Cats et cetera from Helmi Flick

Birmans Submitted to Cat Fancy

2012-01-25T11:03:00.009-06:00

Cat Fancy magazine is profiling the Birman in its April 2012 issue. Below are my Birman images that I sent in for consideration. What they select from these images, is, of course, up to them. But if you see your cat amount the images I submitted, I just want you to know that I thought it was a fine candidate for publication.

Cat Angels

2011-05-17T14:54:00.012-05:00

BACKSTORY
We first met Darrell Massengill and Diane Olson a few years ago when we were shooting at a cat show in Raleigh, North Carolina. They live in the area and had asked if they could sit in on a few photo sessions at the cat show and observe our techniques. They were also a cat photographer/cat wrangler team but, unlike Ken and I, who do this for a livelihood, their motivation is a far nobler calling: they do it to save lives. Diane and Darrell are part of a cat and kitten rescue group in Cary, North Carolina, called "Cat Angels." They photograph each rescue cat and kitten that comes in and post the images to the Cat Angels website to give each kitty a better chance for adoption.

http://www.catangelsnc.org/

Diane and Darrell understand that winsome portraits of their subjects are more likely to attract people to adopt them, so they were very interested in seeing our shooting, wrangling, and lighting methods as well as asking us questions about our equipment.

A year or two later, when they asked to sit in on some more shoots the next time we were in Raleigh, we were glad to see Darrell and Diane again. They are so friendly, gracious, and appreciative that we were happy to help. It was apparent that they were putting into practice what they were learning from us.

Diane Olson, Helmi and Darrell Massengill at Irregardless (Ken took the picture)

After the cat show, they took us to dinner at Irregardless, a great local restaurant, where we enjoyed spending time with them and swapping "war stories" about trying to coax decent portraits out of uncooperative kitties. Compared to their challenges, struggling to get appealing poses from freaked-out feral kittens/cats, we decided that we had it much easier with show cats who are generally easy to deal with.

Earlier this year, Diane sent us a calendar of her and Darrell's work, which Cat Angels published and sells to help subsidize the organizations operating expenses.

Accompanying each month's featured kitten is a little story about it.

This piece is quite obviously a labor of love -- as is everything that all those very special people in cat rescue do -- and we found it to be thoroughly charming.

Recently, Diane sent us the cover image for next year's calendar (below) that she and Darrell are currently working on.

Copyright Cat Angels Pet Adoptions

THE POINT OF THIS STORY
More recently, Diane wrote and asked if we could help her rescue group with a favor. That's what this story is all about. Their Cat Angels rescue group has lost the lease on their current facility, which the landlord now wants to occupy to expand his own business, so the rescue group has to move. And they want to double the size of their present space in order to double their adoption rate.

To help cover the additional expenses that this move will entail, Darrell and Diane have entered the Pepsi Refresh Grant Competition by producing this 59 second video:

www.refresheverything.com/catangels

WILL YOU HELP ME HELP THEM?

To win this competition and get the grant, Cat Angels needs to get the most votes for their video, and Diane told me today that they are in 2nd place, but the competition is fierce with positions changing daily among the top contenders. So I'm posting this to my Blog to encourage all of you readers to vote for their video. Ken and I are voting every day, but we need your help, too!

You can vote every day in May by three different ways:

Through Facebook

By getting a free Pepsi Refresh Account

By texting 106148 to 73774 (PEPSI)

If you are reading this on Facebook or on my Blog, it's quite likely that, like me, you are a cat lover. And for one reason or another you may not be able to be directly involved in cat rescue like Diane and Darrell and so many other dedicated people who do this are. But you can make a difference by helping these big-hearted volunteers save the lives of more homeless cats and kittens. The $50,000 grant prize they can win -- with your help -- could save a lot of kitties!

Please take a moment to click on the above link to the Cat Angels video and vote for it, then vote again each day for the rest of this month. And share the link with your friends on Facebook! Thank you!

I will let you know how this turns out, but YOU can influence the outcome.

Kelly's Art Glass -- et cetera!

2011-03-24T12:13:00.015-05:00

Kelly Crouch is a customer of mine from the first year I started cat photography. She bred Oriental Shorthairs and Maine Coons. Lately, she has branched out into glass and she has named her new company Glasstasy. Ken and I shot eleven pieces of her art glass she created. Below are my favorites:

This is my most favorite piece. It is almost a half round. Kelly has named it "Glacier." I want one.

This is a view of the inside of "Glacier" ... again, stunning.

Kelly used a very expensive material called dichroic glass on this piece. "Dichroic glass is glass containing multiple micro-layers of metal oxides which give the glass dichroic optical properties," reference from Wikipedia. We photographed this same piece on a white background and the dichroic properties did not appear, but on a black background, it is obvious!

Yellow and lime green six-sided candy bowl.

Here is a side view of the same bowl.

Pinwheel candy dish.

This is a very elaborate piece -- note that Kelly handpainted ivy leaves on the piece in gold. The edges are ruffled (not sure of the terminology here). I'd be happy to update this post with the correct terminology if anyone wants to enlighten me.

This is a rectangular bowl with a quilt like pattern. Graphically very simple and pleasing.

The brown piece, pictured above, is very large, about the size of a large tray. Reminds me of a quilt top I made some years ago. Kelly referred to it as the Brown Dart Board!

Green and white round candy dish.

This piece looked much better photographed on white (which will not come across well on my blog, since my background is black). It needs light to show it off as it is nicely translucent.

A candy dish, pink and purple. Photographed against black, you cannot see that the center of the dish is a deep purple as are the dark pinwheels. Another piece that showed up better against the white background.

If you are interested in any of these pieces, please email Kelly at glasstasy@austin.rr.com I am waiting for her to have an exhibition of her work! She should probably have a few more pieces before she has a show, but if she has one, we're going!

All pieces photographed using a Canon EOS 5D Mark II against a black background.

A Short Vacation to Florida

2010-11-04T19:07:00.008-05:00

I hate to miss a sunset. Since we were still on the road to the condo, I got the sunset in the side mirror while Ken was driving.

Then Ken pulled over to the side of the road to get the Choctawhatchee Bay. It is SO much better to take a photo when the car isn't moving, especially when it's dark outside!

Monday morning, this was the sunrise from the balcony of our condo.

And there was a crane or waterfowl of some sort, waiting for his/her breakfast to appear on the morning tide.

This is the view to the West after the sun was starting to rise.

Our good friends, Agi and Bill Vetter (who were in our wedding 12 years ago) washing the sand off their feet. You can see how white the sand is and it's extremely fine. Your feet squeak when you walk on it!

The walkway to the beach ... I love the look of this with the cobblestone walk to the wood of the stairs and the free standing shower. A serene and quiet place with the roar of the surf ever present. A great way to drift off to sleep in the arms of Morpheus, hearing the rhythm of the waves crashing on the beach.

It rained on Wednesday and half of Thursday, but the Pelicans still made their forays down the coast.

And our "goodbye" sunset was tonight with this unbelieveable display of color. So we drive back home to Dallas/Fort Worth and start madly packing for the trip to Japan on Tuesday. Recharged for another cat show!

A Little Love Letter to Ken

2010-10-15T10:29:00.014-05:00

Anniversary Tulips from Ken

I am very lucky to be married to a romantic man. He remembers our anniversary, birthdays and Valentine's Day much better than I do. We married late in life and I've only been married to him for twelve years but we've crammed a lifetime into those years!

Ken was the one who encouraged my photography. He got me a digital camera for HIS birthday! This was back in 1999. What a difference it made ... I could instantly see what I was doing wrong and could correct it, right there. Before then, I was using film and would be lucky to get one good image out of three rolls of film. Ken would ask me, "What was your f-stop? What was the exposure setting? Speed? Look at this image and tell me what is in focus?" I was clueless. But when digital came out, all the settings were there. And because of Ken, I became a Cat Photographer.

