[sir.b]

a black and white cat is hard to shoot (exposure wise)
any and all tips and C&C welcome

Attached Images

     

[Ash]

One thing that'll help getting exposure right and avoiding clipping either highlights or shadows is a more even/flat light source.
Here, you used natural light, which unfortunately was a little too harsh and blew out the highlights.
Otherwise, they're all good captures. I like #2 for its close-up perspective.

[JohnBee]

Since you're settings are quite conservative, I'd take the low road and shoot in the shadows with the intent of pulling-up what you need from the image to control things.

[sir.b]

...pulling-up what you need from the image to control things.

can you please elaborate a bit, i'm a noob-ish intermediate.

thank you for your time

[JohnBee]

can you please elaborate a bit, i'm a noob-ish intermediate.

thank you for your time

Okay no problem...

What I meant was intended for RAW files only, since JPG images are baked(containing only visible data) and limited in terms of post-processing or development. HOWEVER... if you shoot RAW(PEF or DNG in Pentax terms), then you can shoot to develop your own photo's with a great deal of flexibility.

So what did I mean by pulling up details?

Since I rarely(if ever) shoot flash(keeping things simple), I lean more on post processing(developing) my images than anything else. This way, when I shoot, I can assess the images(by preview) and determine what areas need adjusting and shoot accordingly.

ie. the cats have blown highlights... therefore, if my metering can't resolve this(due to the intensity of the light etc), then I will "underexpose" my image(on purpose) because I can "pull-up" those shadows in RAW development. So in short, we end-up with the best of both worlds, since this allows us to negotiate tough lighting conditions by post processing afterward with far greater control than what we had at the time of shooting(see: localized edits).

Depending on your direction in photography. this may all sound rather over the top or complicated... but I want to assure you that it is just as easy as the sound of your mouse button to do when you get familiar with the entire process.

PS. the same can be done with shadows as highlights, though shadow recover usually has far more flexibility than that of the highlight side of things.

Hope this helps