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This is my cat's eye, for those of you who wondered what the heck it is :)
Original intent for this challenge: to photograph a macro of my cat's eye and show that it is naturally framed by the surrounding fur. Is it a stretch in terms of meeting the challenge? I don't think so, although some others have disagreed...
Seen here is my very cooperative model from the Pet Portrait challenge. It's nice to have a cat who likes to sit still and doesn't mind having a camera pointed at her in close proximity. She is unique in that way and in some other ways too but we won't get into that!
How it was shot: First off, if you're wondering how close I got, I did get very close! Probably only a few cm away. I expected her to flinch or move so I set my shutter at 1/400 to ensure I'd get *something* in focus. I ended up underexposing but luckily was able to bring it to life through post editing.
I placed her in the sunlight coming in through a west-facing window to get as much light on her eyes as possible. I wanted to bring out as much detail as I could by constricting the pupil while also keeping shutter speed fast. She was attracted to something outside the window so her gaze was just at the right angle to capture the reflection of the windows and sunlight.
As much as I'd like to say I planned it, I'd never even considered the possibility of catching that so clearly. Luck definitely played a role there.
So, with the added element of the window/sun reflection in her eye, you could say that it is framed by her eye as well. However in terms of meeting the challenge, I do consider that a bit of a stretch as I've learned from past experience that it would have gone unnoticed to those who look at the shot for only a few seconds. I'm glad it didn't go totally unnoticed though :D
This was a record setting entry for me.
+first ever DQ request (that was exciting! heh)
+most comments during a challenge
+most faves during a challenge
+most dramatic score increase - from barely above a 6 the first couple of days
+most enthusiastic and encouraging comments ever
THANK YOU SO MUCH everyone for your comments and faves!
Statistics
Place: 8 out of 223 Avg (all users): 6.6368 Avg (commenters): 8.5667 Avg (participants): 6.0727 Avg (non-participants): 7.1858 Views since voting: 4673 Views during voting: 405 Votes: 223 Comments: 53 Favorites: 47 (view)
smyk: thanks for the comment. i did have high hopes for this one :(
this had the oddest voting pattern of any shot i've ever submitted, and I feel lucky to have finished where I did.
congratulations on top ten finish, Bella. I knew it would be somewhere near top, I was hoping for top 5..astounding cat to let you get so close; enjoyed reading your comments about composing the picture.
wooooow!!! How did you manage to capture this??? amazing!!!
I am comlpetely speechless!
Got the idea re the challenge, and simlpy amazed by this unique capture.
10 and streight into my favorites!
I gotta say it...AMAZING!..I don't think I have ever seen a macro shot of a cat's eye like this...so so very close...like I'm looking into some other world...a really wonderful image.
Wow! That one starburst glint gives the image an "outer-space' abstract quality. And the irredescent green is simply amazing. Now I've got to take a closer look next time one of my cats is asleep in the sun - 10
Absolutely stunning shot, which I am sure tons of other comments have already told you. Can't wait to see what lens you used for this. Anyway, fantastic shot!
this is something I have wanted to do with my blue-eyed siamese, but doubt she will sit still for it. This is so beautifully done. Perfect focus and dof, incredible color! My vote for the red.
Wow the detail here is incredible. Makes mewantto look at the world under a miscroscope. Definitely let us know what this is when the challenge is over. Cat? The out of focus area on the bottom left is a little distracting but the overall impact of the iamge is truly powerful.
This is the most amazing photograph I have ever seen. I don't know much about photography, but this photo blows my mind. Way to go, I hope you win! I didn't even notice the window frame within the eye until my 15th time viewing the photo. I orginally thought that the eyball was framing the iris, or the fur was fraiming the lens and the eye was the windo in which the cast used to see out of. Once again this photo is AMAZING!
Wow. WOW. _WOW_.
What an incredible shot! How on earth did you get the cat to hold still for this?? This is absolutely without a doubt the _best_ macro I've seen of an eye - any eye. The colors....The detail....The texture...The DOF...The lighting....
This is an amazing picture that would surely place in a free study - but I can't understand the link to this challenge. In a free study, I'd give this a 9, but for "Naturally Framed" it looks like a 6.
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