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At the Mousehole
2nd PlaceAt the Mousehole
vawendy


Photograph Information Photographer's Comments
Challenge: Searching II (Advanced Editing VII)
Collection: 2012 Challenge shots
Camera: Canon EOS-7D
Lens: Canon EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM
Date: Jan 27, 2013
Date Uploaded: Jan 27, 2013

[Feb. 3rd, 2013 08:12:49 PM]

Waited until the last day to enter this and was feeling tired and pretty cruddy. But really wanted to try this. Went to Lowe's to get something in which to put a mouse hole. Thought I had marvelous ideas, thought I knew what I was looking for. Stared at the stuff at Lowes for way too long. Fell in love with something, does it look like the inside of a wall? No. Does this? No. Drywall is white, I said, that's not going to look right -- I don't want white. Finally just bought something. Feeling quite discouraged.

Husband has a really bad cold, feeling cruddy too, but offers to cut a mousehole. I need to mock it up first and figure out lighting. Cut a hole in cardboard, Try a flash, try wrangling a cat by myself. A definitely lesson in futility.

Ready to quit.

Husband said, don't be silly. Cuts out mouse hole. We set the wall up in the kitchen instead of the front hall, since front hall didn't have nearly enough ambient light with which to focus.

Everything is different. Didn't bother with the umbrella sitting on the front with the flash sitting on top shooting through, just a plastic diffuser instead. Kitchen floor was pretty new since it was replaced after a problem after a hurricane, cool reflections!! Very, very kind husband did very very difficult cat wrangling. The problem was that Cinders was too big and fluffy -- I had measured on Moriarty, even though I had planned on using Cinders. Mo still moves way too much -- and a black cat with severe side lighting I knew wasn't the smartest idea.

We tried many things, hoping that the laser pointer would be our best bet. Surprisingly enough, little pieces of Mo food worked the best. Which is really bizarre, because normally that's not that big of a deal.

Jeff would put a piece just inside the hole, and Mo would go after it. The problem is -- he's just way too fast!! He would go around the front of the wall. He would position himself in front of the flash instead of across from the flash. Half the time he'd knock the flash, and we wouldn't know until after a shot or two. About a 1/3 of the time he'd actually get his head and part of his body through the hole to get the food. Which was a hoot -- but I couldn't even get a picture, because the flash was behind the wall!!

I had the flash in way too close, so the side of his face was overexposed and I had to play in RAW and do a bit of burning to recover it. I really want to reshoot it some day to see if I can do the lighting right. I think I understand the principle of the light fall off and what I need to do. I probably would learn a lot by trying it again. But you really get a stiff neck laying flat on the floor, camera on floor, and trying to look through the view finder with the camera that low!

It wasn't until after we were done shooting until I realized just how much dust was showing up on the floor, on Mo, everywhere! It was so perfect!! It would be dusty inside the wall! Ummm... but it wouldn't be shiny would floors... I forgot to put down a fake floor. It was just going to be cardboard or something, but there was going to be a difference... Sorry, Don!! But the reflection was kinda cool... :)

So it's really not that interesting of a story, this time. But it was funny watching Mo do everything except what we were hoping he'd do. And it was all thanks to a wonderful husband who cut me a mouse hole. :)

Thanks for all the comments!!

Statistics
Place: 2 out of 75
Avg (all users): 6.9550
Avg (commenters): 7.7778
Avg (participants): 6.6579
Avg (non-participants): 7.1096
Views since voting: 4146
Views during voting: 265
Votes: 111
Comments: 30
Favorites: 4 (view)

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AuthorThread
Canon EOS-80D
Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS
 02/08/2013 03:24:00 AM
was away and only saw this now. What a great shot :-) - long live the black cats :-)
  Photographer found comment helpful.
Apple iPhone 12 Pro
Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8 L USM
 02/06/2013 02:39:33 AM
Congrats on getting this idea to ribbon again! (I tried in the Deja Vu II Challenge ) And here is the original . I like your jagged mousehole, it's far more realistic.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
Sony Alpha a7 IV
Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS
 02/05/2013 07:04:57 AM
The idea for this was great but the effort that went into this shot is why your images always do so well, once again congratulations and thanks for the story of how you got the shot.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
Canon EOS-5D Mark II
Canon EF 24-105mm f/4.0 L IS
 02/04/2013 10:35:27 PM
Congrats on the Red! And wow! What a great story to explain the shot.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
Canon EOS-5D Mark II
Canon EF 24-105mm f/4.0 L IS
 02/04/2013 10:10:14 PM
Congratulation my first one I love it
  Photographer found comment helpful.
Nikon D7100
Nikon AF-S DX NIKKOR 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR II
 02/04/2013 05:19:25 PM
Grats on the red, Wendy! Working with animals is fun, innit! ;-)
  Photographer found comment helpful.
Nikon D90
Nikon AF-S Zoom-Nikkor 24-120mm f/3.5-5.6G IF-ED VR
 02/04/2013 03:25:43 PM
BRILLANT... OMG and the story, well I should've given it a 20 if I'd seen the story first... Getting that much cooperation from MO, well I dub you offical Squirrel and CAT trainer!!!!! The dust, may not have been your idea but oh so made the whole shot!!!! Total believeable!!! I acutally thought the mouse had taken the shot!

