My cat Lottie, who was 7 months old when this photo was taken, is a very laid-back cat until it’s time to play. In the original photo, you can see the background is very noisy and it’s a bit difficult to focus on what she is playing with. It looks like I had just come from school and changed my attire because my bookbag is on top of my dressing table, wide open, and my closet door is also open. It also looks like I recently opened a package, and the item inside was intended for Lottie to play with, so I sat on the floor to play with her.
In the edited photo, I minimized the background by first cropping out the noise utilizing the 1:1 Square preset. I utilized the “rule of thirds’, and positioned her in the right corner of the photo where it’s eye level for the viewers to have eye space when viewing my precious Lottie. I also wanted to highlight her beautiful coat pattern so I increased the brightness and reduced the contrast to bring out the white and ashy goldish/brown color her fur exuberates. Additionally, I adjusted the color balance to make her fur look even more vibrant and sharpened the image to bring out the details in her eyes and whiskers. I feel like this photo captures Lottie’s playful spirit perfectly. When Lottie gets in her “zone” to play with her favorite wand, I love how her pupils dilate. Not only do her eyes track the movement of the toy, but her head moves wherever it goes. I remember how she pounced on the toy with such enthusiasm, making me laugh and forget about whatever was going on at the time.
Hello Jaleen, first I just have to say Lottie is gorgeous! How old is she now? I think the way you cropped your photo to make Lottie the focus and remove the background, is great! The edited image does a great job of bringing out the colors in her fur, her nose, and her whiskers! For another crop option, you maybe could have used the 1:1 square preset again to zoom in a bit more to remove the bottom of the package you mentioned. My cat is also super playful!
Thank you! I’ll be sure to consider the suggestions in my future projects. She is almost 2 years old!
Hi Jaleen,
I love your photo; your cat is adorable! I like how you cropped the photo to make Lottie the focal point and used the rule of thirds to better the image. The original image is busy with no clear subject, but your cropped image does a much better job of drawing the viewer’s attention to Lottie and her playful stance. The meaning of the images changes with your crop. In the original, it is clear she is looking at you; however, in the new image, we are unsure what she is looking at, which might leave us confused and waiting to find out. My only suggestion would be to capture Lottie’s entire body in the image. It might make her look better, as well as cropping out the top of your image, so there is nothing but carpet in the background. This would help isolate your subject and make sure the viewer’s attention is on Lottie. Other than that, you did a great job!
Thank you, I’ll be sure to utilize the suggestions you’ve made in the future.
Oh my goodness, she’s so cute! For my own project I almost considered a photo of my cat, but wasn’t satisfied with any of the edits I made. I can see how “in the zone” she is, one of my cat’s eyes also dilate when he plays while the other’s contracts! The second photo is a huge improvement, and makes the intended subject your sole focus. While what she’s looking at is now out of frame, it makes her gaze all the more intense. My only recommendation, which is probably from personal taste, is to move her cute little paws back into the image and move the box (still visible at the top) out.