Cat Photo Competition 5 2014 : Results

Judges Comment
This image was an early favorite ... the black-and-white conversion is wonderfully handled, with deep shadows and bright whites, the composition is strong, and the overall mood of serenity make it an image you want to come back to. Very nicely done! Congratulations! ~ illona
Photographers Comment
Thank you sooo much :-) This foto was made in a quiet moment between me and the cat of a friend. It is a daily situation seeing her hanging around and watching what is going on with half-opend eyes. My name is Susan Gaul. I live in Germany and work as a speech therapist. I like the I shot it Competition for being able to see so many different and great fotos from all over the world. Thank you!

Judges Comment
Lovely composition, and beautiful tones and white balance. Wonderfully seen, captured, and executed. ~ illona

Judges Comment
This image is an instant favorite ... the clean composition, the perfect white balance, beautiful tones, and, of course, the captivating expression of this cat, dead-center in the frame, all work to make this one fabulous image. Nicely done! ~ illona
Photographers Comment
Thanks for the Mark Of Excellence. This photo has a story: As a professional photog. from Frankfurt, Germany, I'm supporting the city's animal shelter by taking photos of their animals on a voluntary basis. These photos are used for adoption-ads on FB and the shelters website. This particular photo was shot inside the facilitys quarantine-station, because the cat shown is completely deaf and had to be separated from the others. That's why the staff wanted to promote its adoption with nice images, but quarantine-stations aren't the most cozy places. I had to deal with tiles and fluorescent lights everywhere. Instead of animating the cat with toys to get a cliche-shot, I decided to let her explore the corridor and laid down on the floor with my Fujifilm X-T1 & XF 56mm F1.2 lens while the cat walked away from me. When she turned around, she saw me laying there and was extremely inquisitive about that odd human on the floor. While she walked towards me, I took this shot.
www.facebook.com/patrickbraun.net

Judges Comment
What a sweet, expressive image ... beautiful light and tones. Expertly handled. ~ illona

Judges Comment
There is an extremely engaging image ... the kitten's stare into the camera, the shallow depth of field allowing him to stand out from his siblings, and the licking of his lips makes this a great story-telling image. Well captured and executed! ~ illona
Photographers Comment
Thank you very much for the Mark Of Excellence! My name is Sarah Koutnik, I'm an austrian Photographer, currently based in Germany. These five kitten were rescued and a friend of mine nursed them back to health. I was there to take some pictures of her grown-up housecat, but this little tiger was very interested in my camera (a Nikon D600), climbing on my back just to take a closer look at it. I had this picture in my mind as soon as they started to feed. I knew, that he would look up and licking his lips was the crowning glory.
sarah-koutnik.de

Judges Comment
The colors in this photo are clearly captivating -- the contrast between the orange leaves and the bright blue eyes. But there is just as much strength in the composition of the image, and the cat's engagement with the photographer. Well done. ~ illona
Photographers Comment
Thanks for the Mark of Excellence on my picture. I'm Susan Burdack from Germany. I took this shot of my Birman cat Shisha in my little indoor studio with a Canon 400D and the Nifty Fifty 50 mm 1.8 II. The editing was all about cropping and playing with the colours.
susanburdack.de

Judges Comment
This photo was an instant fave ... the receding lines, the shallow depth of field, and the variety of textures invite the viewer to keep coming back. Great capture and execution. ~ illona
Photographers Comment
Thanks for providing me with the Mark Of Excellence, I'm glad you like the pictures as much as I do. When I took the picture in Marsaxlokk, Malta in October 2014 and looked at the screen of my camera I instantly knew this would become one of my favorite cat pictures. The tomcat walked around the fishing village like a boss, going to the tourists and knowing he would get some food. He didn't need to beg, he didn't try to be cute - and I think you can see this self-esteem in this picture. I was lucky that he was curious about the camera and looked at me while leaning sidewards, matching the angle of the bench he was sitting on. I made this picture with Olympus E-M1 and the (awesome) M.Zuiko 75mm lens. Please visit my website for more cat, travel and other pictures, thanks.
www.ultraweit-verwinkelt.net/

Judges Comment
Beautiful tones and light surrounding this lovely cat. Nicely seen and captured. ~ illona
Photographers Comment
Thank you for the recognition! My name is Evan Koch. This image was taken with a Nikon D90, Nikon 50mm 1.8D, f/2.8, 1/1000s, ISO200. Postworked in Photoshop to remove lens flare and dodge/burn, and Adobe Camera Raw for global adjustment. Check out more photos on my website!
teksempire.com

Judges Comment
The intersecting lines of the structure in the foreground strengthen this image's framing. The tones, white balance, and deep shadows are well managed. Lovely image. ~ illona
Photographers Comment
Thank you for this distinction. This photo was taken last May in Kyoto, Japan. Rui Caria.
www.facebook.com/ruicariaphoto

Judges Comment
The mood and framing of this image make it immediately captivating; the cat - in spite of being small in the foreground - stands out in this stark landscape, with the receding lines of the street and the lights and the long shadow of the cat adding to the strength of this image. Nicely done. ~ illona
Photographers Comment
Thank you for the Mark of Excellence! I wanted to capture what it looks like when I take my two cats and dog out for walks in the very early hours of the morning, when the neighbourhood is asleep and the streets are silent. It feels like we are the only living beings for miles around. Jadey is a 13 year old cat whom I rescued from the shelter when she was still a tiny ball of fur. As a kitten she perched on my shoulder when I took the dogs out for a walk, her tiny claws digging into my old jacket for balance. Thirteen years later, she's still coming along with us when we step out for a walk. This photo was taken with a Sony A7 with a Voigtlander 50mm at f/1.1, shutter speed at 1/90, ISO 2000, no flash, raw processed and converted to B&W in Lightroom CC.