Congrats on a GREAT piece of work!!!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
Nikon Z8
Nikon NIKKOR Z 50mm f/1.4
 02/04/2013 01:01:30 PM
you're always on top Wendy, congrats!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
Nikon D750
Nikon AF-S Nikkor 17-35mm f/2.8D IF-ED
 02/04/2013 11:45:28 AM
Mo sounds like a handful, LOL! Congrats, Wendy
  Photographer found comment helpful.
Canon EOS-5D Mark III
Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8 L II
 02/04/2013 11:35:43 AM
Love the glow in the cat's eyes- congrats Wendy.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
Apple iPhone 15 Pro
 02/04/2013 11:01:05 AM
Good stuff,Congrats.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
Sony Alpha a77
Sony DT 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 SAM
02/04/2013 10:28:14 AM
So cute and so creative!! I love it :)
  Photographer found comment helpful.
Nikon D700
Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 24-70mm f/2.8G ED
 02/04/2013 09:31:34 AM
Great shot, congrats. It is amazing how dust we ignore in real life gets magnified in a photo.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
Samsung Galaxy S9/S9+
Sony Sonnar T* FE 35mm f/2.8 ZA
 02/04/2013 08:56:25 AM
Well done you ribbon machine :) watch out for H2's cat though.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
Canon EOS-650/T4i Rebel
Canon EF-S 15-85mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM
02/04/2013 05:14:36 AM
Lovely atmospheric shot! Congrats!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
Nikon Z6II
Nikon NIKKOR Z 24-70mm f/4 S
 02/04/2013 04:58:49 AM
Congrats on again a Red one. The ribbons keep on coming and so deserved!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max
 02/04/2013 03:25:35 AM
congrats again wendy excellent story as well!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
Nikon D500
Sigma 18-250mm f/3.5-6.3 DC OS HSM
 02/04/2013 03:21:02 AM
We should handicap you. Maybe take the camera away just to give us a bit of a chance too! Congrats lovely story too.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
Canon EOS-5D Mark IV
Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 L IS
 02/04/2013 03:01:14 AM
Dang! Congrats!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
Canon EOS-6D
Canon EF 24-105mm f/4.0 L IS
 02/04/2013 03:00:16 AM
Congrats
  Photographer found comment helpful.
Canon EOS-550D Rebel T2i
Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6
 02/04/2013 12:10:44 AM
congrats again :)
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 Comments Made During the Challenge
Canon EOS-5DS R
Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 USM Macro
 02/03/2013 09:14:54 PM
Brilliant, well done.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
Nikon D5100
Nikon AF-S DX NIKKOR 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR II
 02/03/2013 03:48:36 PM
I enjoyed seeing this come up on the screen......great capture!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
Canon EOS-40D
Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II
 02/02/2013 12:05:31 PM
wow that mouse does a great job polishing the floor.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
Fujifilm X-Pro2
Fujifilm XF 10-24mm f/4 R IOS
 02/01/2013 03:40:07 PM
I suspect this is Moriarty, but whomever it is this is a great shot. Superbly imagined and executed.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
Nikon Z7II
Nikon AF Zoom-Nikkor 28-200mm f/3.5-5.6G IF-ED
 01/31/2013 11:41:53 PM
fabulous!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
Canon EOS R6
Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 L Macro IS USM
 01/31/2013 01:33:24 PM
Ah, this is a fantastic cat photo. Perfect use of composition and light.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
Canon EOS-5D Mark II
Canon EF 24-105mm f/4.0 L IS
 01/30/2013 05:19:39 PM
Clever, and I love the point of view and negative space.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
Nikon D7200
Nikon AF-S DX Nikkor 35mm f/1.8G
 01/28/2013 09:29:36 AM
You have to come out sometime! Nice job.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
Canon Canon 1d x Mark II
Sigma 85mm f/1.4 FG HSM Art
 01/28/2013 08:20:02 AM
You win..........again!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
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