Frank the Cat II
by freakin_hilarious

Comment by missykim:
Nice crop, great focus on the eyes. Black cats are so lovely.

Frank the Cat II
by freakin_hilarious

Comment by tootsweet:
Nicely done.

Pretty Little Flower - Best of 2007
by freakin_hilarious

Comment by tootsweet:
Are the colors in this flower really this muted? You captured the texture, but the essence is missing.

Frank the Cat II
by freakin_hilarious

Comment by Ann:
Beautifully lit and composed. It's hard to get the texture of the black fur to show up so nicely.

Frank the Cat II
by freakin_hilarious

Comment by Melethia:
Frank is a beautiful animal and you did very well to get such great detail in the black.

Frank the Cat II
by freakin_hilarious

Comment by kleski:
good contrast and detail

Frank the Cat II
by freakin_hilarious

Comment by Jedusi:
Nice detail - great eyes

Frank the Cat II
by freakin_hilarious

Comment by bubeltrubel:
very good focus and sharpness.

Scoop
by freakin_hilarious

Comment by kteach:
Greetings from the Critique Club!

First Impression: Interesting, funny. I like looking through all the little details in the reflection. The expression and the flannel PJ bottoms just make me giggle. I'm starting to like this type of processing more, and this looks like a well done example. The scoop is a unique surface for the reflection, is nicely placed within the frame, and the background is nice with the slight gradient. The fact that you ended up with the camera/tripod in the shot... well, I think it adds to the fun, but also took away part of the challenge of the challenge, and I can see some people who worked really hard to not include their own camera reflection feeling a bit robbed that this one does. But, that was either a risk you chose to take, or else an oversight of the challenge description on your part.

After reading your Photographer Comments: Good to see your clarification of the DNMC issue. Pretty standard stuff there (though I must say, I have never thought to use USM with those types of numbers, so I'll have to try that some time!)

After reading voter comments: As expected, lots of DNMC comments. I did find it interesting though that everyone commented with those comments at the beginning, and as voting continued on, it seems that less voters seemed to care about that aspect, and started to view the shot for its more artistic and technical sides. I'm not sure if I like this better right side up or upside down. Someone else commented on the harsh spots of light, but I think they add some interest to the shot with the contrast.

To improve for next time? Well, obviously having the camera in the shot got you a bunch of DNMC or lowered votes. The spots of light could have been toned down just a smidge perhaps. I like the ceiling spot, but the one that is on the left part of the flat bottom of the scoop feels stronger than the others. Other than that, perhaps getting rid of some of the background clutter in the room would let the viewer focus more on the fun stuff going on with the people's reflections. I find myself continuing to wonder what the red thing is, and why it has to be there.

Hope this has been helpful! If you have any questions please feel free to PM me! :)

Pretty Little Flower - Best of 2007
by freakin_hilarious

Comment by amandalore:
nice take on the original - I think your colors could have been brighter and your dof a little deeper. overall, I like the composition, and the focus where it's at is pretty sharp