Okay, reading over the homework instructions now, I realize I didn't work as hard on this as I was supposed to. While I did play with the White Balance a bit, with most shots (including this one), I had WB on auto. I utilized only the light from the window, and my delight over the results of shooting my cats without flash distracted me.
For this shot I had the camera propped on the kitchen table due to the low light (cloudy day outside). 1/160 shutter speed, f/4.5, ISO 3200. (I soon got out the tripod, an indoor first for me!)
I like this shot of Zelda because the white is not blown out (as it was in almost every other shot), yet I manage to capture a bit of light to discern her black body from the dark background. Image is crisp, eyes are green green.
I wish she hadn't been happily nesting on the white tissue paper, and a brightly-colored quilt would have been a striking contrast to her black/white, instead of the pastels. I wish I had played more with the WB and the ISO, to see what else is possible and I guarantee I will - Zelda and her brother will be captive models all this long dark winter.
This is a great shot! Zelda's personality shines through in this image. Very Intense and commanding. Keep working it to capture the emotion/many moods, personalities. I can see a beginning of a Zelda series here! OK now to the technical. First off - FUR IS HARD. Then her being BLACK and WHITE is throwing another challenge at you. The camera has a hard time trying to figure out what to meter off of to set the exposure. LOVE that you were able to get detail (tonal value) in the white chest fur and a little in the black. LOVE that the eyes are tack sharp (Mirrors to the soul). Personally I think the camera did an awesome job with the auto WB. If I were to offer one suggestion, it would be to add a light behind Zelda (could be as simple as a flashlight) so there is more separation between her beautiful black fur and the dark background. Then you would create a greater degree of perceived space between your subject and the background. KEEP Experimenting with the same subject and trying EVERYTHING - THEN you will KNOW what works and what doesn't and you will discover some happy unexpected mistakes along the way!!!
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