This is my cat Piper. He was sitting in the front window watching the moths dart at the porch light. It was probably around 9 pm.

Heres the original:
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y280/CristaMeganMommy/DSC04121.jpg

But I think I actually like this better:
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y280/CristaMeganMommy/DSC04121-1.jpg

Thanks!
Amber

On my monitor, I can barely see his face in the first so the second is better to me.

Thanks Frog :) Yes he has a dark patch on his face and there wasn't as much light falling on his face so it is hard to make out. I liked the orange glow on him in the darkness though.

With the second one, I think that graininess of lightening it actually works in favor for the picture.. or at least I like it. But that could just be me hehe. I dont normally like graininess in the photo at all..

Amber

Sure. It's nice to be able to actually see your subject. A little color correction and some noise reduction would help improve it even more. How did you shoot it? Was it a RAW or a JPEG file? How did you adjust it?

John,
It was shot in jpeg. All I did was an auto enhance (:blush2: ) in photoshop. (I'm not very good with photoshop.

But you have my permission to fix this one (with an explination) if you want. I am trying to learn more with photoshop.

Amber

I'm not a fan of noise. I think if you like the noise then it would be better in B&W. JMO.

I like the original because it has less noise. I think grain is nice, but because it is not evenly dispersed in the photo it distracts from instead of adding to the composition of the shot. I think since you have photoshop, this is a great picture to explore what photoshop can do. The first stop would be : Image> Levels where you will see a histogram with three sliders on the bottom, play around with these for awhile, and see if you can get the back of the cats head and body defined. Then go to: Image> adjustments>curves and play around with the image, trying to get the back of the cat to appear more defined. Try an "S" curve first, then work from the bottom of the scale to the top bending it to get the desired effect. Lastly, I would think about how I would "expose this negative onto paper", you have excellent shadows, the front of the cat is very nice, with that orange glow, essentially you have half of a great picture. The challenge is to get the back of the cat defined without ruining the front. The toolbar is the next place you would stop. The lasso and dodge tools would be a good place to start. You can also get the adjustment you need by doing a layers adjustment and drawing with a wide brush down the back of the cat and inverting it. Try these other things first though.

Thank you! I will try that! :)

Amber

Is there a reason you posted this on ViewFinder instead of Photo Critique? I almost moved it when I first saw it but decided to wait and ask. I think it's a better fit for Photo Critique.

On another subject, I noticed you haven't posted a review for your Sony A100 and lenses yet. Your reviews are what make this site work. They're the foundation the site is built on. Please post a review for your camera and other camera gear. We need your reviews!

Read and write Sony A100 Reviews >> (http://www.photographyreview.com/cat/cameras/digital-cameras/digital-slrs/sony/alpha100/review/PRD_385732_3127crx.aspx)

Thanks!