We're not talking multi point selection here Jimmy, we're still selecting and choosing one of the points available

Agree, using only the center focus point / re-compose method may result in mis-focused shots, especially when DOF is thin. However, it's still better than letting the camera decide in auto. We prefer, and pretty much always use the select method over the center/re-compose method..just seems to be more reliable for our needs. And our Nikon has many more to choose from than many of the typical Canon with only nine points. (we also shoot with an older Canon 20D which is the one I get stuck with...the wife gets the newer Nikon. But, don't get me wrong, the 20D still yields some very nice results, albeit long in the tooth)

Thank you Jerry...softboxes do great catch lights

Anna, Just like photographing people, you have to make the subject as comfortable and as calm as possible. Rough house play prior to the shot will rarely get you that opportunity. My wife and I are both photographers, and we know from past experiences that timing is very key in shooting young kids or pets. Things change very quickly, especially with kittens, but there are moments in between all the activity that allow for a shot...you just need to be ready to grab it when those opportunities happen. Also, when flash or strobes are your primary light source it becomes much easier to freeze that action when it occurs. Of course, timing and freezing action is only part of the process. Throughout all this, you still need to maintain sharp focus on the subject's eye(s)...that typically can be more challenging. Here is a link in my flickr to a past session with Bootsie, and her brother Sabu (these kitties are my daughter's pets)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/20127329@N06/sets/72157634475105930/

The only time I would consider breaking this rule is if the person his/herself is not the primary subject in the photo. An example may be when a piece of jewelry, like an engagement ring being worn is the subject..that can be perfectly sharp with the face of the wearer further back being less sharp. However, when the person (or animal) is the key subject in the photo, most people viewing the photo will find it a bit disturbing if the eyes were soft.

Well, you know what they say, "it takes all kinds." Actually, his shots were not at a professional level, regardless of what he said about his prior credentials. And cold lights and a 1/60 shutter will not freeze action which has to be a critical requirement in shooting "things" that move. I hesitate to be any more critical of his images found on another post..it's just not right for me to do so. The kitten shot I posted here was shot at 1/250, F/7.1, ISO 400 using a 35mm prime on a Nikon D300. This setting obviously pretty much killed all the ambient light making the strobe/flash combo ~100% of the light source for the exposure. Being that the ambient was fully underexposed at 1/250 @f/7.1 the flash providing ~100% of the light easily froze any of the kitten's movement. Works for us, and we would do the same if we happen to be shooting dog(s)

No Mike, just my way of saying that our leadership (debatable) will dance his / their way out of this like so many other unresolved issues, and the sheep, as always, will buy the line(s) of bull

I guess I'm a little confused by your statement that "...dim down my monitors to brighten up the pictures" Dimming down the monitor is not going to brighten your picture, but more the reverse. I think the goal in monitor calibration is to best try matching your video image to a print source, and not necessarily to some other video display. Yes, I work on a calibrated monitor, and I still use a CRT for more consistent results , and not an LCD, or LCD mounted laptop where viewing angle, color saturation, and contrast ratios can, and will create problems. My primary concern is "what I see is what will be reproduced by my print labs,"...and it is. I cannot guarantee that any of our (wife and I are both photographers) photographs will look correct when viewed on other people's screens, nor do I care. I think what you are seeing on your screen as being dark, or incorrect is more a matter of exposure issues, and white balance issues when shot. As I stated earlier, both these issues can be addressed and fixed in post processing with a few simple steps. I think if you work on those skills you will find your monitor issues to be less of a problem. Also, make sure you follow all the directions when you calibrate the monitor...usually they require certain adjustments to be made prior to the actual calibration process. And yes, my work monitor looks dark compared to a backlit, or edge lit LCD screen.

Thank you. This was a pretty simple light setup with an AB800 through a 2'x3' softbox camera left and a Nikon SB800 through a small 16" square softbox camera right. I also had a Canon 580EX shooting through a home made snoot illuminating the paper backdrop, but somewhere through the process it's batteries croaked so I'm not sure if it did much here.

Thanks Rocco, and Happy New Year and belated Christmas wishes to you!

Thank you Carolina Wings :)

...sharp focus on the eye(s) is always critical in portrait work. Don't let the camera make the selection, it's always best when you, the shooter, selects and places a focus point on the eye. Many here will already know this, but I hope it helps some of the new shooters

Part of your problem with this image is that it is about 1 stop underexposed. The white eyedropper tool in PS can fix this, and help with the colors. When the shot was taken, the camera's meter read all that reflective white light on the doors and tried to expose correctly for them. In doing so, the rest of the image is underexposed. Easily corrected in post, or overexpose the shot when taken will also help.

I guess after reading a few more of the post it looks like several of us are on the same page..my bad

Get on the "dancin' shoes" The low information sheeple will believe whatever is said, as always!

"...on Donner, on Blitzen, on Cleavage....opps, I mean on Comet" ;-)