kellymdick

~Time to Smell the Flowers~

3 week old Persian and Chocolate Point Siamese kitten.

3 week old Persian and Chocolate Point Siamese kitten.
Read less

Apr, 2015

Views

4131

Likes

+847

Awards

Zenith Award

Contest Finalist in Kittens Photo Contest

Contest Finalist in Cute Kittens Photo Contest

Featured

Peer Award

+159

Superb Composition

+89

Top Choice

+64

Absolute Masterpiece

+35

Outstanding Creativity

+15

Magnificent Capture

All Star

Superior Skill

Love it

Emotions

Happy

Top Ranks

Top 20 rank

Top 20 rank week 1

Top 10 rank

Top 10 rank week 1

Top 10 rank

Top 10 rank week 1

Top 10 rank

Top 10 rank week 1

Top 10 rank

Top 10 rank week 1

Top 10 rank

Top 10 rank week 1

Top 10 rank

Top 10 rank week 1

Top 30 rank

Top 10 rank

Top 10 rank week 1

Top 10 rank

Top 20 rank week 1

Top 10 rank

Top 10 rank week 1

Top 10 rank

Top 20 rank

Top 20 rank week 1

Top 10 rank

Top 10 rank week 1

Top 20 rank

Top 20 rank week 2

Top 10 rank week 1

Behind The Lens

Location

This photo was taken out in my front yard. I love shooting in natural light as opposed to artificial, so I often practice outdoors.

Time

This particular photo was taken at 1:26:10 pm on April 18, 2015. The weather in Sicamous, BC, Canada is just starting to warm up for the Spring season, so I wanted to make sure that it was warm enough to take a (3) week kitten outside in.

Lighting

If I can help it at all, most of my photos are done outside, as I love natural light. I knew I wanted to be outside and had to wait for the harsh sun to leave from the front yard where I wanted to shoot. Once the sun had started moving more towards the side yard and I knew I would have the sun at the kitten's back, I got her from the house and set her down on the grass to let her explore.

Equipment

I am an amateur on a budget, so since I started out with Sony equipment when I first got into photography and from there on, I just continued to buy what I knew and was comfortable with. My husband surprised me on Valentines the year I took this photo, with a brand new Sony a 77ii with no lens. I had all of my lenses from my previous Sony's but also wanted another new one to go with the new camera, so with my budget, I wanted to try a Sigma wide angle lens since I do a lot of landscapes as well. Camera: Sony a 77ii Lens: Sigma DC 17-70 mm 1:2.8-4.5 Flash: no Tripod: no (I was lying on the grass) Reflector (that half cooperated lol)

Inspiration

The inspiration for this photo was to capture Spring and what it is about. Spring is about new beginnings and beautiful things. The flowers are blooming, the sun shines brighter and new babies are born. I wanted to incorporate Spring's new beginnings with the beautiful colours, new flowers, leaves and sunshine and most of all new life. This sweet little baby (Bella), who now has been re-homed to her fur-ever home, was only (3) weeks old at the time of this shooting.

Editing

Yes, I did post-processing in Lightroom, which of course is a learning curve every day for an amateur! I see mistakes now, that I wished I could fix lol and I see that it could have used a radial filter to brighten the center where the kittens face and the purple flowers are. I used brushes to accentuate colours and portrait brushes for the eyes.

In my camera bag

As an amateur on a budget, my bag isn't nearly as interesting as most. I carry my Sony a77ii, Sony 300 mm, Sony 50 mm 1.8 portrait lens, and an old Minolta 200 mm beer can lens, Sigma DC 17-70 mm 1:2.8-4.5, external flash, remote trigger and also a Nikon P900 for quick faraway shots of wildlife that I wouldn't otherwise be able to obtain with the budget that I have.

Feedback

Capturing kittens isn't always easy, since they like to be on the move most of the time. I made sure that she was well rested and fed before I had decided to take her out and do any kind of shooting with her. Lie down on your stomach to make sure that you are at their level to capture their natural movements in a natural environment. Make sure that the sun is at the kitten's back and not in the kitten's eyes, as they are new to the world and their eyes are not as well adjusted to the sun as we are. Please make sure they are in a safe environment before you decide to lay down on your stomach and engage yourself busily with shooting.

See more amazing photos, follow kellymdick

kellymdick

kellymdick

~Time to Smell the Flowers~

3 week old Persian and Chocolate Point Siamese kitten.

Behind The Lens

See more amazing photos, follow kellymdick

Share photos. Enter contests to win great prizes. Earn coins, get amazing rewards. Join for free.

Share photos. Enter contests to win great prizes.
Earn coins, get amazing rewards. Join for free.