Now we are able to travel together, work together, play together, live a full life, with cats -- together. All because of cat photography. Sure, there are rough patches, but they don't last long. And it's usually me that gets bent out of shape or acts like a drama queen! But we end up laughing about it and remembering what, in the long run, is important.

Remembering Dancer by Ken Flick

2010-09-24T22:11:00.007-05:00

It will be a long time before Helmi and I forget a little Bengal kitten called "Dancer," who we had the pleasure of photographing last Sunday at the Wichita, Kansas, show. I could feel her trembling from the moment her owner placed her on our shooting stage, so I asked, pretty sure of the answer I'd get, "Is this Dancer's first show?" We were told that, yes, this was her first show and, more than that, this was only her second day away from the home where she was born six months ago. So this little kitten was in a strange place, surrounded by the sights and sounds of a hundred strange cats, in the care of her new owner who was essentially a stranger to her, and now being handled by a strange man -- me -- in a room full of bright flashing lights. No wonder Dancer was trembling. And I'm not sure she ever stopped trembling during the entire photo session.

But I'll tell you what: this scared little kitten was so courageous and so ready to please that she let me put her through all the paces and coax her into all the poses that I would expect of the most cooperative veteran show cat. And Dancer's performance was especially welcome to us, since we had had a number of tough subjects earlier that day.

Unlike cat show judges, whose criteria for evaluating cats are strictly those of a beauty contest without the talent or personality component, Helmi and I judge the cats we shoot based upon their willingness and ability to perform for the camera. Our feline subjects earn our admiration if they are cooperative, poised, playful, good natured and photogenic.

Our job is to produce the best possible portraits of the cats our customers bring us, yet we cannot deliver on this if the cat is shy, ill at ease, cowering, camera-phobic, frozen stiff or freaked out and bent on escape. Most Oriental breeds tend to be this way and despite our best efforts and all the patience we can muster, we are seldom satisfied with what we are able to get from these cats -- and always surprised when their owners are. At the other extreme are Maine Coons, who are such easy going, eager to please, rewarding to shoot subjects that Helmi and I decided early on to get two of our own.

So, yes, we judge the cats we shoot at every show, too. And often, in the evening after the show is over or on the drive home the next morning, we will talk about the cats we shot and tell each other which ones were our favorites. And on the drive home from Wichita on Monday, it became clear that Dancer, the little Bengal kitten with the big heart, had stolen both of our hearts. Despite her understandable insecurity at being wrenched away from the only home she had ever known, she stepped up to the plate and performed at a level that a number of our Wichita cats never attempted. We don't give out rosettes, but Dancer was a big winner in our eyes. She gave the kind of photogenic performance that enabled us to win -- she made our job look easy to our customer and enabled us to deliver images the customer would like.

It is always heartbreaking news to hear that a cat we have known has died, especially when it is a kitten who has left so soon before its time. And it was even more tragic to learn this about a kitten who had so recently won our respect and affection and was still very much on our minds. But this is what happened on Thursday (yesterday) when we learned that little Dancer, who had not eaten for days and had spent the previous couple of days in the care of a vet, was diagnosed with terminal feline leukemia and put to rest. It's enough to make a grown man cry. And that's not just a figure of speech.

It will be a long time before Helmi and I forget Dancer, the brave little Bengal kitten with the big heart. The world has lost a real winner.

Bus Ads

2010-08-21T09:42:00.011-05:00

2010 TICA Annual Cat Show Bus Ad: Persian

2010 TICA Annual Cat Show Bus Ad: Ragdoll

2010 TICA Annual Cat Show Bus Ad: Siberian

2010 TICA Annual Cat Show Bus Ad: Maine Coon

2010 TICA Annual Cat Show Bus Ad: Bengal

2010 CFA Santa Monica Cat Show Bus Ad: Ocicat

2009 CFA Santa Monica Cat Show Bus Ad: Oriental Shorthair.

This is probably my favorite bus ad because it is very eyecatching. Art Graafmans did a wonderful job of making the best use of the cat image while giving pertinent information.

If you're in California, you'll be able to see Bus Ads promoting the CFA Santa Monica Cat Show in Los Angeles, and ads promoting the TICA Annual in Santa Clara. Ken created all the ads for the TICA Annual in Santa Clara and we supplied the cat images for the CFA Santa Monica Cat Show.

Going to Japan!

2010-08-14T21:29:00.003-05:00

Design and graphic art by Jun Hagiwara

I am so fortunate. Not only are we going to Japan to do the CFA Ruban d'or Chat Fanciers Show in November, 2010, but Jun Hagiwara created this beautiful ad for me. It shows the ten backgrounds we'll be flying with and our names for them.

This will be the first CFA show we've done outside of the United States! Thank you, Jun, for a stunning ad.

Fossil Ridge Wildlife Center - The Beginning of an 18-Hour Vacation

2010-06-04T16:54:00.018-05:00

Click on image to enlarge. That's how you can see the giraffes!

I wanted to start this story with an image from the next afternoon. There are giraffes, zebras, deer, antelope, all in this image. The school bus that has a camoflauge paint job is one that takes people on the Fossil Rim Wildlife Center's Scenic Wildlife Drive.

Fossil Rim has 1700 acres containing 1100 animals who roam freely in areas that approximate near natural conditions. (These words are almost verbatim from the Animal Identification Guide we were given before the drive.) The animals are managed this way so that they can behave, socialize, and reproduce, much as they would if in the wild. Some are endangered, on the brink of extinction, or part of dwindling populations.

Ken and I had such a magical time here. An 18-hour vacation! But it was so packed full of new sights, sounds, smells, etc that it felt like a longer time. It was rejuvenating. Here are some of the shots I took with my small camera.

Waterbuck.

Their range is the Savannah regions of Africa south of the Sahara. Only the males have horns and an oily, musky secretion makes the Waterbuck unpalatable to predators. Their bulls-eye marking on the rump may help the young follow through high grasses.

Fossil Rim Wildlife Center has a main Lodge as well as their Foothills Safari Camp. Shown here is the Observation and Deck of the Pavillion in the Safari Camp. This is where we were to have breakfast the next morning.

The Addax.
Range: Mauritania to Egypt, western Sahara and Sudan. Critically endangered. The most desert adapted of all antelopes, an addax can live most of its life without drinking, deriving sufficient moisture from the plants it eats. Their coloring is stark white to tan with a distinctive brown "toupee." (I called that fringe of dark hair "bangs" when describing them to Ken.) Our tent was called "Addax."

Greater Sandhill Crane.
Range: Northeastern Siberia, Alaska, Canada and northern United States. Population: Stable. Most easily recognized by their call, greater sandhill cranes can be heard up to half a mile away. These cranes have the longest migratory route of any crane -- about 14,000 miles round trip. This image is a crop, but you can see a youngster if you look closely; lighter in color and to the left of the two large gray Cranes.

The Sable Antelope.
Range: Southeastern Kenya to Angola and eastern South Africa. Status: Least concern. The herd rests in an outward-facing circle to watch for danger, while young lie protected in the center. Females are reddish brown, males are black, both sexes have white undercoats. I thought this female struck a pose that looked majestic. She was grazing in a pasture between the Lodge and the Foothills Safari Camp.

European Red Deer.
Status: Least concern. Red deer closely resemble the American Elk. Males emit a powerful bubling call during mating season in the Fall. Red deer shed their antlers each year in February and regrow them quickly. One of these deer came up to the car for a handout but I didn't have any food yet.

Wildflowers in the meadows. These were in the meadow right outside our tent. The morning light is doing a nice "fringing" light on the thistle bud.

Thistle bud.

Wildflowers with the watering hole in the background.

This is our "tent!" No locks on the doors but who needs them!

Addax Tent. With Ken relaxing in front. Now you can see why they call the cabin a "tent."

View out the front door of Addax Tent.

