Cat Photo Competition 3 2013 : Results

Judges Comment
the almost abstract simplicity of this image, the wonderful black and white conversion, the incredible texture and detail, yet the softness, all lead the viewer to want to come back numerous times for multiple viewings in spite of this images simplicity. beautifully seen and captured, and expertly presented. an instant fave. congratulations! ~ illona
Photographers Comment
Thank you for this award! It is an honor to reach this level. This was taken on Terceira Island. The little cat was looking out to sea as I passed. I still had time to stop the car, sit a few feet behind him and photograph him. He seemed to be waiting to be portrayed because it went away shortly thereafter. I used the D4 for this photograph. Thank you again!
ruicaria.com

Judges Comment
i love images that embrace the shadows, and this one certainly delivers. beautifully seen and captured, and wonderfully composed, making this an extremely strong and truly memorable image. definitely an instant fave. ~ illona

Judges Comment
everything about this image is lovely ... the depth of field, color management, composition, contrast of textures and color, and - of course - the absolutely adorable kitten! beautiful light and color. wonderfully presented; thanks for sharing! ~ illona

Judges Comment
the shallow depth of field and the lines of the cabinets really draw the viewer's attention to this cat's incredible face. beautiful capture, and wonderful conversion to black and white. nicely done. ~ illona
Photographers Comment
It is an honor to receive a "Make of Excellence" in this competition, and so I would like to extend my thanks to Illona Haus for judging this competition, as well as to the founders and maintainers of the "I Shot It" website for their efforts putting forward and hosting these contests. Thanks also to Leica Camera for their sponsorship of the event. Dandy the Cat, also extends his thanks to all for the recognition, although I do think all the attention may go to his head. :0) J. Lagan, July 2013
www.flickr.com/photos/67989483@N08/

Judges Comment
i love this little studio kitten's yoga moves. wonderfully captured. because of the symmetry of this image, i almost wonder if it would benefit from some photoshopping of the 'horizon' line to straighten it ... although i realize this would require more work than simply 'straightening' the entire image. lovely image and an instant fave. ~ illona

Judges Comment
this cat taking a pause in the window is beautifully seen and captured. i wonder how it would look with a more vertical presentation to accentuate the vertical window? either way, nicely seen and captured. ~ illona
Photographers Comment
Thank you for this distinction. This photo was taken in Angra do Heroismo, during Sanjoaninas, one of the biggest festivals of the island. This cat was resting in the evening to catch up energy for the long night that lay ahead. I approached slowly but he did not wake ... I used the D4.
ruicaria.com

Judges Comment
the shallow depth of field really helps to accentuate this cat's fabulous expression. nicely captured and presented. ~ illona
Photographers Comment
Thank you for the "Mark of Excellence". I've took this photo at my home on the dining table. The cat is a Devon Rex breed and his name is Elf. For this photo (photo series actually, as this is only one photo from 10) I gave him some lettuce to eat and waited for him to finish as he usually make funny faces and licks himself after he eats. I had no flash and almost no light so I used 85mm lens at f/1.8 and ISO 12k. The camera used here is Nikon D800. Rest of the series in the link at the bottom.
dsh.artistwebsites.com/art/all/black+and+white+elf/all

Judges Comment
the deep and long shadows of this image, combined with the wonderful framing, pique the viewer's curiosity as to the rest of the scene. beautiful use of light and shadow to accentuate your subject. nicely captured and rendered. ~ illona
Photographers Comment
Over the moon and all that! Shot in the spare bedroom, lit by a 60W bulb from the tiny ensuite. The model spent five minutes teasing me with short subtle movements before finally sitting still for this one. Captured with a Pentax K7.