Pitu, Ex Stray Cat

[Jabo]

Hey there. Just a quick one of my cat Pitu, Ex Stray Cat from Spain, now more on the Marlon Brando side of things.

What he had to say:
Oh, FUCK OFF!

[Grumbledook]

hey nice cat, though the leg coming across the foreground is rather distracting

did you see what it looked like after cropping it out?

[Jabo]

I'd have to crop the ear as well, that's why I didn't bother. But I'll give it a try, thx

[Grumbledook]

only if you kept the same ratio

don't see why you can't take the bottom off the picture

[Jabo]

Well, this is as far as I can go without totally ruining the composition. I see what you mean, but I don't see a way to get rid of the leg without cropping either his ear or his arm.

[Jabo]

On-Camera Flash with patented Kleenex-Diffusor (man, I need that SB-600, quick):

[Nike]

That cat seems to be quite a character.

I like the second photo better than the first. In the first one, the pose is really nice, and I don't really mind the leg, too - but what I don't like so much is the light - it makes it a bit flat, I think. The second one is much better in that regard in my opinion. The light is softer, there's more depth in the image.

And it seems we're using the same diffuser for our on-cam-flash

[Grumbledook]

I use supermarket own brand diffusers for my flashes

[Jabo]

Hey, thanks!

Nike: I think I didn't change the tones in the second image, just the crop. Maybe it's the cropping that affected some of the tones in the lower half to fall away.

Here's another one that I think I didn't show yet. I built a cardboard-type mini-softbox for portraits and tested it on the cat.
It came out ultra-sharp, which I loved to see. The background sucks, looks like a poster.

[Grumbledook]

do a thread on the homemade softbox please!

[purplerose]

Really nice! Has a regal appearance to it.

[Nike]

Originally Posted by Jabo

Nike: I think I didn't change the tones in the second image, just the crop. Maybe it's the cropping that affected some of the tones in the lower half to fall away.

sorry about not having been clearer, with the "first" photo I was referring to both the cropped and uncropped version, with the second, in which I like the light much better, to the one you made with your patented tempo diffuser

I like the update, too. He looks dangerous

[Jabo]

Jerrica: Thanks a lot. Yeah, he looks royal in this one.

Grumble: Are you serious? There are hundreds of how-tos on the net. Not that I didn't like to, but how you do it is really up to you, as long as it's a box that's reflective inside, has a hole for the strobe and a semitransparent white front cover.

Nike: Aah, now I see!

[Grumbledook]

I know there are jabo ;]

doesn't hurt to see how you did yours though, what did you use for the diffuser at the front?

[Jabo]

Well, that one is special, actually :P It's a backlit printing material we use in the agency for trade booths.
So when you walk by, it usually has something printed on it and is lit from behind. But actually, I think it's a little too sharp.
Baking paper would probably be a better choice. It's got more diffusion.
What I couldn't manage was a sharp outline for the eye highlights.
Gotta look into that again.

What I like is it's small size. Of course you can't use it for full-body portraits, but for headshots, it's perfect.
The china triggers are useful as well because they add a nice handle to the softbox.
You can hold it up with your left hand while shooting with the right.

[Grumbledook]

thats quite a nifty one

maybe i'll pull my finger out and make one myself one day

[Jabo]

That's five minutes of work. I'll make another one that doesn't scream "ghetto" when you hold it up,
maybe even a beveled one so that more of the light is reflected. And something that fits both my of my strobes (different head sizes, meh).