Glassed-in shower in the bathroom.

Our breakfast! This was included in the price of our room and

below is the view we saw while eating breakfast.

Beyond the pond in the foreground is the watering hole where we saw the Greater Sandhill Crane family the night before.

This was a magical place, serene, lovely, spiritual. I would think if American Indians saw this place, hundreds of years ago, they would call it sacred. I felt a peace descend over me. I hope all of you reading this can make this journey less than 80 miles from Dallas/Fort Worth. I felt like I was on Safari, in Africa! But with air conditioning! Check them out.

http://www.fossilrim.org/
If you like animals, this is a place to experience.

The next post will be the drive through the park, called Fossil Rim Wildlife Center's Scenic Wildlife Drive.

The Cat and the Rat

2010-05-17T17:32:00.005-05:00

This is Lewis, the Cat, and his pal, Squelch, a Rat. I believe, if I have my story correct, that Squelch is a Rescue! He is hairless with hair only on his tail. Lewis is a Maine Coon.

Lewis has his own page on facebook! Fleur came to me for a photo shoot in my studio for Lewis, then mentioned that Squelch might be fun to have along, too. Fleur also brought her two Trailer Rescues, two four year old cats rescued from under a trailer when kittens. These cats, Michael and Jeremy, weren't so thrilled about the photo shoot, but Lewis was a "Player!" He couldn't take a bad photograph!

Fleur said that Squelch was the instigator of a lot of mischief making in the house. I can just see that in my mind's eye!

You can see that they are buddies.

I thought this was one of the sweetest ones. It's almost as if Squelch is whispering to Lewis what devilment he is planning for the cats to get into next! It's a happy household and it was a pleasure to meet Fleur and her family.

But about teasing a rat into poses: forget about it! This guy was not interested in sound or visual teases. You can imagine Ken whipping his pheasant feather around, getting the cat's attention, with Squelch paying him no mind whatsoever. It was a hoot!

Background: Sage.

The Bagral

2010-04-24T07:39:00.010-05:00

"Cleo," an F1 Bagral (Fishing Cat x domestic shorthair), owned by Pat Harbert of OhMy Cattery.

Yesterday, we had the singular opportunity to photograph what is to our knowledge, the only known Bagral in captivity. The Bagral is a exotic/domestic hybrid breed which is a cross between the Fishing Cat and a domestic shorthair, in this case a melanistic Bengal.

For a stay-at-home cat that is not used to being around strangers or new places, Cleo was surprisingly manageable during the photo session -- especially a cat with one wild parent! We were struck by how affectionate Cleo was with her owner, Pat Harbert, constantly headbutting her - purring and visibly happy to be in her company. In fact, Cleo was so happy, that she was also affectionate to Ken and me, wrapping her body and tail around my legs and rearing up to meet my hand when I reached to pet her.

This was a large cat, far heavier than most cats and all muscle. Cleo's friendliness aside, this was not an easy shoot, primarily because Cleo was a busy cat by nature, eager to explore the new surroundings she found herself in. And eager to be all over our shooting stage, especially behind the deck when we needed her to be ON the deck so we could photograph her! She'd jump down off the shooting stage and start exploring (we were in an enclosed room), then run back to Pat for affection, purring loudly. What a treat this was to photograph and be around this happy feline!

Of the six known exotic/domestic hybrid breeds, which are in order of prevalence: the Bengal, Savannah, Chausie, Safari, Caracat, and Bagral; the Bagral is by far, the rarest. So we were priviledged to have the opportunity to photograph Cleo.

Cleo was photographed against our Background: Old Wine.

(If I had another opportunity to photograph Cleo, I'd choose Peat Moss or Black. We had to pump so much light in since Cleo is a dark cat that the background came out pinker than I would have liked. Next time... !)

NOTE: From research done after this post was uploaded, it seems that Cleo would actually be called a Viverral which is a cross between the Fishing Cat and a Bengal. But whatever she is called, she is a stunner!

My Cat Images on Popular Photography's Website

2010-04-20T22:24:00.028-05:00

Above: Toyger on Claret Background

Above: Oriental Shorthair on Magenta Background

Above: Maine Coon on Imperial Blue Background

Above: Japanese Bobtail on Paprika Background

Above: Family of Maine Coons on Imperial Blue Background

Above: F1 and F2 Bengal Kittens on Peat Moss Background

Above: Persian on Purple Background

Above: Abyssinian on Sage Background

Above: Selkirk Rex Longhair on Purple Background

Above: Chausie on Black Background with Marbles

Above: Bengal on Peat Moss Background with Driftwood

Above: Maine Coon from Japan on Burgundy Background

Above: Birman on Periwinkle Background

Above: Maine Coon on Peat Moss Background

Above: Persian on Green Felt Background

Above: Savannah on Serval on Rusty Brown Background

Above: Birman on Milk Chocolate Background

Above: Himalayan Kitten on Teal Background in Crystal Bowl

Above: Ragdoll Close Up on Caribe Blue Background

Above: Tonkinese on Imperial Blue Background

Above are the 20 images I sent to Popular Photography to support the Interview on "Cat Photographer." www.popphoto.com/cats

Gallery Prints

2010-04-15T21:29:00.004-05:00

This is an example of the "Gallery Prints" we do.

Above is Darius, brought to us for photographs by Judith Johnson of Mystic Melody Siberians. I am very pleased with the way it turned out.

Darius was photographed against our Peat Moss background.

Tax Time: It's the Chits

2010-04-06T10:10:00.009-05:00

Ken: "Anyone who comes into this room has to help sort receipts, otherwise known as chits."

Zak on the floor: "I think I hear someone calling my name ... "

It's tax time in our house. The dining room (pictured above), the living room, Ken's desk in the studio, the photography table, essentially all horizontal surfaces are covered with chits. I am going to help file them with Ken today. The kitties have offered to help but Ken eschewed their offer, saying they can't read, but he appreciated their good hearts. In the past, they lay on receipts on the floor and when the mood strikes, they chew on the edges of some of them. Not good, not good.

Guess it shows their contempt for the whole income tax process. I'm with them.

Interview: Cat Photographer | Photography - PopPhoto.com Offers Camera Reviews and Exclusive Photo Tips

2010-03-25T07:11:00.006-05:00

Interview: Cat Photographer Photography - PopPhoto.com Offers Camera Reviews and Exclusive Photo Tips

Posted using ShareThis

Click on the link above "Interview: Cat Photographer Photography - ... " and you'll see the article as presented in the April 2010 issue of Popular Photography, (minus the picture of me, Ken and Coonificients Sgt. Munch by Thomas Singer) with TWENTY other pictures of cats!!!

The REAL Story -- Popular Photography, April 2010

2010-03-19T11:43:00.009-05:00

Below is the rewrite that Ken did for the article in Popular Photography, April 2010 issue, that was originally entitled: "It's Like Herding Cats." It was changed by the magazine to

"Making Cats Fancy, A portrait shooter to the feline stars"

Photo by Thomas Singer

(who was standing on a stepladder to be able to get all three of us in one shot,

hence the Maine Coon looking so large and Ken being out of focus).

[Photo Caption:] Helmi Flick (www.helmiflick.com ) and her cat wrangler husband, Ken, based in Bedford, TX, travel the world taking portraits of cats. They pose here with SGC Coonificents Sgt. Munch, a red Maine Coon, at the Jersey State Cat Show. See a gallery of Helmi's work at PopPhoto.com/cats.

CAT PORTRAITIST SEEMS LIKE AN UNUSUAL CAREER.

I only know of six or so others who do it full time. Most work alone, yet I cannot get the images I do without my husband, Ken, to wrangle the cats.

HOW DID YOU TURN PRO?

