Cat Photo Competition 1 2018 : Results

Judges Comment
Wow, what an absolutely tremendous and impactful photo. The simplicity of the background created by the shallow depth of field and the softness of the image overall, allows for this alert cat's eyes to literally pop from the photo. Positively perfectly captured and managed in post. An instant fave! Congrats! ~ illona
Photographers Comment
Our cat, her name is Dark (black cat with yellow eyes). Photo was taken in parents house. She was out on the terrace and behid her was stored wood for the fireplace. Canon eos 450D, Canon 50 mm f 1.8. F2, 1/50, iso 800.
werdza.sk

Judges Comment
This is such a fabulous image. The softness of the photo along with the deep blacks and clean whites, make it both strong and magical at the same time. The framing of the image, as well as the framing of the cat in the window, are wonderful, along with all of the other details like the curl of the cat's tail, the texture of the partly drawn blind, and the soft light spilling in through the window, make it immediately memorable and an instant favorite. Beautifully captured and managed in post. ~ illona

Judges Comment
This is a fabulous photo. The shallow depth of field and the soft tones create an image where the subject truly stands out with its piercing eyes and intense expression. Lovely soft tones, and a perfect low angle which makes us feel as though we are right on this scene about to be greeted by this gorgeous cat. Nicely done! ~ illona

Judges Comment
What a fabulous image. The conversion to black and white allows for the small black cat to stand out in this stark but richly texture scene. Beautifully framed and managed in post, making it a highly memorable image. Nicely done! ~ illona
Photographers Comment
Thank you for choosing my picture. The cat lives nearby an abandoned building in Norway and I followed it a few hours around in the big old building. The post processing have been done in Lightroom.
www.audunnygaard.com

Judges Comment
The incredibly shallow depth of field and wonderful bokeh, along with the sharp details of this cat's face, make this photo an instant favorite, and the bright, soft tones give us a sense of springtime. Nicely captured and managed in post. ~ illona
Photographers Comment
Thanks you for the compliment and well done on the winner, it really is a unique photo.

Judges Comment
This street photo offers not just wonderful tones but also a variety of textures -- from the warm-toned brick, to the cold ice and slush, the captured water droplets from the metal pipe, and finally to the sweet, longhaired orange kitten. Wonderfully handled in post. I sure hope this kitten is now warm and loved. :) ~ illona
Photographers Comment
The photo was taken in the Moscow region at a country house. Camera: Canon EOS 70d
https://www.facebook.com/novikovbarberphoto

Judges Comment
This is such a striking image, not just the kitten's priceless captured expression, but also the contrast between the white fur and the darker landscape and shallow depth of field. Wonderfully captured and managed in post. ~ illona
Photographers Comment
Thank you very much, dear Illona, that I won my first competition entry right away. I'm very glad about that. My stage name is elfmet and I am an animal photographer from Germany (Thuringia). The picture shows a seven week old Sacred Birman on her first trip to the autumnal garden. The picture was taken with a Canon EOS 5D Mark III and Canon 135mm (f 2.5 - 1/1000 sec - ISO 250). The editing was done with Lightroom and Photoshop.
www.elfmet.de

Judges Comment
What a fun and fabulous capture. The expression on this ruffled cat is priceless. Lovely white balance, and the soft muted tones allow the cat's eyes to stand out. Wonderful capture! ~ illona
Photographers Comment
Many thanks for the Mark of Excellence and the great comment, dear lllona. I am very happy to be among the winners. My name is Irina Sigl and I am a photographer from Germany. The picture was taken in a small village in Croatia. I roamed the streets to take pictures when I suddenly felt myself watched. I paused and looked around. Then, upon a wall, I saw this graceful cat, who looked at me piercingly, as if to ask me, "What's up with you? Although she almost intimidated me, I took a picture of her! The picture was taken with a Nikon D 600 and a telephoto lens. I used Lightroom and Photoshop for post processing.
irina.sigl-fotografie.de

Judges Comment
This is a lovely image, where the white street cat stands out in this stark but richly colored street scene. Bringing up the whites a little so that the cat pops even more from the landscape might benefit, but otherwise a lovely captured. Nicely done. ~ illona
Photographers Comment
Thank you very much for this Mark of Excellence and the kind words! My name is Lena and I´m an enthusiastic hobby photographer from the north of Germany. I took this picture with my Lumix G70, 12-32mm lens, during a trip to Marrakesh in January this year. Thanks for the advice to give a bit more white to the cat, I will try that as soon as I have got a proper image processing programm, which is hopefully soon :)