Max with a Smile BW
Oct, 2015Views
1402
Likes
Awards
Winner in #shootyourcatinbw Photo Challenge
People's Choice in Interesting Personalities Of Animals Photo Challenge
Winner in Give us a smile! Photo Challenge
Staff Winter Selection 2015
Peer Award
Top Choice
Superb Composition
Magnificent Capture
Absolute Masterpiece
Love it
All Star
Outstanding Creativity
Virtuoso
Emotions
Impressed
Happy
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Behind The Lens
Location
Many thanks to all who voted for this picture. This photo was taken at home. After getting up early to have a cup of coffee I returned to my bedroom to straighten things up and start my day. There in a crumpled blanket was my sassy boy cat named Max with the sweetest little look on his face. I reached for my nearest camera and managed to capture the moment without even waking him.Time
As I recall it was about 10am. It was not a sunny day and the diffuse midmorning light was all that illuminated the room.Lighting
Although the lighting wasn't great I think Max's coloring helped absorb and reflect the available illumination. He's a deep orange and white tabby with a couple of freckles on a pink nose. The quality and texture of his fur added a sense of glow and softness to the image.Equipment
Camera: FinePix S7000 Aperture: f/3.1 ISO: 200 Shutter Speed: 1/50 Focal Length: 42/1 No other equipment was used.Inspiration
My grandfather gave me my first camera at an early age. He told me that when I saw something that made me feel happy inside I could use the camera's eye to save the feeling forever. When I saw Max's smiling face with his little paw under his chin I felt happy inside and reached for my nearest camera.Editing
I did some cropping and converted the image to black and white using iPhoto software. I have since learned a little more about various editing software, but I'm still a novice and my instinct with this photo was to leave well enough alone and not over edit a simple yet happy image.In my camera bag
I'm an amateur so my bag is an old knapsack occupied most often by my Canon EOS Rebel T5 with a zoom lens EF-S 18-55mm. I also carry a Canon Zoom Lens EF-75-300mm, but need to gain more mastery in using it. The other camera I carry is a Nikon Cool Pix. I like having a small camera handy for rapid response moments. One of these days I'll get another Fuji Fine Pix because I loved its versatility and reliability. I also carry extra batteries, chargers and a download cable. I rarely carry a tripod, but if I did it would probably be a single stick that I could set up quickly.Feedback
In my experience pets and animal friends tend to present good poses at the most inopportune times. I like to keep an easy to use reliable camera handy to capture images that present themselves as I go about my daily life. With regard to this photo I think my best advice is simply to remember to take a photo of the little moments that give us pleasure. This requires both having a camera or high quality smartphone at the ready and having the presence of mind to use it.