I've always loved cats and loved photographing our own. However, I had more enthusiasm than expertise, wasting way too much film, until Ken gave me a digital camera in 1999. That changed everything. I could instantly see what I was doing wrong and correct it. As my work improved, I got some studio flashes, and Ken built me a shooting stage for formal cat portraiture. I was 55 in 2000 when, on the strength of my amateur portfolio, I was invited to be the Show Photographer at an Oklahoma City cat show. Back then, when all my cat photographer heroes were still shooting film, I was shooting with a 2MP Olympus C-2020. In 2004, when Cat Fancy magazine published their first cover from a digital camera, I was thrilled it was from my 5MP Olympus C-5050.

WHO ARE YOUR CUSTOMERS?

Our business has two revenue streams. First are the cat breeders who need portraits of their cats to promote their catteries and also the pet owners who just want good pictures of their cats. Our secondary market involves licensing our cat images to publishers of books, magazines and websites, and also for advertising and packaging.

WHAT IS A SHOW DAY LIKE?

We spend about four hours setting up our staging and lighting gear the day before the show. On show days, we are typically booked with all the cats we can shoot. We always have the cat owners present during the photo session. I usually shoot for 10-15 minutes, then take another 10 minutes to download the shots to my computer and review them with our customers to ensure they are pleased. Finally, I burn the high res JPEG proof files to a CD for the customer. That's now my basic product, although I still offer retouching and prints as an extra.

WHAT GEAR DO YOU USE?

I'm shooting with a Canon 5D Mk II and a 24-105mm f/4 L lens. Our main flashes are Alien Bees: a B800 and two B400s. We light our backgrounds with a small Quantaray MS-1 slave flash. I make my own backgrounds with materials from fabric stores and prefer solid colors and stretchable fabrics for a clean, wrinkle-free look.

ARE CATS EASY SUBJECTS?

No. That would be flower arrangements. While dogs are innately eager to please, most cats enter the portrait session oblivious to your objectives, so the challenge is to make it fun for them and make cooperation seem like their idea. Ken uses a variety of "teasers," such as a pheasant feather on a long rod, to direct the cat's attention to my lens or to coax it into various poses and actions. He creates the "moments" we are looking for and I capture them. Generally, the large, longhaired breeds such as Maine Coons, are more cooperative posers than others. Active breeds, such as Bengals, love to play and give us great action shots. A few breeds, like the Siamese, are notoriously camera shy or defiantly aloof and really make us earn our money.

Shooting cats -- like "herding" them -- is exhausting work, especially at an age when most people are retired, but I love it. I'm working at the top of my game, seeing the world, and having the time of my life.

- Interview by Kathleen Davis/ Rewrite by Ken Flick

I'll post later the images I sent the magazine for their online mag. If you have any comments, I would love to hear them!

Packing for Providence RI

2010-03-03T11:01:00.006-06:00

Ken called me to come into the living room, saying "you gotta see something" ... And whenever he does that, I know it's a kitty in a pose that will just melt your heart. This time it was Zak, our Blue and White Maine Coon, who had found a comfortable place inside one of our new "flying" cases on top of our Imperial Blue (just washed for the show). I saw, returned to the studio to get my camera, and then called his name when I got back to the living room. This little sad peek was all he gave me. He hates it when we go out of town, so I take the time to give him extra attention before we leave.

Click on the photo to see the image larger and really get a good look

at the chaos in our house when we have to fly with our gear!

Above is a long shot of the living room, with two of our three new flying cases in view. Zak is in the large one which holds our deck of the photo table plus our lights which fit into foam holes Ken has cut to cushion them. The case in the bottom foreground will hold our camera gear which we'll take as "carry on" luggage. The remaining case (not seen) is actually a gun case but holds our light stands and poles. Plus probably the drill driver which is heavy.

Apparently, we'll have to take our batteries on board with us. Wish we could take Zak . . .

Popular Photography and My Valentine

2010-02-14T06:25:00.007-06:00

Bushwah and Helmi, Photo by Ken Flick

I am pleased to announce that a short article about us will be in the April 2010 issue of Popular Photography! A phone interview happened before we left for the Jersey State cat show in January and a photographer, Thomas Singer and his wife Pamela, came to that show to grab a portrait for the article.

I waited to post this information until I knew it was going to happen. We got the galleys yesterday and will correct and send them back on Monday (tomorrow). The title of the article is "It's Like Herding Cats" and will appear on the stands in mid March.

Wow! What a compliment. To be recognized for my photography! This is where I have to thank my Valentine, love of my life, my husband -- Ken -- who does my lighting, is my cat wrangler, techie, roadie, makes my coffee in the morning and treats me like a queen. I owe him for all my success. He is the unsung hero of the two of us. None of the shots I get of cats are possible without him. I am only the one who presses the shutter. He is the maestro, but I get all the credit. How cool is that!

So this is my little Valentine to him. Honey, thank you for the gift of my career and finding a job we could do together. I adore you. :)

Black Humor We Love

2010-01-24T17:20:00.006-06:00

There is a website that has a twist on Motivational Posters. Ken found it a couple of years ago. Now that I have a Blog, I wanted to share it with all of you! Beautiful images with tongue-in-cheek messages. Check it out for yourself. Click on "Posters" at the top!

It's Always Something ...

2010-01-24T12:46:00.004-06:00

I have a confession to make. It takes us forever to get out of the house to shoot a distant cat show. There is always something unexpected that throws a wrench into our exquisitely planned-to-the-minute (and unrealistically optomistic) schedule of things to do before we can leave home. And since we essentially BUILD our shooting table and studio at the cat show, there is a lot to do.

Once, it was our Black British Shorthair, Nox, whom we could not find (counting kitty noses, you know) before we set the alarm and closed the front door. We looked all over the house. With a flashlight -- he was nowhere. Finally, I resorted to opening all the doors in the house ... cabinet doors, linen closet doors, you name it. We found him .. asleep in one of the kitchen cabinets which had a spring hinge that closed the cabinet door after him. Nox was a happy camper but we were over an hour behind schedule.

Another incident was my notebook computer. Two days we worked on it, right before leaving to drive cross country to a show, to get it to burn a CD, but it refused. Finally, we bought another after putting the recalcitrant offender into the shop for repair.

Today was another example of events conspiring to set us behind. One event was a new Lenovo notebook computer we got as a show computer to be able to handle the load of images from the new Canon EOS 5D Mark II at the show. Ken spent two days downloading applications, checking to see they worked, and trying out all peripherals. Then he couldn't burn a CD. Spent more time talking to Tech Support. Nada. End result: Shipped back to Lenovo for repair. The first Tech Support person told us to get a CD from Fry's and reload the operating system. Ha!

The second event has nothing to do with electronics. Winter is the time of year that squirrels in our part of the country are looking to find a nice warm place to sleep or have babies. Our attic must be a 5-star hotel in that respect, as we've had squirrels in our attic before. If they didn't chew the electrical wiring, conduct Santa Anita races above our heads, and urinate in the insulation, I wouldn't mind sharing the space. But they do. And they have. Our cats are the "tell" -- when they start looking up at the ceiling, I know we have a problem.

We have 2 "Have a Heart" traps which are set in our attic. This morning, all feline heads were pointed toward the ceiling in our bedroom. Ken and I looked at each other, knowing what that meant. Two hours out of our schedule, down the drain -- not even creating something new like a display of our photos for cat shows -- but rescuing a frightened squirrel who only wanted a warm place to sleep ... ur, and race around and possibly raise a family. Sigh. So we began.

Move the photo table in the studio which obstructs the stairs to the attic. Get gloves to handle the cage. Clear out the car for the re-homing squirrel trip and line it with newspaper just in case Mr. Squirrel was kind enough not to empty his bladder in our insulation. Move the cats to the front of the house just in case they decided to try to climb a ladder to the attic in their old age. (The Maine Coons are very adventurous.) Did I mention that going into the attic makes Ken's skin crawl? It freaks him out. He's so tall that the roofing nails scrape his head and with no floor, he has to pick his way carefully. Not a pleasant experience even without a squirrel trapped. But we didn't have a choice. You can't leave a squirrel trapped in a cage. So Ken bit the bullet. The squirrel was pretty quiet during the physical transportation process from the attic to the studio but once he and Ken were out the front door, he smelled "freedom." This made him kind of crazy until he was put in the car. A new experience, scary but not painful. We drove him to a large park with lots of squirrels, trees, and a large duck pond about three miles from home.

