JGilPhoto

The Cat Stares Back

My cat stared at me. I held my iPhone 11 Pro up to take a photo. Was he transfixed? Puzzled? Intrigued? He held still and opened his eyes even wider and fixed ...
Read more

My cat stared at me. I held my iPhone 11 Pro up to take a photo. Was he transfixed? Puzzled? Intrigued? He held still and opened his eyes even wider and fixed his gaze on the lens. I focused on his eye and captured the photo. He stared back at me through the screen of my phone—a staring contest now frozen in time.
Read less

iPhone 11 Pro

settings

Aperture f/1.8 ISO 400 Shutter 1/60 Focal Length 17/4

upload_date

Jan, 2021

Views

Likes

Awards

Treasure Award

Outstanding Creativity

Emotions

Impressed

Top Ranks

Top 30 rank

Top 30 rank week 1

Top 30 rank

Top 30 rank week 1

Top 10 rank

Top 10 rank week 1

Behind The Lens

Location

This was taken on yet another day of quarantine, my cat and I were sitting on my bed, both overwhelmed by boredom. We looked at each other and a staring contest began between him, myself, and the lens of my camera.

Time

This picture was taken January 6th, 2021, around 11am. The morning was quiet and uneventful. Silence hung in the air as my cat and I fixed our eyes intently on each other, and I slowly pulled out my phone to take a picture, not wanting to startle him and cause him to blink or move. Focusing on half of his face, just one eye, and the details of his amber colored iris, I captured this photo of our staring contest— now frozen in time forever.

Lighting

I loved the way my cat’s pupil constricted from the morning light streaming through the nearby window, making his iris huge and detailed.

Equipment

I used my iPhone 11 Pro to take this photo. No flash or other equipment was used.

Inspiration

I felt inspired to take this photograph because although we may be stuck indoors much of the time right now, I feel it’s important to look for the picturesque moments at home, in day to day life. It’s easy to overlook something beautiful or photogenic when you see it everyday, whether it be a flower on your kitchen table or the face of your pet. But when you feel a moment is right- when the light falls perfectly on that flower or your pet looks at you in a particular way- you suddenly see a photograph in something that typically seems ordinary.

Editing

I did do some post processing on this photo. I used some of the built-in editing features on my iPhone 11 Pro, desaturating the image and increasing contrast to create the black and white effect. I then used Lightroom to enhance clarity, texture, and to eliminate some noise. I also added a slight blur effect to the background. The editing process might be my favorite part of photography.

In my camera bag

My photography go-bag is pretty simple, as I am still a beginner photographer. It consists of my Sony Alpha 6000 and my iPhone 11 Pro. I find the Sonly Alpha to be a fantastic camera for nature and landscape photography, and I’m saving for some proper lenses. I’ve always been a mobile photography lover, however, and find my phone’s camera quite impressive as well. In particular, I use my iPhone for macro shots, as I find its capabilities with that style to be quite good.

Feedback

Ansel Adams, an outstanding landscape photographer, often spoke about ‘photographing with intent’. This is something I’ve been trying to practice more in my own photography. Sometimes I catch myself just pointing and shooting, my mind and my camera not really connecting. I believe ‘photographing with intent’ is first visualizing what you want your photograph to look like before you shoot, taking a moment to connect with your camera and surroundings, and then capturing that photograph in a way that measures up to the one you pictured in your mind. Take a moment, and try to photograph with intent— that would be my advice to others.

See more amazing photos, follow JGilPhoto

JGilPhoto

JGilPhoto

The Cat Stares Back

My cat stared at me. I held my iPhone 11 Pro up to take a photo. Was he transfixed? Puzzled? Intrigued? He held still and opened his eyes even wider and fixed ... Read more

Behind The Lens

See more amazing photos, follow JGilPhoto

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

My cat stared at me. I held my iPhone 11 Pro up to take a photo. Was he transfixed? Puzzled? Intrigued? He held still and opened his eyes even wider and fixed ...
Read more

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