Good looking kitty...
Hi Jon,
There's something about this that doesn't say "SOOC" to me, it says (to me) that the subject and background were PP'd separately, but I can't say exactly what it is that makes me think this. Looks like the cat has some LCE (Local Contrast Enhancement) applied, but it may be more than that.
OK, I am going to be supercritical now because it is otherwise very good - e.g. exposure is not bad, possibly a little 'hot' in places, WB looks OK too and focus is spot on.
I think the cat, viewed in Lytebox and fullsize (1,281px × 1,600px and scrolling), could be sharper than it is though, it's not bad, but I think it could be better with PP sharpening.
I think there is some defocused lateral CA which is giving subtle false magenta/green colours to the stonechip ground, but I may be 'over analysing'
I just looked at the EXIF and see this was taken with a Canon Powershot SX30 IS, so I'm probably correct about the CA, but probably wrong about the processing, that may be some in camera style applied and I believe that also means it was jpg only?
I see you also shot it fully zoomed in (823mm FFE) so that ain't bad
Dave, I will have to admit that I have no clue what "SOOC, LCE and defocused lateral CA" are. I do very little PP work. I play with sliders a very little bit for contrast and brightness. And of course I have learned how to crop an image also. That is the extent of my PP ability for the time being. Layers...stacking...that is all Greek to me. I thank you very much for your comments. Yes it was jpg. One of these days I will upgrade to a different camera, but for the time being, I will continue to have alot of fun with my current one.
Jon
Last edited by Plumcrak; 16th March 2012 at 06:54 PM.
Ooopps, sorry Jon (I should know better, I lose track of who knows what)
SOOC = Straight Out Of Camera, meaning (virtually*) unprocessed
LCE = Local Contrast Enhancement (well worth learning sooner) Link
Lat CA = Lateral Chromatic Abberation, a lens distortion that puts coloured edges on things near the edge of frame Link
You can always google
* "virtually" means the shot will probably only have been downsized for display on web, but usually unadjusted and uncropped
Last edited by Dave Humphries; 16th March 2012 at 09:44 PM. Reason: added the asterisk explanation
Jon, this is such a softly, pretty photo. I see what Dave means about the processing look. There is a bit of a 3D look about the kitty in relation to the background. Lovely job of keeping the background uncluttered. The bits of green could not have been placed better had you put them there by hand; they even complement the cat's eyes.
Nice, Jon. You don't often see one that close to perfect without 'some' post processing. I see that you are using the Canon SX30. I just got the Canon SX40 and for the long reach lens and I love it.