I should have brought my camera for the "release" but I was too worried about Mr. Squirrel and his feelings to even think about it. Once Ken opened the trap, the squirrel ran straight for a stand of trees about half a football field away.

Happy Squirrel. Happy Flicks. Now, late Flicks.

Cats on Glass

2010-01-16T10:51:00.013-06:00

This piece of art glass by Joan Baker Designs was my Christmas present from Ken. It measures 10.5 inches by 37.5 inches and is framed in metal with a chain for hanging. It's called "Whimsical Cats" !

Ken got it for me from Darlene's store, Cats Unlimited, here in Bedford, Texas. You might have seen Darlene at cat shows around the country, selling quality cat paraphenalia. When a cat show is over, both we and Darlene have much to do to get packed up and loaded into our vehicles. This is a process that takes us all several hours so it's either Darlene out last or Ken and me. Ken and I kinda judge our progress by Darlene's progress. :)

If you want to see some of these items in person at Cats Unlimited in Bedford, I have contact information in another post: http://helmiflick.blogspot.com/2009/08/joan-baker-designs-at-cats-unlimited.html

Neither Ken nor I decorate our house with cat things so this piece is the exception to the rule. We prefer the cats themselves to be what catches our eye ... but this piece of art is like a stained glass window with four colorful heavy-lidded cats in various poses. As I sit at my email computer in my studio (I have my image computer in another room entirely), I can look out onto our "patio" area below this piece of glass and see the squirrels and cardinals, woodpeckers, doves and little chickadees eating black oil sunflower seeds and wild bird seed. So it's perfect: adds color to the room but doesn't obscure my peeking out at the wildlife.

Here is a long shot of what the piece looks like in the studio. You can see the chain at the top. You can also see Quin, our Black Smoke Maine Coon, napping on the sheepskin covering a footstool below the stained glass and a tiny bit of Zak, our Blue and White Maine Coon is napping on my desk in the foreground at right. Sky, our Blue British Shorthair is part of my desktop screen saver so the only one not present is Nox, our Black British Shorthair, who prefers sleeping in the living room or atop my dressing area.

The pyramid shaped orange thing in the middle of the photo is the top part of a salt lamp that Sassia and Rick Hollenberg gave us when we stayed with them after doing a CFA Show in Phoenix some years ago. It looks like a "whatzit" (read: what is that?) floating on top of my monitor but it actually is sitting on top of my PC tower computer located behind my monitor, constantly emitting an aura of ... what exactly was that supposed to do, Sassia? Good luck? Productivity enhancements? Anyway, whatever it does, I like it and feel good about it!

I am pleased with the placement of the stained glass. I can see it every day, it's not intrusive but makes me smile when I see the light shining through, and we don't use these doors anyway.

A wonderful gift of humorous graphic cats that brightens my day.

Coat Colors, Backgrounds and an Oriental Shorthair

2010-01-09T08:11:00.007-06:00

Oyate Charleston Harbor "Charlie," 7 month old Cinnamon Oriental Shorthair Male,

photographed on our New Green Felt background.

Breeder: Cindy Crenshaw/R Fulkerson; Owner: Paula Mortimore.

Oyate Charleston Harbor "Charlie," 7 mo old Cinnamon Oriental Shorthair Male,

photographed on our Magenta background.

Breeder: Cindy Crenshaw/R Fulkerson; Owner: Paula Mortimore.

We photographed Charlie at TICA's 2009 Southeast Regional Awards Banquet and Cat Show, held in Raleigh, North Carolina. I believe that Charlie is the first Solid Cinnamon shorthair I've ever photographed. There is such a richness to his coat color that I had to post his photo. His owner, Paula, gave me carte blanche with background colors so I first chose Magenta. I thought it would bring out the green of his eyes and be a dynamite swirl of colors with hot pink, dark orange of his coat and the eye color. I told Paula it would be a bit outre' but sweetheart that she is, she agreed.

Charlie, on the other hand, was spooked on Saturday and didn't want to sit up or stand for the sitting. Paula was disappointed, and I was, too. On Sunday, Paula came over before the show started and told me Charlie was so much better, playing in the hotel room and at ease in the showhall, could we shoot him again? We did, but using a new green background we were bringing out for the first time at this show. The green is a more traditional background for this coat color.

So here you can see, above, the difference in the look of the cat on two different backgrounds. At the top is our New Green Felt and below that is our Magenta. But whatever background a cat is shot against, the important thing is that the cat is comfortable, trusting and having a good time -- that's what makes a good photo shoot. These are two of the 22 images I submitted yesterday for consideration to Cat Fancy for the Oriental Shorthair. This breed profile will be published in May of 2010. Hopefully, I will get an image or two published.

Backgrounds for Charlie: at top - New Green Felt; below - Magenta

A Texas White Christmas!!!

2009-12-24T18:19:00.006-06:00

I know that snow is pretty normal in other parts of the country but to us, in Texas, it's a once-a-year thing, if we're lucky. And usually, not this much snow! I used a flash to catch the snowflakes and then layered the image to decrease the overexposure in the foreground. It's a magical thing and I've never experienced a White Christmas in Texas since coming here in 1992!

Merry Christmas, Everyone!

P.S. I heard on the weather channel here that the last time it snowed for Christmas in Dallas was 1926!

Surprise Visit

2009-12-24T18:08:00.003-06:00

We were briefly visited by a young Hawk this Christmas Eve afternoon! By the time I came back with my big camera, he was gone.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

2009-12-24T06:02:00.006-06:00

The Flick Cats, left to right:

CH Earendil Nox "Nox," Solid Black British Shorthair Neuter;

Coonalley Eggzaklee Mr Happy Tail "Zak," Blue and White Maine Coon Neuter;

Coonalley Quintus Magnus Gravitas "Quin," Black Smoke Maine Coon Neuter; and

RW SGCA & GP Earendil Sky "Sky," Solid Blue British Shorthair Spay.

This image was created in 2004 for our New Year's Card (we didn't make it in time for Christmas that year). The Brits were 7 years old and the Coons were 3 years old. Not telling you all how old Ken and I were!

Whatever your family celebrates this holiday season, we wish for all of you a healthy 2010, that your dreams are in the process of coming true, and that you are surrounded by those you love.

Ken and Helmi
Nox, Sky, Zak & Quin

Background for this shot: Paprika

WANTED: Rare Breeds

2009-12-19T11:12:00.005-06:00

Click on the poster to see an enlarged version! Ken made up this poster for me as we recently have been asked by publishers to supply ALL the breeds ... and I'm missing some or only have two examples of the breed in other cases. However, I did get two more Napoleons at the Corpus Christi TIFS show a week ago (thanks, Lonnie and Dawn Lott!).

If you have one of these breeds I'm missing, please check my show calendar (click on "Calendar" at the right) to see if we'll be at a show near you. Then email me and I'll get approval from the Show Manager and send you a sign up form.

High Key Christmas Card Attempt

2009-12-07T08:31:00.011-06:00

This is a high key image of a white Persian on a white background, used for the cover of KOT magazine, a cat magazine in Poland, for their April issue in 2008.

I first heard about "high key" from other photographers ... loosely meaning that the image's midtones are high on the exposure scale, or bright and white. To me, high key images look very elegant. Therefore, I wanted to make a Christmas Card in 2002 that used whites, pale blues, silvers and lilacs to showcase our cats. Unfortunately, I didn't realize that having two essentially black cats would not be in keeping with "high key" ... live and learn. So the above was the result.

