Inspection Completed, a photo from Varna, East

Photographer's Note

Another boat today...but there is a cat too! ;-)

Taken in May, though the weather was quite moody and gray, rain going on and off.
I took a stroll along the sea alley, looking at the boats of course. Then I came across this one...
This is not the captain I guess, but the little black beauty very skillfully and with certain grace walked on the boat as if at home and looked thoroughly for some fish eventually left, even a small one.
I was charmed by the smooth and elegant movements of the cat's walk and stopped to enjoy it, while out of a sudden I realised that if I don't hurry a bit the black fellow will leave and there will be no picture of him...
So, didn't have time to adjust anything, just pointed and shoot, trying not to drop the camera in the haste...;-))
There I found one funny detail after uploading the image on my PC - the flag: the Bulgarian tricolour is (top to down) white/green/red. This one, the way as it is placed, is much more like the Polish tricolour. Seems the captain's mind was somewhere else while decorating his boat with it...;-)

PP: cropped tighter to put the accent on the cat as it appeared too small on the whole picture, plus the usual things I do: slight sharpening, clarifying and saturation. All suggestions for improvement are warmly welcomed!

Aegean, Jeppe, Cool-ice, elihesamian, nwoehnl, Hanssie, efimoore, ChrisJ, supereira, jrj, Rinie_Hoff, mortijo, aznegrao, bertolucci, RGatward, kent_s, Kenny10pin, oochappan, ephemere33, apazevedo, shal has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

miqra (152) 2004-10-22 12:20

This picture captures a lot of caracter -ambiance so to speak, a pleasure to the eyes...well done!

Aegean (2571) 2004-10-22 12:22

Very interesting composition here Maria...Colors are captured nicely despite the cloudy weather and textures are great...And seems the cat is a very cute detail in the whole image!

Jeppe (18654) 2004-10-22 12:24

Oh clever and funny title - together with a fine image - yes I know these "Cat patrols" from my own backyard - specially the neighbours cats ;-) A fine compostion with fine bright colours - many fine details to watch, and funny we both posted shots from may here in october :-) thanks Maria

Cool-ice (5289) 2004-10-22 12:25

Hello Maria ;-)
A nostalgic one, here, with this old and boat, and the sweet colors of the past.
And the cat is well seen in this sad ambiance.
Excellent !

Spoony (3539) 2004-10-22 13:24

That cat in the boat is an excellent detail!
Very well done Maria.

elihesamian (26149) 2004-10-22 13:34

Witha black cat,well done,Maria,I like this work,texture of boat body and colors are very interesting here,bachground is great and some green lines of grasses are excellent in this compostion,nicely managed,and you did great.

nwoehnl (122) 2004-10-22 14:39

Fun catch Maria with the four-legged boat inspector just returning from the job ;-) It's a worthy entry into your collection of boats - the diagonal positioning is a good and logical choice, and again the texture of the fading paint on the outside makes for an interesting (if slightly melancholic) element. The upside-down flag is a fun detail. Very nice.

Hanssie (11022) 2004-10-22 14:49

You don't have to look for the name, it must be a "Sunny"! A boat and....a cat !
The weather helped you very good to make a good colour and soft light on the boats.
Nice one with the old textures, used many times...

Rockyboy (20598) 2004-10-22 17:08

In May, it was when I was in Mexico...and a black cat, it's to be not lucky...;))
Anyway, a very nice composition with your favourite subject, Maria and even if the weather was gray, I find the light very good. Well done!

yesterday (9833) 2004-10-22 18:50 [Comment]

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efimoore (2126) 2004-10-22 20:05

Nice close up of this boat. The colors are sharp and saturated. The grass in the front, nice soft waves in the background and of course the cat add interest. Well seen and captured!

ChrisJ (171146) 2004-10-23 4:55

Good graphism & color. Framing & cropping are also excellent. I like the diagonal interaction of the 2 boats. Well done, Maria!

supereira (9576) 2004-10-23 5:06

Interesting composition.The colors are very good and the contrast between them to.Good textures and light.Great details.Good job!

jrj (34843) 2004-10-23 5:43

Some fine details in this shot of the old boat Maria. Of course the cat a very 'charming' detail, but also the flag (even upside down), placed with much pride even on this old 'ship'. The grass in the foreground makes a fine contrast to the maritime environment. Well done.

