Cairo- Sphynx
Nov, 2015Views
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Staff Winter Selection 2015
Superb Composition
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Peer Award
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Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Behind The Lens
Location
I captured this picture in my home in California. As an aspiring and self-taught photographer, I always have my camera close by and was quite lucky to capture this shot.Time
I've always been drawn to this particular image, because with an animal everything is a candid moment. It was late in the evening, and I had just fed my sphynx kittens when their father, Cairo, hopped up onto his cat tree and watched over them as they began to lay down.Lighting
The room itself was rather dark, seeing how the sun had just set over the horizon. There was a large heating lamp that was over the kittens' bed to keep them warm during the cold night. As the cat sat there, the light casted such dramatic shadows over his face. The shadows emphasized every sharp contour of his facial features and really brought out his eyes.Equipment
For this particular image I was using my Canon EOS Rebel T4i with a 70-200mm 2.8 L series lens. I used our coffee table to stable the camera to create a clear and crisp image.Inspiration
Surprisingly, there was no inspiration for this image. I had just returned home from a long day shooting pictures for my brother's high school soccer game when I saw the cat perch itself on its' cat tree. I, luckily, had my camera in hand and quickly tried to find the best aperture level and shutter speed before the cat decided to move.Editing
For this image, I did very little post-processing. I first debated whether to keep the image in its original state or to change it to black and white. Which I did change. I found that with a black and white image it emphasizes the image in many ways. It made the image look more dramatic and surreal. In color, the one and only thing that caught my attention was the electric blue color of his eyes, everything else paled in comparison. But, in black and white, the entire image popped. The dramatic shadows are hard to avoid and your eyes follow them around the entire image. And then there, in the center of it all, you finally see his eye, a bright contrast compared to the rather dark image.In my camera bag
I always have my Canon EOS Rebel T4i with me (at all times). With that I have my go to lens, a Canon 24-105mm L series, very convenient. I love the wide angle perfect for landscapes and family portraits. My ultimate favorite lens, a 70-200mm L series, I love shallow depth of field on this lens it creates the perfect image. They always come out so clear and sharp, and with the right angle the lens flares are amazing. Lastly, I always have my handy little 50mm, which is good with portraits.Feedback
Photography is a learning process, you can't start from day one and expect yourself to be an expert. You gradually get better. You learn new techniques and features that change your images drastically, you discover shooting in RAW and your images will never be the same again. From the first day we pick up our first camera, we strive to impress ourselves, and then we dream of impressing others. Then as time goes on, we learn more, we discover other photographers and we strive to be as good as them. Better than them. My advice, go ahead and strive to be the best, never settle for mediocre. And most importantly, have fun with it. Happy shooting.