After Ken and I shot this (it took days to create the set and then shoot, with a tripod, the cats, two by two), I decided to stick to the more saturated and low key looks that we're known for.

Background: we used white background paper for this shot.

Lighter Than Air

2009-11-29T07:09:00.003-06:00

Leospride Easy Street of Wild Beach "Easy,"

a 4 month old Brown Spotted Tabby bred by Robin Chamberlain and owned by Melissa Bruise of Wild Beach Bengals.

Once in a run of photo shoots, you have that lucky shot when you review your images and you see the unusual. In the photo above, "Easy" gave me that shot. Only one of his paws is touching the ground and it's his left front paw on the box. The other nice thing about this image is that with a Bengal, photography showing off the coat is mandatory, so the more stretch you can get out of the cat, the better -- as stretching will show off the shape of the rosettes (in this case) and the pattern, acreage, contrast of the coat, as well as the musculature of the cat and the dynamics of action.

"Easy" was photographed at the 2009 TICA Annual in Orlando, Florida, USA.

Thanks, "Easy!"

Background for Easy: Peat Moss.

Congratulations to Bengals Illustrated

2009-11-28T07:49:00.006-06:00

Congratulations to Brigitte McMinn, Editor of Bengals Illustrated, for winning two awards from the Cat Writers Association (CWA) recently! I am thoroughly impressed with Brigitte's work as the graphic design and reproduction quality of her magazine won out over many mainstream magazines from the CWA. You can read more about this at http://www.catwriters.org/

And thanks to Jan Harrell for bringing me Induna, above, to photograph for her 2008 Christmas Card at the Waxahachie Show last November. Jan brought the "wild" Christmas ornaments and I placed the ribbon on Induna, who was such a good boy and held the pose while I walked back from the shooting table to my area with my camera and took the shot.

Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas and Seasons Greetings to all our friends and Gentle Readers out there!

Background used for Induna in this shot: Claret.

Cats Know When You're Sick

2009-11-20T07:58:00.003-06:00

My sweet husband and sweet Brit, Nox, sleeping through Ken's fever yesterday afternoon.

Cats know when you don't feel well. The proof is right here. Nox is not sleepy yet is making sure he is comforting Ken who is in his third day of an upper respiratory infection. The fever broke this same afternoon and, although weak as a puppy, Ken was much better last night. This morning, no fever, but I'll keep an eye on him! I'm relentless in making sure my Cat Wrangler gets well!

Thanks to all of you for your good wishes for Ken's speedy recovery. Our cats are making sure that happens!

The Trifecta, and Gratitude

2009-11-19T12:12:00.009-06:00

When Ken and I were driving back from Florida, we spent the night at my sister's house in New Orleans. The next morning, we stopped for cafe au lait and beignets at Morning Call. It's a ritual with us since we both had lived in New Orleans at different times in our lives.

Next to the Morning Call, in Metairie, is a little newsstand. It's been there years and years. I mentioned to Ken that I'd like to see if they had the latest issue of Cat Fancy magazine as well as the latest issue of Cats USA. I needed an extra issue of Cats USA for my archived magazine covers. This is what I saw when we went into the bowels of the store:

A few years ago, one of my goals was to have the cover of an Annual. An annual is either Cats USA or Kittens USA. The annuals stay on the stands a year so the exposure is twelve times that of Cat Fancy magazine. It took me until 2008 to get the cover of an Annual: Cats USA 2008. So when I saw these three magazines together, I had to take the shot. I asked the proprietor of the newsstand for permission, which he gave. Then I photographed it, bought the 2010 issue of Cats USA, gave my business card to the proprietor, and left smiling. Ken called this "the Trifecta" ... three in one.

I have to admit I'm still like a little kid when I get a cover. It is still hard to believe that less than ten years ago, I was just starting out, photographing cats for a living.

As Thanksgiving is just next week, I feel a need to express my appreciation and gratitude. I am grateful for the friends I've made in the cat fancy, in photography and the relationships of people in publishing who have all turned out so enjoyable. My life is enriched -- and it began, and continues, with cats.

Sunrise, Sunset

2009-11-10T15:34:00.012-06:00

Sunrise, Tuesday, 3 November 2009, looking straight out from the beach.

Sunset, Tuesday, 3 November 2009. Standing on walkway to beach. Clouds make all the difference!

Sunset, 2 Nov 2009. Preston on steps preparing to set up his tripod to photograph the sunset.

Sunset, Monday, 2 November 2009, Blue Mountain Beach, Florida.

One of my favorite shots of Preston photographing the sunrise at Blue Mountain Beach.

Ahh, this was absolutely lovely. This was sunrise at the lake at Grayton State Park on Wednesday, 4 November 2009. We stood on the bridge and photographed the tall pines. This shot was taken before the sun rose and was dark, but turned out to be more than what I originally thought.

Looking West away from the sunrise at the lake in Grayton State Park. We were fortunate to have a full moon for this trip.

Ken doesn't drink beer often, but the first evening we arrived, he enjoyed one. You can see the sunset in the background, reflected in the glass doors.

So that's the end of the First Annual Cat Photographers Creativity Workshop and Retreat!

Anticipation

2009-11-07T05:58:00.005-06:00

Double click on image for a larger view:

The stairway to the Gulf from the condo, taken by Ken and me and Kirk and Preston to photograph sunrises, sunsets, and go for walks on the beach. This shot puts a smile on my face. I fed the seagulls from the bottom landing yesterday. What joy. I could almost fly then, myself.

Room with a View

2009-11-06T19:02:00.005-06:00

We went to Florida for our Anniversary! Here is the view of the ocean, the Gulf, actually, from our balcony. What a restful, serene place.

And from inside the common room, or living room, looking out the sliding glass doors to the patio. Preston Smith joined us, flew into Fort Walton Airport late Sunday night where we picked him up and brought him back to the condo.

Here's Preston, setting up his tripod, preparing to shoot the sunset from the beach. More to follow, later.

Florida on my mind ...

2009-10-29T06:10:00.022-05:00

All photos by Ken Flick in this post

Note in a bottle.

In the ten years since I began photographing cats for a living, our only "vacations" have been a couple of days stolen during the return trip from some cat show destination. Most recently, that involved recovering for two days on the beaches of the Florida panhandle after doing the TICA Annual in Orlando, Florida. Just being there in this, our favorite vacation spot before I became a cat photographer, triggered a flood of memories. This is where Ken and I were married -- barefoot on the beach -- in October of 1998.

Although, as weddings go, we spent very little on this one -- by all accounts of those who attended, this was a celebration that was as cherished a time for them as it was for us.

Our wedding invitation came in a box. Inside the box was a square booklet, hole-punched, with ribbon ties. Inside the booklet were images of the beach, the above note-in-a-bottle picture, our wedding rings, our kitties (on the back of the last page -- why cats? Why not? They were and are a large part of our life!), a map of the area, and words Ken wrote. The booklet was seen as soon as you opened the lid of the box. Once you removed the booklet, you could see the box had compartments.

In these compartments were the following:

(1) a glass test tube with a rubber stopper containing turquoise sea water;

(2) a clear plastic rectangular box containing the white sand that this stretch of Florida is famous for along with some shells and sand dollars we bought at a shell store in Florida during our reconnaissance trip;

(3) a one sheet invitation which we created on brown paper, typed, individualized, and stuffed into a small bottle (a miniature of the one in the photo above); and

(4) an RSVP form with self addressed and stamped envelope to return to us, letting us know if the recipient was planning on attending a week long wedding feast and the ceremony itself. The RSVP also asked what at which airport the invitee would be arriving, date/time, and flight number so we could have them scooped up and delivered to the beach house we rented for a week in Dune Allen Beach.

