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Post by lobb on May 29, 2021 11:41:50 GMT -5
I've been trying to enter catz shows but of course my entries are far from perfect. I could use some tips on how to improve, please!
Also, I've been able to figure out where I went wrong with some of my earlier ones, like this:
Pretty sure she's leaning forward too much! Though if there are other things, any tips would help.
I should note that her tail is like that, it doesn't go higher when she's posing.
Thank you so much!
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Post by Ratqueen on May 30, 2021 11:31:23 GMT -5
It's always hard to tell with a hexed breed, particularly with fuzzy hair and black fur, and a drop tail which becomes irrelevant when judging (same as if the cat was tailless). So in this case, the only things I would be able to look at are whether the front legs are aligned, and the eyes/pupils even.
The only reason it looks like she's leaning forward is because of her hexed legs and body shape, as catz don't really lean forward per se in the posing sequence. So this is something to disregard.
So, since her eyes are indeed even on both pictures, the only thing I have left to look at is the front legs alignment -- and, since this one is more difficult to assess because of the black color, the contrasted curly fur, AND the fuzziness, what I'm looking for is usually a darker shade of black on either side of the front legs. One may need to adjust the monitor or picture contrast to spot it with black fur. Another thing that may help (especially here since I have 2 pictures to compare) is the space between the back legs (which is always irrelevant when judging, as long as the cat's front legs are perfectly aligned), because it will be wider or narrower depending on the cat's angle to the camera / alignment (wider if the front of the cat is angled away from the camera, and narrower if the front is angled towards the camera).
So finally, as I'm comparing these 2 pics, I kinda see a darker shade of black all along the left side of the front legs on the bottom picture. The fact that the back legs have a wider space between them than on the top picture confirms to me that, yes, the cat's front is slightly angled away from the camera, and therefore not as well-aligned as on the first pic.
Verdict (in my opinion): top pic is the best of the two, and quite good actually.
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Post by lobb on May 30, 2021 15:12:51 GMT -5
Ratqueen thank you so much! That's incredibly helpful and I'm glad the first picture isn't so bad! Would you recommend focusing (for now, at least) on a cat where it might be easier to tell those things? Are there any breeds/features that make a cat good for beginners? Bell seems to be the most likely to pose (and to patiently do it repeatedly while I take pictures) but I could focus on another cat for a bit while I get the hang of it... I just don't know which one. xD
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Post by Ratqueen on May 30, 2021 15:33:50 GMT -5
You're welcome
I'd say a cat with a Tabby personality would be one of the easiest. They are usually very willing to pose and they don't have any inherent body parts that make them difficult to align (if they have the original back legs of a Tabby, they end up with a rather wide spread between them when posing -- this is normal).
The breedz to avoid as a beginner: Calico (personality and body parts), Siamese (personality and body parts), Orange Shorthair (personality), and Alleys (personality).
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Post by lobb on May 30, 2021 16:40:58 GMT -5
I see, thanks! I'm going to have to track down or breed some nice Tabbies since I don't have any but it'll be worth it. I had no idea Alleys were only hard to pose due to personality, I thought the body parts would be an issue! This gives me hope about one day entering more shows with my alley mixies.
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