LensofLawrence
FollowMowgli is the blackest of black cats I have ever seen with the whitest of white whiskers. My daughter's cat who is spoilt to death....
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Mowgli is the blackest of black cats I have ever seen with the whitest of white whiskers. My daughter's cat who is spoilt to death.
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Views
2640
Likes
Awards
Action Award
Chatter Award
Winner in The Cats Whiskers Photo Challenge
Top Shot Award 21
Winner in Your Very First Photo Uploaded Photo Challenge
Legendary Award
Staff Winter Selection 2015
Peer Award
Top Choice
Absolute Masterpiece
Outstanding Creativity
Superb Composition
All Star
Magnificent Capture
Superior Skill
Virtuoso
Genius
Top Ranks
sskyrm
July 01, 2015
I love this photo! Reminds me of my own cat, who also has white whiskers against a black face.. The eyes are so expressive!
LensofLawrence
March 03, 2019
Thank you. Sorry I have taken forever to answer I had no idea this facility was available.
LensofLawrence
March 03, 2019
Thank you. Sorry I have taken forever to answer I had no idea this facility was available.
LensofLawrence
September 09, 2015
This photo has become even mre special as poor little Mowgli was run over and killed by a car at just on a year old.
LensofLawrence
March 03, 2019
Thank you. Sorry I have taken forever to answer I had no idea this facility was available.
LensofLawrence
March 03, 2019
Thank you. Sorry I have taken forever to answer I had no idea this facility was available.
MaggieClaire
April 05, 2018
Love this shot! Very creative and cool! I'm sorry for the loss of this kitty...he was a beauty!
LensofLawrence
March 03, 2019
Thank you. Sorry I have taken forever to answer I had no idea this facility was available.
MyStyleNZ
August 07, 2023
Congrats on winning my challenge The Cats Whiskers 🏆 Brilliant Photo Perfectly Showcased 💖😍😻
Dawgbyte
August 09, 2023
Sorry about the previous message, Lawrence. This a great image! I love how the cat disappears into the background to leave the facial details. Congrats on the challenge win. Sláinte.
Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Behind The Lens
Location
The photo was taken at around lunch time in my daughter's dining room in Auckland New ZealandTime
It was the middle of the day and pretty bright.Lighting
The ambient light was dominant so to get the desired result I used a high f stop to eliminate it with a fast shutter speed (I think the shutter was set to 1/200th second). The idea being that the only light should come from my speedlight set-up in a softbox at 45 degrees just left of camera (behind me). We almost got it right but did need to darken the background in post - see below.Equipment
My flash is a simple Yongnuo YN560IV with a YN transmitter situated on the hot shoe. The camera was a Nikon D7100 The most important bit of equipment was bait! To get Mowgli to stand like this we lured him with food which my daughter held out for him. Then it was a matter of taking the photo at the right time - not always easy and we had to take a few to get this square-on portrait. But it was worth the effort ...Inspiration
I just loved his colouring and my daughter and son-in-law doted on this little guy. Note I am talking in the past tense as sadly Mowgli was hit and killed by a car about a month after this photo was taken. That tragedy made this and the other images we took that day even more special.Editing
Yes I did do quite a bit of post-processing. Do I have to tell the truth the whole truth and nothing but? OKAY then. Firstly I reduced exposure in the shadows as some ambient light and flash overflow brought some of the background in - and I wanted pure black. And then I really cheated! "Yes your honour but it was for a good cause." His right eye (left in picture) had a bit of gunk in it and the easiest way to fix it was to duplicate, flip and move the other eye to cover it. I also added a whisker or two to balance out bth sides of his face. Some whiskers on one side were a little to dark and needed to be highlighted for the end photo.In my camera bag
My equipment is pretty basic. I have a Nikon D7100 Nikkor 35mm f1.8 G prime, Nikkor 50mm f1.8 D prime, a Sigma 10-20mmf 4-5.6 DC HSM wide angle, a Tamron 90mm f2.8 SP Di Macro lens, a Tamron SP Di 24-70mm f2.8 and a Nikon AF Nikkor 80-200 f2.8 D that is almost permanently on my camera. I have 2 Yongnuo YN560IV speedlights with combination triggers and remore shutter release. My tripod is a Giotto Silk Road model YTL9353 with a Giotto MH1300 ball head. I also carry a spare battery for the camera, several spare batteries for the speedlights, a number of filters and a few other odds and sods.Feedback
As in all photography envisage what you are want to achieve before you pull the trigger. Work out the options you feel will give your the best chance of success and then shoot with confidence. When working with animals and humans be patient and be prepared to take a number of shots and be prepared to fail to try another day! That's the fun of photography.