This wedding invitation box was mailed out to a small number of our old and dear friends across the country. The note in the bottle, above, was printed as the first page of our wedding invitation.

Photo by Ken Flick

Looking down the beach.

Photo by Ken Flick

A shot of the dunes dividing the Gulf (which you can't see) from the lagoon in the foreground.

Photo by Ken Flick

Here is another shot of the dunes from almost the same vantage point but at sunset.

Photo by Ken Flick
One of my favorite shots of Florida: the water and waves.

Photo by Ken Flick
Standing out in the Gulf and shooting back at the beach.

The white sand is so reflective that you can get a sunburn from it in no time if you aren't careful. But it is the sand that gives the water that beautiful jewel-like color and crystal clarity. In the summertime, there are little tiny fish who swim close to shore and nibble at your ankles in the surf. I think they are exfoliating your calves and ankles, or else they are getting food from the sand you've whipped up with your feet as you walk in the water. Once you get past the breakers and are swimming, they don't bother you. One of our close friends is freaked out by them, but to me, they tickle!

Ken and I are looking forward to going back down to this area and celebrating our anniversary, albeit a little late. At sometime in the future, I will photograph the invitation and post it. I am very lucky in that I have a very romantic husband who is also a writer!

Everybody Focus ....

2009-10-27T17:16:00.006-05:00

Sometimes, the most interesting images of kittens are when they are not interested in looking at the camera, but doing their own "thing." These guys above, 8 weeks old and brought to me for photos by Cari and Pete Tucker, is a good example of that. They look soft and fuzzy and only one of the eight is looking at the camera. That they are all facing forward was a big plus for me!

Another example of none of the kittens looking at the camera!

And here we have the majority looking at me, thanks to Ken teasing them toward the lens. These little guys were eager to please, but they weren't quite sure what we wanted them to do! It was a hoot. I love photographing kittens. They have no fear and are fascinated by stimulus. Plus they look so cute! The publishers usually want the cat or kittens to be looking in the lens of the camera and will take that pose over an action shot.

Thanks to Cari and Pete Tucker for bringing over their 8 week old litter of eight Maine Coon kittens for me to photograph! And thanks to Ken for teasing them so well!

Background for this Maine Coon litter of eight: Claret.

The Blue Shoot: Mishikoonz 8-week old Maine Coon Kittens

2009-10-26T23:01:00.008-05:00

Here's Mishikoonz Stripey, an 8 week old Black and White Maine Coon male.

And here is the whole group! Five Black Silver Classic Tabbies with White and three Black and White Maine Coon kittens from Mishikoonz. Cari Tucker and her husband, Pete, brought them over for their first photo session. Pete was a quick study and turned out to be a very good "Tosser" as well as Kitten Wrangler, making sure there was no "air" between the kittens and prompting them to walk across the photo table.

This was Cari's first litter of Maine Coons so photo documentation of each kitten was very important. What sweet little Coonlets ... it was a fun shoot!

The Background for this sitting was Cobalt Blue.

Tomorrow I'll post a shot from the Claret Red sitting.

Happy Halloween

2009-10-23T07:32:00.004-05:00

"Tanstaafl Cashmere," a young Black Maine Coon female, shot at the TICA Gulfport Mississippi Cat show in January of 2003 with small pumpkins that Ken and I brought to the show just for this sitting.

Background for Cashmere: Black

On Your Mark, Get Set ....

2009-10-20T16:28:00.006-05:00

This is a Ruddy Abyssinian, "Nobgoblin" intent on getting the pheasant feather that Ken is using to tease him across the shooting table. Abys are wonderful photographic subjects: their fur is ticked, like a squirrel's, which makes their musculature more defined for the camera, they are VERY active cats and not afraid of being photographed or new situations. Ken calls them "monkeys on crack" ... because they are all over the shooting table. To get a shot of an Aby in a formal posed position is very difficult. An action shot is much easier! I love their look: inquisitive, curious, in the moment, and affectionate. They have a sweet face and always play in an entertaining fashion.

Nobgoblin was a good example of the activity of this breed. His back leg and tail were actually out of frame so I had to do some cloning of background to make the image publishable.

He was photographed at TICA's 2008 Jersey State Cat Show in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, USA.

Background for Nobgoblin: Sage

Maine Coon Kittens on Purple

2009-10-09T13:17:00.004-05:00

Here are the kittens from the Saturday shoot on our Purple Background, one with a butterfly added during post processing (since they're looking up at the cat tease which Ken is holding out of frame), and the other, below, is a shot with the trunk. The trunk is very dark so another layer of the same shot was added with the trunk lightened. In this layer, everything but the trunk was erased so the kittens were the correct exposure but the trunk didn't look black!

Ken and I are working on developing a future post about what happens during retouching. For example, tails were added to the kittens on the ends to create a more pleasing image.

We don't usually bring this trunk on the road to cat shows, but we do use it for studio shoots.

Background: Purple.

Five 10-Week Old Silver Classic Tabby & White Maine Coon Kittens

2009-10-04T14:59:00.012-05:00

Yesterday, an old customer and friend of mine brought over five 10-week old Silver Classic Tabby and White Maine Coon Kittens for Ken and me to photograph. We needed some kittens to "stand" on a title, "Cats on Blue" for an ad we're doing - or to be a panorama at the base of the ad, so I composited the group shot with (left to right) 2 kittens, then 2 kittens, then five kittens, and finally, a two kitten shot. You can click on the image and see it much larger.

Above is one of the males from the shoot. We were very pleased with the ease at which these kittens played with the cat tease Ken used to get them to look at the camera.

We shot some more on our Purple background, but that will have to be posted later.

Background for these Maine Coon kittens: Imperial Blue

New Cover on Russian "Cats.Info" !

2009-10-03T10:10:00.011-05:00

I recently found out that I have the cover of a Russian cat magazine, "Cats.Info." I asked how to say it in English since I don't have the keyboard for the Cyrillic alphabet and I don't understand Russian anyway, even if I did! The above image is Sheryl Koontz's Safari cat, Marechal Xspotica, a 10 month old F1 Black Spotted Tabby Safari female.

Below are some of the other images published in the October 2009 issue.

Wildkatz Bwana Bushwah, an F1 Brown Ticked Tabby Chausie Neuter, bred by Sandra Cassalia of Wildkatz Cattery.

ZenDada SunDog, a Brown Marble Tabby Bengal male, bred by Julie Gracie Moseley of ZenDada Cattery, on our Sage background, above.

Willowind Shekinah Glory, an 18 month old Black Spotted Grizzled Tabby Chausie female, bred by Tammy Isaacs of Willowind Chausies, photographed on our Imperial Blue background, at left.

“What Camera Should I Buy?”

2009-09-27T09:21:00.039-05:00

Recommendations from my experience

followed by hardware options from Ken.

Enough people have asked me, "What is the best camera for me to get?" that I have decided to put some information in my Blog. Here are some points I would like to make before Ken goes into the technical information and some hardware choices:

If you're asking me because you like my cat photos, I would first have to say the camera is the least important factor – in my images or yours! What is most important? Your eye and the light. Your eye - because you first have to “see” an image that pleases you and you have to “see” what does not belong in the image. The light - because that can make or break an image - no matter how perfect the choice of subject or the composition. You can develop your eye as you go through the process of taking pictures IF you take the time to evaluate your images and decide how they can be improved. Then follow through with what you've learned. Lighting will be the subject of a future post.

Think about what you want to use your camera for. Shots of your family (human or feline) to put on your website or email to friends? Travel photos? Kitten shots for print and website? Documentation of your valuables at home for insurance purposes? Large prints to hang in your home? Subjects aside, the choice can come down to whether you only need low resolution images for the Internet or or high resolution images for large print applications. Maybe you need both. But the camera you would want would be dependent on the end use.

