Kuck04
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Behind The Lens
Location
I took this photo in Rome, Italy. I was studying abroad with my fellow classmates from Iowa State University. We we're wandering the alleys and found this cat resting on the roof of a car, I was lucky enough to have him look right at me when I took the photo!Time
This was taken mid-day, probably around 11:30am. Usually at this time I run into trouble with harsh sunlight but was fortunate enough to have slight overcast this day. It is my favorite shot I have taken to date.Lighting
The photo is completely natural light. Since the cat chose to only look at me for this exact moment I was fortunate enough to have my settings correct and the exposure spot on.Equipment
This was shot with a Canon 7D using a Sigma 17-50mm f/2.8. There was no other equipment used.Inspiration
I have always been a cat-lover (Just look at my other photos in my portfolio!) and so when I was traveling in Rome there are stray cats everywhere. I made it a mission to capture a photo of every cat I ran into. Most were very shy until we ran into this guy. I was inspired to take this specific photo simply because this cat was taking a rest on top of a parked car and that was pretty comedic to me.Editing
There was very little post-processing done to this image. I boosted the contrast by darkening the blacks and added slightly more vibrance in the cats right eye. Other than that the photo is straight out of camera!In my camera bag
I always travel with my Sigma 17-50 f/2.8. It is the most versatile lens I currently own and I feel that I can use it for most everything I shoot. I also always have my two camera bodies: Canon 7D and Canon T3i. The 7D is nearly indestructible so I appreciate that I don't need to worry about it breaking on me. The T3i focuses lightning quick so I prefer that for moving subjects. Recently I have also been packing my off camera flash as well as my two remote triggers. I have been teaching myself the art of off-camera flash and find that having these with me opens up the opportunity to try new lighting techniques.Feedback
My main advice for getting a similar shot to this is to own a cat. Knowing how to interact with animals is key when trying to capture amazing shots. I personally own two cats and have learned a lot in simple ways to "pose" them for what I need. Also if you're traveling to a new location just wander, you never know what you'll find!