TEST SHOTS (take two)

The test shots I have taken show the steps of introducing a cat to an existing cats home. Through the narrative photography test shots I have utilised the close ups with shallow depth of field to create a cohesive structure throughout. For the first shot I wanted to capture the existing cat of the house (Misha), initiating how she is the boss of the house. The patting shot showcases how one must ensure the existing cat still receives a lot of individual attention. I have also captured the cats both looking intently at each other but in individual photos showing the tension which is building as they are being introduced to each other gradually. I’ve also captured a close up shot of the the new cat (Chili) hiding under the table. I took this shot through two chairs which heightens the fear of the cat. The image of the cat food highlights how they must share the food, eating at different times. For the final photography essay I would love to capture a shot of either cat eating from the ball. The images of the new cat (Chili) in the bed highlights how she is adapting to her new surroundings, becoming playful. I wanted to capture the motion of the tail as this highlights the both fear and aggression of the cat. I also plan to take more shots of different scenes to more clearly highlight the stages of introducing cats.

PHOTO ESSAY POTENTIEL SHOOT LAYOUT/ SHOTS (take two)

  • New cats in seperate rooms.
  • Introduce new cat to the rest of the house.
  • Two litter trays.
  • Cats eating separately.
  • Existing cat receives individual attention.
  • Cats on bed.
  • Introducing cats to each other.
  • Cat hissing.
  • Cat putting pheromones on human.
  • Embrace shot both of them together.

WIP (take two)

‘Living together’

Introducing cats 

The nature of cats

Cats can be very territorial and sometimes they don’t like change very much. Cats, despite what you may have been told, aren’t solitary creatures and many of them benefit from having feline companions.

A tail that slaps back and forth rapidly indicates both fear and aggression. Consider it a warning to stay away. Position: swishing tail. A tail that sways slowly from side to side usually means your cat is focused on an object.

“The first impression a new cat makes when he or she meets a resident cat is critical,” Adi Hovav, senior feline behavior counselor at the ASPCA Adoption Center,told The Dodo. “If two cats display aggression during their first meeting, this may set the mood for their future relationship.”
“Never force two cats to interact,” Hovav said. “Introducing two cats takes patience. Do not punish a cat for reacting negatively to another cat.”
Cats have glands in their cheeks that produce pheromones. When your cat rubs her cheek against a wall, chair, or your leg, she produces pheromones, which are chemical substances that can help to relieve anxiety and provide information about the cat who is producing those pheromones.
The key points to consider when introducing cats are:
  • Introduce the existing cat and the new cat in stages.
  • Keep the new cat in a separate room for about a week.
  • After the new cat has settled in to their part of the house you can slowly introduce them to the rest of the house by bringing them out for 10 or 15 minutes at a time under your supervision.
  • In the initial stages there may be some hissing and tail swishing.
  • Ensure that the existing cat has an area that they can go to for privacy to get away from the new cat.
  • Provide at least two litter trays.
  • Allow the cats to eat separately.
  • Ensure the existing cat receives a lot of individual attention from you.Not all cats will get on with each other. In situations where cats do not like each other in the long-term, they may co-exist in relative peace by spending most of the time on their own.

OUTPUT & PRINT

File format
  • structure of how information is stored (encoded) in a computer file.

File formats are designed to store specific types of information, such as:

  • JPEG & TIFF for image or raster data.
  • AI (Adobe Illustrator) for vector data.
  • PDF for document exchange.

 

JPEGs

  • can’t handle spot colours.
  • When saved it converts the Pantone colour into a CMYK value.
  • The white space in between the red lines on the JPEG is filled with a very subtle yellow/grey tint. This is due to the compression.

TIFF

  • good safe choice.
  • files are very heavy.
  • highly compatible with almost any software.

PDF

  • long to save in Photoshop though but they are highly compatible.
  • Offer some freedom for compression.

Ultimately your best option is to ask your printers how they like to receive their files.

 

COLOUR PROFILE 

Profiles are set automatically by cameras, operating systems, software, and printers.You can always throw color away later in the workflow, but once it’s gone, you can’t put it back.

  • Include CMYK, RGB, LAB, etc with more specific version depending on the output.
  • Each one represents a colour gamut which is a range of colours supported.
  • Adobe RGB 1998 and srgb are common colour spaces (gamuts) for images used for display (digital format, web, monitors, projectors, etc).

ICC profile

  • is a set of data that characterizes a colour input or output device, or a colour space, according to standards promulgated by the International ColourConsortium (ICC).

 

PPI / DPI

DPI

  • Dots Per Inch.
  • measurement of how many tiny droplets of ink a printer is laying down in its dither pattern to form one inch of a print.
  • refers to the printer.
  • Higher the DPI, the better the tonality of the image, colours should look better and blends between colours should be smoother.
  • 200 dpi printer uses 1200 dots of ink in every inch to make up the colours.

PPI

  • Pixels Per Inch of your image.
  • logical number of pixels from your original image that will be used to tell the printer to print one inch on paper.
  • This will affect the print size of your photo and will affect the quality of the output.
  • PPI does is affect the print size of the image.
  • Set the image to print at 10 PPI, then you’d have a 10″ x 10″ image.