PixelTerror (0) 2004-10-23 13:39

Hi Maria, nice composition, the boat is well positioned, the flag on it sets the place, sharpness and level of detail are excellent and of course i do not forget the cat, the detail that distincts this one from yet another boat photo, notice he's not turned toards water ! I have to show that one to my dogs they'll love it !

Rinie_Hoff (9340) 2004-10-23 17:18

Hi Maria, It's always such a pleasure to get a boat picture from you, and now one with my favourite pet on it, as well. If I remember correctly, you already once had a picture with a cat and a boat.
Nicely composed, and the boat is a beauty, small and very handy, I guess. I like these ones better than the fancy ones. The cat is nice, and is contrasting nicely with the yellow of the boat.
I thougt indeed the flag was a nice element, never knew it was placed upside down.

cdewet (0) 2004-10-24 11:19

Aagh, a blcak cat!! Just good for luck. Goos to see you love the kitties too, Maria. Like the lead-in created here with the boat, and the cat going in the oposite direction.
And don'r worry, cheetahs are fine, It is the ones with the rosettes you have to watch!

aznegrao (10316) 2004-10-24 14:02

Gosto do close no barco, evidenciando as texturas e o pequeno animal, deixando a necessaria faixa de agua para se relacionar com o objeto. Otimo trabalho Maria.
aznegrao.

bertolucci (14052) 2004-10-24 14:03

I like this capture of this well worn boat very much Maria. It's so nice to look at the wooden construction & the peeling & treadbare paint. The black cat really makes this shot - it's a wonderful inclusion. Not withstanding the weatherbeaten appearance of the boat he seems to have given the thumbs up signal for further service. The rumpled, velvet-like texture of the water forms a fine backdrop to it all. Sharp & excellent work!

RGatward (20108) 2004-10-24 14:50

A charactersitic 'sunny' with that subject a framing, but this time with a nice bonus of the cat. Pretty lucky having your camera handy, jsut as it decided to walk over the boat, or maybe you always have your camera ready :-)

kaychambers (1198) 2004-10-24 21:24

Hi Maria.

Nice addition. Your subject nicely fills the frame, but I find the boat beyond to the left a small distraction. The cat compliments the picture nicely.

Regards,

Vic, Singapore.

kent_s (1911) 2004-10-25 14:17

A very old worn out boat that looks like the worlds 8'th wonder it can only happen thru your lens Maria. Beside that I guess the cat is the captain because he don't give a damn about how the flag is mounted :). Nice catch again

Kenny10pin (19301) 2004-10-25 19:08

nice picture captured here, I like the cat here and the boat, the waves of the water is also nice to see

ma-tibou (4568) 2004-10-26 4:36

Bonjour Maria, jolie composition, belle r嶧lisation, cette vieille barque reprend vie grace � toi.
amiti�/ Martine.

manny (22032) 2004-10-31 1:25

The colors here are very natural. You shoot this picture at a good time and good timing. The grasses at the bottom provides a good start to looking at your image from the bottom.

rabani (9645) 2004-11-04 19:07

In action or wildlife photography, if you see it, you don't get it. I like this composition. Not so much with the cat but the whole; its about security and stability. The boat is tied and secured to the beach. It is sitting on its holding frame, therefore stability. Fact obvious with the black cat, prowling for leftover fishes...

oochappan (4880) 2004-11-07 6:20

Strong composition by taking the boat in perspective and very clear truthfull colors with the nice touch of the cat ! Very pleasant Maria.
Henk

ephemere33 (9743) 2004-11-10 17:00

ce petit chat errant cherche encore surement un restant de la p璚he...il a encore faim...rire...bien vu pour la capture...les marques nostalgique montre bien l'athomsph鋨e ressenti pendant cette photo...merci pour ce partage ...amiti廥 BI

apazevedo (5469) 2004-11-19 14:45

Excellent title, note and composition, Maria! It is very well composed and framed, I like "your" cat, the detail of the flag and the green grass close to the boat, resulting on a very pleasant composition!

shal (944) 2006-09-19 5:03

Hi Maria,
beautiful composition,
I like the way you have presented the image,
Good detail and saturation
like a postcard :)
Cheers,
Vishal Sabharwal