huge fan of silhouettes. They are typically very clean and allow the viewer to concentrate on forms that can otherwise be lost in other situations. I think this image is a prime exampe of that.

The tree has a feathery feel to it that would be lost in a normal capture of it simply because of the lighting and color of the leaves. Now that those distractions are gone, there is nothing to get in the way of the basic form of the tree. Its well-balanced and that shows - as does the make up of its branches which are helping to provide some excellent lines.

The dillweed or whatever that is on the ground is fantastic too, I love the forms being shown off there AND I like how my eye has not just one area of interest but three. The ground cover helps draw the eye along and it has a nice contrast to the strength the tree is exhibiting - in comparison the weeds look frail and delicate.

Finally the sky is awash in gorgeous, yet nicely subdued colors. You could've saturated into some deep colors but I'm so glad you didn't. The result is a dynamic look at the clouds and a pleasing softness to the sky that makes for a perfect foil to the stark black, instead of competing with it as a more boldly colored sky might.

The focus is perfect and the composition works very well. The one thing I don't like about the image is the sun behind the tree. I feel it hads a harshness to the image that is out of place and its vivid brightness doesn't seem to mesh well with the surrounding elements. It may not have been possible to capture this image without the position of the sun where it is though. Luckily, its not a huge issue either, I don't think it is a 'problem' for the image, there may be those who like its inclusion as it does add to the atmosphere - I just find its intensity out of place.

This is a great image and you've managed to balance a number of different elments in a way that is pleasing to viewers in a general "oh pretty" level but also some more sophisticated visual interactions for those who want to take time with an image.

Lion's Pride Rock
by bs-photos

Comment by Melethia:
A hair out of focus (or a bit of camera shake, maybe) but it's a wonderful pose to catch this guy in!

Nerd
by bs-photos

Comment by bs-photos:
was regular green grass just desaturated some of it in p.p.

Ezzy
by bs-photos

Comment by levyj413:
Great focus on the eyes! I think I'd either crop tighter to completely leave out the ears, or looser to include all of them. Halfway leaves me wanting to see all of them, and distracts from those eyes.

Ezzy
by bs-photos

Comment by philup:
I'm a big cat fan! Great picture!!!! Love the black and white 10

Ezzy
by bs-photos

Comment by littlegett:
looks like someone I know L()L very human features here.