LIGHT

f/10.0, 1/500, ISO 800 (Direct light)
f/11.0, 1/800, ISO800 (Direct light+diffuser)
f/11.0, 1/640, ISO 800 (Side light)
f/11.0, 1/640, ISO 800 (Side light+reflector)
f/13.0, 1/800, ISO 800 (Side light)
f/10.0, 1/500, ISO 800 (Side light diffuser)
f/9.0, 1/400, ISO 800 (Backlight)
f/8.0, 1/500, ISO 800 (Back light+reflector)
f/2.0, 1/40, ISO 800 (Direct light+reflector)
f/1.8, 1/30, ISO 800 (Direct light)
f/2.0, 1/40, ISO 800 (Direct light+diffuser)
f/2.0, 1/40, ISO 800 (Direct light)
f/1.8, 1/25, ISO 800

Week 10 we learnt about natural lighting and colour. The three primary types of color temperature:

light bulbs are:

  • Soft White (2700K – 3000K)
  • Bright White/Cool White (3500K – 4100K)
  • and Daylight (5000K – 6500K).
  • The higher the Degrees Kelvin, the whiter the color temperature.

Light throughout the day changes, enabling us to capture different moods and provoke emotions in shots. The best time to capture photographs in natural daylight are in the early mornings or late hours. The class expertise consisted of us shooting both indoor and outdoor. We used back lighting, front lighting and side lighting in conjunction with and without reflectors and diffusers. The gold reflector made the subject have a warmer colour tone creating a natural glow.

 

WORKING WITH CATS

I found it very difficult to capture the ideal photos as the cat would move or run away before I could capture the photo. I felt very cruel having to keep picking up the cat and placing it back in position. Throughout my photo narrative series test shots I have used two cats due to the difficulties associated with taking photos with animals. As both cats are quite similar in appearance I find this to be a good solution in the process of capturing the pictures. For my final photo narrative I would love for only one cat to be shown throughout the series, however if this is to straining on the cat I would have to share the role between both cats.

RESEARCH (NARRATIVE PHOTOGRAPHY ESSAY’S)

The Cats of Islamic Cairo: A Photo Essay

  • http://www.thephoblographer.com/2016/02/08/street-cats/
  • “One of the more interesting, and unfortunately less welcoming neighbourhoods, is an area called Islamic Cairo, established over a thousand years ago the streets are intricate and maze like, they are also full of cats.” So, Walter started to do what most people prefer: photograph cats. So much so that he made a book.

Mythical Beasts: Photographer Captures The Majestic Beauty Of Maine Coons

  • http://www.boredpanda.com/maine-coon-cat-photography-robert-sijka/
  • Maine Coons – the largest domesticated breed of cats in the world. Sijka always saw cats as majestic, almost mystical beasts: “My passions are cats and photography, I do my best to combine these two things as good as possible.” He managed to combine those passions perfectly in his royal-like Maine Coon portrait series.

Photo Essay: Cats of Istanbul

  • http://styleinked.com/photo-essay-cats-of-istanbul/
  • Istanbul is famous for its ancient history, beautiful architecture and fantastic food, but one of the most memorable aspects of visiting this  beautiful city are the encounters with the local street cats. Photographer Manvi Gandotra fell in love with cats after seeing the cats of Istanbul. She captures the friendly and playful personalties of these adorable felines.

Still life real life

  • http://lenscratch.com/2017/05/the-states-project-maine/
  • This photo narrative showcases Kari’s personal project about the relationship her daughters share. She lives with her two daughters, a few chickens, a golden retriever, and a fish named rose sassafras. This ongoing series explores the two sisters and the relationship between them. “I’m fascinated by the bond they share and how that relationship changes as they grow older.”

NARRATIVE PHOTOGRAPHY DEFINITION

Narrative photography is the idea that photographs can be used to tell a story. Allen Feldman stated that “the event is not what happens. The event is that which can be narrated”.A narrative is a story that includes plot, characters, setting, climax and resolution.

Linear narratives present stories in a logical manner by telling what happens from one point in time to the next without using flashbacks or flash-forwards and then returning to the present.

Nonlinear narrative, disjointed narrative or disrupted narrative is a narrative technique where events are portrayed, for example, out of chronilogical order or in other ways where the narrative does not follow the direct causality pattern of the events featured, such as parallel distinctive plot lines, dream immersions or narrating another story inside the main plot-line. It is often used to mimic the structure and recall of human memory, but has been applied for other reasons as well. It is also where the plot is told out of chronological order.

TEST SHOTS

f/4.0, 1/100, ISO 800
f/4.0, 1/100, ISO 800
f/3.5, 1/60, ISO 800
f/4.5, 1/100, ISO 800
135A2596
f/2.0, 1/40, ISO 200
135A2670 copy.jpg
f/1.8, 1/25, ISO 800
f/3.5, 1/60, ISO 800
f/3.5, 1/60, ISO 800
f/8.0, 1/400, ISO 800
f/9.0, 1/400, ISO 800
f/10.0, 1/500, ISO 800
f/5.6, 1/160, ISO 800
f/5.0, 1/160, ISO 800

The test shots I have taken show the unique relationship between my sister Sophia and her cats. Through the narrative photography test shots I have utilised the colour red to create a cohesive structure throughout. For the first shot I wanted to capture their relationship in bed, also highlighting Sophia’s tattoo’s including her beautiful arching cat tattoo. The tattoos are also evident in the shot with the cat looking over her shoulder, which grabs the viewers attention.  I also captured a close up shot of the cat with a shallow depth blurring Sophia on her computer in the background. Subsequently I capture the shot of the cat at the feet of Sophia, her face looking intently at something to the side. I took advantage of the shadows within the smoking shots to create dimension and interest. These shots highlight the close unique relationship they share. The last two shot of the cat thrown over Sophia’s shoulder also represents the continuation of the red through the sweater Sophia is wearing. The cats eyes are intently focused on something in the background.

I plan to take more shot of different scenes to more clearly highlight their strange relationship. These shots may include:

  • Cat under blanket
  • Putting on makeup in mirror (lip stick)
  • Eating breakfast (coffee)
  • Getting in the car (cat on lap)
  • Walking cat on leash
  • Café (cat on table)
  • Embrace shot