Cat Photo Competition 3 2012 : Results

Judges Comment
the drama in this image makes it undeniably memorable. the depth of shadows make this image even more dramatic, and the tension created with the cat turning tightly to the outer edge of the frame, plus the action suggested by the raised paw, make this a stunning piece. an instant fave for sure. bravo! ~ illona

Judges Comment
it would appear that black cats rule this cat competition! this image is certainly one of the most memorable images in the competition ... extremely dramatic with its incredible depth and framing, and those eyes! beautifully managed and great post work. well done! an instant fave. ~ illona
Photographers Comment
I am so thrilled and honored to have been chosen as the second place winner! I own a pet sitting/pet photography business...this is Opie, one of my clients. He is a former stray who now lives a life of luxury with his owner! Shot in natural window light with my Canon 50D and 24-105mm lens, post processed in photoshop to blend and darken the background.
suecollura.com

Judges Comment
this image is simply magnificent. the framing and very simple backdrop allow the noble subject to really stand out. management of tones and colors is expertly done. an absolutely beautiful image and an instant fave. ~ illona

Judges Comment
the tones and framing of this image are gorgeous. what really draws one back to this image and is the strength in it is the line that runs from the tip of the cat's ear, down the back of the neck and along the spine. absolutely beautiful. well seen and well captured. ~ illona
Photographers Comment
I am very happy about this mark of excellence, wow. For me as a beginner in photography its quite unbelievable to see my photo here. The photo was taken in March. I was in our garden trying to take photos of my rabbits. But our cat was jealous and scared the rabbit, so I changed my mind and choose my beloved cat as alternative motive. I was so happy when he sat down on our bench and started grooming himself in the beautiful evening light. - Lina

Judges Comment
i absolutely love this image ... the "stacked" cats and their expressions as they are both captivated by the photographer's lens. great use of light and shadow, as well as depth of field. wonderful capture. thanks for sharing! ~ illona

Judges Comment
everything in this image just works ... but what grabs you first is the intensity of the cat's stare. beyond that, the framing, tones, light, depth of field, color management, everything is just expertly handled ... making this an absolutely lovely and enjoyable image. thank you for sharing! ~ illona
Photographers Comment
This is a little cat that my husband rescued. "Gill" was dumped by my husband's work from a moving vehicle on the freeway. Upon closer inspection Gill was skinny, missing the whiskers above his right eye and had singe marks in his fur. He has been with us now for 9 months and is fully recovered - and as you can see his whiskers have grown back nicely :) This photo was shot on our garage floor with my Canon 7D and an 85mm fixed lens. Thanks for your feedback!

Judges Comment
great low angle, and an absolutely wonderful b&w conversion. there is lovely management of light here, and great post work. the framing works along with the low angle, making this an extremely appealing image. well done. ~ illona

Judges Comment
wonderful overhead photo and an absolutely perfect capture ... the half-squint - for cat lovers - is a very important expression, and here it has been captured perfectly. great management of tones and shadows, as well as depth of field. well done! ~ illona
Photographers Comment
This is so thrilling to be recognized for my art! And this cat is truly a top model cat. Shot with my canon 40D, Tamron 28-75mm lens. Natural window light. Some quick edits in LR3 and CS5. Just a super mellow black cat that loves the camera and oozes with silly cat puuursonality! Thank you so much!-Kim Widmark
puppycatphotography.com

Judges Comment
lovely capture. well see and nicely framed. the decision to convert this to black and white serves it well, and makes for a memorable image. nicely done! ~ illona
Photographers Comment
Thank you Illona! This is our cat Mistletoe and was shot early morning with a Nikon D700 and 16-35mm. I'm an aspiring pet photographer and busy building my portfolio.
kozuraphotos.com

Judges Comment
beautiful and dramatic silhouette. nicely done. ~ illona
Photographers Comment
I'm very happy that my picture got a Mark of Excellence in this competition. My name is Alexey Pronin. One day I "caught" my cat Harley walking on a balcony's railing at the sunset time. I took a few pictures and liked this particular one because it has some "supernatural" feel. :-) The picture was taken in San Diego with a Sony DSLR-A100 and a Minolta 24 mm lens. You can see more pictures at my website.
www.alexeypronin.com

Judges Comment
very sweet photo, and a lovely conversion to sepia. ~ illona
Photographers Comment
Thank you so much for the honorable mention. I am an aspiring photographer specializing in portraits and pet photography. This was taken with a Canon Rebel T2i, 85 mm 1.8 lens. One morning while i was walking by with my camera this stray black kitty was kind enough to pose for me. The kitty then jumped into this pile of junk and sat on a newspaper. I then made a little hissing sound and as he looked up at me, I took the shot. Kitty found a home two weeks later. - Irene
www.facebook.com/IreneBellaPhotography

Judges Comment
great low angle and point of view. as a pet photographer, it's always important to capture the various angles, parts, and aspects of our pets. well done! ~ illona
Photographers Comment
Illona, I love your work so I'm very pleased with your kind comments. This was shot with a Nikon D700, 70-300mm. My cat is not always happy when I get my camera out, so using the longer lens is sometimes necessary. This was late afternoon with some great light coming from the kitchen windows.
kozuraphotos.com

Judges Comment
there's just something about this image that works ... the cat's riveting gaze and the low angle put the viewer right in the image. well captured. ~ illona
Photographers Comment
Thank you very much for the honor, Illona and the judges. I am an aspiring photographer specializing in portraits and pet photography. This work was taken with my Nikon D7000 and a 50mm f1.4G prime lens. The most difficult part was to find a flat grassy background with some shade and to keep my client's cat having its attention on me.
www.facebook.com/pages/KCJungPhotography/362535450493397?ref=hl

Judges Comment
the soft, almost mono-tone quality of this image give it a wonderful feeling. lovely submission. ~ illona

Judges Comment
great expression captured here, and lovely tones and colors. well done. ~ illona
Photographers Comment
My name is Fraida and this photo was taken in Venice , California at the Venice canals. This wonderful Bengal cat was on a balcony and very engaged in watching squirrels run up and down trees across the street. The picture was taken with a Nikon D3100 and a 55-300mm lens. Thank you so much for recognizing my photo in the Mark of Excellence category and congratulations to all the other photographers in this category as well!
www.fraida-gutovich.artistwebsites.com