First Cat* by Canon DSLR Challenge

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05-MAY-2006	Michael Kilpatrick

First Cat*

It's raining cats and dogs here in Melbourne (Melbob got in first with his dogs and actually it really is raining heavily in South Eastern Australia on this late Autumn evening).
After all the references to cats, I thought I'd better be first before the competition gets too strong.
Decided to go for the schmaltzy vignetted look.

Canon EOS 20D
1/250s f/8.0 at 60.0mm iso800 with Flash hide exif

Full EXIF Info
Date/Time	05-May-2006 21:37:07
Make	Canon
Model	Canon EOS 20D
Flash Used	Yes
Focal Length	60 mm
Exposure Time	1/250 sec
Aperture	f/8
ISO Equivalent	800
Exposure Bias
White Balance	(-1)
Metering Mode	matrix (5)
JPEG Quality	(6)
Exposure Program	aperture priority (3)
Focus Distance

other sizes: small medium original auto

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Guest		08-May-2006 18:41
Michael, solely in terms of b&w conversion, I like this version better. That being said, I also think the first version with it's softer greys really supported the vignette schmaltzy look. -Michael

Michael Kilpatrick		08-May-2006 10:26
Thanks for the comments and suggestions. Grant and Michael - I have re-processed the image completely, using a different conversion technique described here:http://www.designbyfire.com/000100.html On a separate issue, when I convert the raw file, the out of focus fur has a milky look. If I turn on Gamut Warning in PS, almost the entire cat shows up as out of gamut, apart from the white parts. I can only get rid of that by reducing the saturation to a very unrealistic looking amount. Some of that milkiness is visible in the light areas of the ginger fur.

jnconradie		07-May-2006 22:02
Nicely captured and framed, Michael. Being in a family with four cats and two dogs myself, I can relate to "raining cats and dogs"... :-) ~jnconradie

Guest		07-May-2006 19:07
It may not be a classic b/w treatment, but to me it almost resembles a pencil sketch (by someone who's very good at sketching, obviously!) Phil

Guest		07-May-2006 16:57
hehehe...I'm good with schmaltzy, very cute. Dunno if you'd like a bit more contrast, Michael, but if so you might try the local contrast technique I mentioned to Bob on his Repo*sessed. Dunno why I'm hung up on that technique today as I don't really use it that often, but sometimes it adds just that little bit of extra punch. -Michael

Canon DSLR Challenge		07-May-2006 15:04
Hey Michael, I just meant that, if you squint, there is a medium grey and white and that's it. I go for lots of contrast with my B&W conversions so this is probably just my personal bias. Grant

Michael Kilpatrick		07-May-2006 12:23
Thanks Grant. I should say that this shot was really a spur of the moment jokey response to seeing that at the time the only other shot was Melbob's dogs. I'm also from Melbourne and the "raining cats and dogs in Melbourne" caption occurred to me. I also intended it to be part of the continuing cat lover/cat hater rivalry, hence the over-romantic vignetting. The whole thing was only 20 minutes from shot to posting. Having said that, I don't do my B/W conversions by just de-saturating. This was done using the second technique on this link: http://www.bythom.com/bandw.htm It involves adding a Hue/Saturation adjustment layer and selecing "Color" as the blending mode. A second Hue/Saturation adjustment layer is added and the saturation set to -100. By adjusting the hue in the first adjustment layer, the appearance of the B/W conversion is modified. I have also used the Channel Mixer, although it wasn't used for this one, but I don't know what Mr Biscuit's technique is (although I'm happy to be pointed to it). Can you be more specific regarding "muddy"? Cheers Michael

Canon DSLR Challenge		07-May-2006 06:42
This looks like you desaturated it to do the B&W conversion. That is not how B&W film works and results in a sort of muddy image. Try using the channel mixer or Mr. Biscuit's clever technique. Cute subject though... Grant