Captivated
Dec, 2015Views
10558
Likes
Awards
Chatter Award
Zenith Award
Creative Winter Award
Contest Finalist in Cats Or Dogs Photo Contest
Contest Finalist in Feline Fancy Photo Contest
Contest Finalist in Pampered Pets Photo Contest
Contest Finalist in The Battle Of Amateurs Photo Contest
Contest Finalist in Black Out Photo Contest
Contest Finalist in Pets With Character Photo Contest
Peer Award
Superb Composition
Absolute Masterpiece
Top Choice
Outstanding Creativity
Love it
Superior Skill
All Star
Magnificent Capture
Genius
Virtuoso
Emotions
Impressed
Happy
Top Ranks
Top 10 rankTop 10 rank week 1
Top 10 rankTop 10 rank week 1
Top 10 rank
NaturesHaven
February 06, 2016
Beautiful, love those eyes, very well lit............great image..............
KvonFlotow
February 10, 2016
Join the conversation. Add a comment or even better, a critique. Let's get better together!
clem
February 20, 2016
Just, stunning, flicking through peoples pictures and this stood out, way out. Brilliant.
PRO+
kimberlypinz
May 28, 2016
Love the whiskers and the beautiful clarity of the marble like eyes. Well done.
AnnaCrowe
July 02, 2016
Join the conversation. Add a comment or even better, a critique. Let's get better together!
AnnaCrowe
July 02, 2016
Join the conversation. Add a comment or even better, a critique. Let's get better together!
PRO
JamesKingTurner
October 17, 2016
This picture in the Black competition brought me to your profile. Personally I think this was technically better than any other entry. Brilliant!
PRO
marcdewitt
November 05, 2016
Hi Sara. Love this shot. We also have a black and white with very long wiskas! Did you know that the black & whites are the juvenile delinquents of the kitty world?
saraascalon
November 05, 2016
Thanks Marc! I didn't know that tuxedo deliquency was so rampant. I thought ours was uniquely insane. ;)
AnnaCrowe
December 10, 2016
Join the conversation. Add a comment or even better, a critique. Let's get better together!
Ultimate
leslimichaephotography
October 24, 2019
I love what you have done with a common type photo. Excellent
Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
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Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was shot in a make-shift studio set up in my living room.Time
The metadata tells me it was captured at 4:39pm, but time of day really wasn't a factor here.Lighting
The lighting was actually left in place from a previous shoot (more on that in a bit). It consisted two speedlights – one on either side – modified with Rogue XL Flashbenders (Diffusion panel on left and strip grid on right.)Equipment
This was shot handheld with a Nikon D7100 and an ancient Nikon 35-70mm f/2.8 lens against black seamless paper. Lit with two Yongnuo YN560 III Speedlights and Yongnuo transmitter. Modified with Rogue Flashbender XL Pro.Inspiration
This photo of my cat Pepper was a happy accident. I had been practicing lighting head shots in my cramped living room with my husband as model. When the shoot was done I left the room to download the images and see how I did. Later in the day I went back to tear down the set so that I could get my living room back, but Pepper was sitting on it. I quickly grabbed my camera, lowered the lightstands to his level and started firing away. Fortunately, the flash captured his attention for awhile, so I managed to get several shots in before he got bored and dashed off. I ran back to my computer to upload this impromptu session, eager to see if any of the shots were keepers. I was totally delighted to find this (and a couple of others) in the batch. I still had a set to tear down and stow away, but it was well worth the effort.Editing
Minimal post-processing in Lightroom got me most of the way there. I brought the image into Aurora HDR Pro as a single exposure just to get some of the detail to pop and then followed that with some sharpening in Photoshop. All together it was probably about 5 minutes of work in post.In my camera bag
I recently upgraded to the Nikon D750 and I'm totally thrilled about making the jump to full-frame. What a game changer in low light! I took advantage of an offer I couldn't refuse and purchased the Nikon 24-120mm f/4 as part of the kit, not expecting to use it all that much. Turns out that it's become my go-to lens for most of my work. When I don't have that one mounted it's usually a Tamron 70-300mm for more reach or an old Nikon 105mm macro to get in close.Feedback
I wouldn't have gotten this shot if I didn't recognize the potential when it presented itself. It would have been really easy to shoo Pepper away and go about my business, but I knew that if I could just hold him there for a short while the lighting would be perfect and the payoff big. Keep your eyes open for the unexpected. Scan your environment for opportunities or create your own. And keep your camera close at hand, even when you're just sitting at home. You never know when a great shot will materialize. Be ready for it.
