Cat Photo Competition 6 2015 : Results

Judges Comment
congratulations! what a wonderful capture, and no doubt, not an easy one. with animals, it can make such a difference just getting down on their level, even if that means lying in a dirty street (been there, done that!) ... and in this case, with this tiny kitten in front of this abandoned building, it is the absolute perfect vantage point. great action captured, and wonderful management of white balance and color. superb job. congrats! ~ illona
Photographers Comment
This photo was taken while vacationing in Havana Cuba. I was surprised and saddened by all the stray cats and dogs in the city. This little guy was only a few weeks old and was all by himself! Photo taken with a Nikon D700 and Nikon 24-70, f2,8 lens.
chantallevesquephoto.com

Judges Comment
this image's strength is two-fold ... not only is it a strong black-and-white image, with clean conversion, and wonderful contrast, but this is also an image with great feeling and sentiment. anyone who is owned by a cat is more than familiar with this viewpoint as it is something seen every day. very nicely captured and handled in post. ~ illona
Photographers Comment
Thank you very much for choosing my image and for your lovely comment. I was a summer morning on the way to my flower garden when my neighbors cat came charming around my feet to say hello. I used a Fuji X 100. My name is Susan Gaul from South Germany.

Judges Comment
this is an utterly wonderful and memorable image ... an absolute winner. the expression and action captured here are priceless. unfortunately, i think it's the action with a slower shutter speed that has caused the blur/softness on the kitten which takes away from some of its strength. but the true impact of this image is the expression - blurred or not. nicely done. ~ illona
Photographers Comment
Thank you! This is one of my neighbourhood alley kittens. Taken on a rainy day with Canon 60D and 300mm f/4 lens.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/joannawf/albums

Judges Comment
this silhouette image is absolutely wonderful. strong, deep shadows and clean whites. the conversion to black-and-white helps keep the elements minimal so that our focus is on the cat and his shadow. nicely done. ~ illona

Judges Comment
what a striking and sweet image. the conversion to black-and-white has been done very skillfully -- clean blacks and bright whites -- allowing this little kitten to stand out. it's unfortunate that the electric panels (?) on the back wall couldn't be removed in post as these are somewhat distracting to the overall image, but otherwise, a truly fun and engaging image. well done! ~ illona

Judges Comment
what a great image. the shallow depth of field and soft tones, along with the choice to convert to back and white, allow this sweet subject to truly stand out ... along with his direct gaze into the camera, engaging the viewer, this image is very engaging. nicely done. ~ illona
Photographers Comment
Thank you very much Illona! My name is Denis Malciu and I live in Bucharest, Romania. The picture was taken in Bucharest, on a street with blocks of flats. I used my Sony A7s camera with a Sony Sonnar T* 55mm F1.8 ZA lens. I then edited the raw file in Adobe Camera Raw, where I also applied a VSCO filter, for a film-like texture.
www.flickr.com/photos/75495350@N07/

Judges Comment
what a stunning black and white image -- deep black shadows and clean bright whites. beautiful framing, and the second cat lurking in the distance is just wonderful ... the wrapping of the trail around the cat's front paws and the variety of textures from the old iron to the cat's fur, the old leaf, the concrete, all give us a visually rich image. wonderfully done! ~ illona
Photographers Comment
Thank you so much, Illona. I am truly happy to see people are actually being drawn to this photograph for the same reason that made me stop to take it. It was taken in a suburb near downtown Rio, I was at a friends house and had gone out to grab a cup of coffee. On my way to the cafe I saw two white cats sitting at the stairway, I always stop to pet cats. And I started seeing how the contrast between the cats and the dark stairs of this abandoned house was playing out in conjunction with the framing rusty iron gates and concrete textures. I didn't think twice before running back to grab my camera and hope the cats were still there and they were! I was really happy with the image taken. I used a Nikon D3100 with a 35mm f/1.8 lens and processed using Adobe Camera Raw. Rodrigo Oliveira.
www.instagram.com/r.oliveiraphotography/

Judges Comment
the strength in this image is the simplicity of elements, yet the variety and richness of texture. while our eye is definitely drawn to the cat resting in the opening in the rocks, our attention is then allowed to travel throughout the frame to take in the different textures and crevices. beautifully seen and handled in post. ~ illona
Photographers Comment
Thank you! I shot this photo in the south of France, where I live. I used a nikon F3 and kodak Tri-X 400 film. Small adjustments of levels and sharpness were made with Aperture. Adrien.

Judges Comment
this image is immediately engaging because of the kitten's direct stare and its fun expression. the choice to convert to black-and-white allows the trickle of water to stand out, as well as the shine on the chrome and the catchlight in the kitten's eyes. nicely done. ~ illona
Photographers Comment
Thanks for the great feedback illona! I'm a professional pet portrait photographer based in Bristol, UK. I love to practice my skills on my own 3 cats as well as taking on commissions. I strongly believe that animals are just as much part of a family as humans. Cats in particular have great personality and a wealth of expressions to capture lots of character in photos. This portrait of Louie was shot on a Canon 5D Mark III and 85mm f/1.2 lens as part of a blog post titled: "A day in the life of Louie" which detailed his lifestyle and unique (very entertaining) personality. If you'd like to view the full post "A day in the life of Louie" please visit my blog, clickable on my website link below. Thank you! :) Carly Wong / The Pet Collective
www.thepetcollective.co.uk