Go to a few retail stores and feel the cameras you are interested in. Feel what it is like to take a picture. Look at the buttons and controls. Does the placement make sense to you? Is it too heavy? Does it feel good and solid in your hand? Do you need a tripod to hold it? J You will find that some cameras feel better FOR YOU than others. This is an individual decision. You cannot ask your brother-in-law or friend to make this determination for you. Their hands are different.

RTFM. Read the manual.

Memory cards can travel between camera types. Get two to three memory cards for your camera. Purchase a card reader if your computer does not have a port in which to insert your memory card. I prefer to have mid range storage of images; otherwise, I tend to use a memory card as a filing system and spend too much time clicking through images I should have downloaded to my computer.

Batteries are usually camera proprietary specific lithium ion rechargeables. Get a minimum of two, so one can be charging while you’re using the other. I like to have three: one in the camera and two for backup. I also purchase two chargers: one for the road and one for home, but one may be plenty for you.

You’ll need a camera case to carry your camera, memory cards, card reader (if necessary), camera manual, batteries and charger, plus filters and lenses (for SLR cameras). Buy the smallest camera case that will hold all this gear. Remember, the smaller the camera case, the more likely you’ll bring it with you.

IF YOU DON’T HAVE YOUR CAMERA WITH YOU – YOU WON’T TAKE ANY PHOTOS. So make it easy on yourself! Take your time purchasing this equipment. I’ve found that I will take my small camera everywhere, but my large SLR camera only on expressly planned field trips or professional assignments. Have you seen a photo opportunity where you thought, “I wish I’d brought my camera?” For my women friends: leave your purse at home and carry your keys and driver’s license in your camera case. When an opportunity arrests your eye or attracts your attention be prepared to capture the moment. Get a camera that is handy to have with you.

Now for Ken’s logical technical portion and recommendations:

(Ken here)

Maybe you regard yourself as a hobbyist snapshooter who would like the enhanced capabilities of a "good" camera that can take very nice photos of a variety of subjects and you like the idea of a pocketable camera that's easy to have with you for whatever photo opportunities life happens to serve up. You enjoy taking pictures for the results (having competently captured a subject or moment that was important to you), but you really just want to press the shutter button. You don't want to get involved in the details of the process, like setting f-stops and shutter speeds -- or even learning what those things are and what they do. Reading user's manuals makes your mind glaze over. You just want turn all that technical stuff over to the intelligence that's built into the camera. You're not interested in trying to do indoor or other low light photography without using the flash that's built into your camera and you can't imagine why anyone else would either. And you can't foresee the time when you would want any prints made that were bigger than 8x10.

The camera for you is one in the compact category of fully automatic cameras called "Point-and-Shoot". If taking pictures on anything like a regular basis is really not your thing and you find that you only haul a camera out on holidays, vacations and family get-togethers, then just about any brand name camera sold today will suit your needs. Go to Best Buy and find one for $150 in a color that catches your eye or one that feels good in your hands. You'll be happy with it. If you want to reinforce your choice with an expert opinion, go to the Digital Photography Review website and read the review and comparison of nine Budget Cameras (under $150) or just cut to the chase of this exhaustive piece and go to the Conclusions and Ratings section at the end. Here's the link to the whole thing:

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/Q408budgetgroup/

But if you enjoy taking pictures more frequently and aspire to get better at it, and if you want a camera with capabilities you can grow into without having to buy a bunch of lenses and accessories and master a lot of technical stuff, then consider spending a bit under $300 and getting a really great compact Point-and-Shoot camera: the Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3. This model is two generations beyond the Lumix TZ3 that Helmi has been shooting with on a daily basis for about two years now when we're not doing studio photography of cats. It is, in my view, the best reviewed and most capable pocketable point-and-shoot available right now. In fact, it is the camera that Helmi will be shooting with shortly, because I just bought one for her on Amazon a couple of days ago for $279.99.

Below, are a couple of pictures of the ZS3 and a link to the Amazon pages for the Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3: Scroll down to the user reviews and see how those who own this camera rate it.

http://www.amazon.com/Panasonic-DMC-ZS3-Digital-Stabilized-Black/dp/B001QFZMCO/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=photo&qid=1253875454&sr=1-2

For an expert opinion of how the Lumix ZS3 stacks up against competing cameras in its class, click on the link below for a comparison test of Compact Super Zoom Cameras by dpreview.com:

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/q209grouplongzoom/

But maybe you've had a Point-and-Shoot digital camera or two and you're ready to move up to a Digital SLR. Maybe you used to own this kind of camera back in the days when they used film. Maybe you still do, and you want a digital model that can take advantage of your collection of lenses. If that's the case, do some research and make sure these modern digital bodies can actually use your lenses, then buy the same brand of camera as your lenses.

Otherwise the choices are wide open. There are a number of brands of DSLRs and probably no bad ones, but I would suggest you stick with one of the two premier brands: Canon and Nikon. They are consistently ranked the best and they offer the widest selection of lenses and accessories. Which one of these you choose comes down to a Chevy vs. Ford, Toyota vs. Honda argument. Each of these camera brands has their fans and both are good choices.

Below are photos of the two best entry level DSLRs and Amazon's links to them. First, is the Canon XS for $499.95:

http://www.amazon.com/Canon-XS-Digital-18-55mm-Black/dp/B001CBKJGG/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=photo&qid=1253876405&sr=1-2

. . . and the Nikon D3000 for $558.53:

http://www.amazon.com/Nikon-D3000-Digital-18-55mm-3-5-5-6G/dp/B002JCSV5I/ref=sr_1_13?ie=UTF8&s=photo&qid=1253877351&sr=1-13

NB: these prices were from www.Amazon.com on Friday, 25 September 2009. Most do not include shipping (an additional $10-15) and all are subject to change almost daily.

Prospective customers -- even those who are not that keen on technical specs and discussions of capabilities -- are strongly urged to READ THE REVIEWS by Amazon customers and see what is said about a camera by those reviewers whose skill levels, aspirations and intended photography subjects closely match their own.

We long ago committed to Canon and have enough invested in lenses and related gear that we are not apt to switch brands anytime soon. So I mostly keep track of the new models from Canon and among these, I am currently impressed with the capabilities of the Canon T1i (for the serious/aspiring amateur) who is ready to step up from the entry level offerings and has a bit more money to spend on a camera. This one is selling for $799.95 on Amazon. Here's a photo of it and the link is below the picture:

http://www.amazon.com/Canon-T1i-Digital-18-55mm-3-5-5-6/dp/B001XURPQS/ref=sr_1_11?ie=UTF8&s=photo&qid=1253876405&sr=1-11

PLEASE NOTE: All images of cameras are copyright Amazon.com and/or the camera manufacturers.

For a more professional opinion of these cameras, compared to their competition, go to the camera reviews at Digital Photography Review. These reviews are quite extensive and may well be far more detailed and technical than most novices care to digest. If that's the case for you, then just read the Introduction page for each camera and then skip down to the Conclusion page. Here's the link:

www.dpreview.com

One more thing: when considering a point-and-shoot camera, it is easy to get caught up in the megapixel (MP) race and believe the more megapixels, the better. But don’t be seduced by high MP counts. “Noise” (grainy visual static) is the dark secret that comes with high MP counts in little point-and-shoot cameras which have tiny sensors (the chip that records the image) compared to DSLRs. In fact, the low noise capability of DSLRs with their far larger sensors is one of the best reasons for moving up to this type of camera.

(Helmi here)

In May of 2000, I started shooting cat shows with a point-and-shoot camera. An Olympus C-2000Z (2 MP). This was a high res camera for it's day when three megapixels was the best there was in a $3 to $4,000 DSLR. It wasn’t until almost five years later in March of 2005 that I got my first DSLR (Canon EOS 20D) to use professionally. Yet, I had full pages and magazine covers using 3 MP point-and-shoot cameras. I'm saying this to prove that the number of megapixels need not be over 5 for most anything you want to do, short of poster size prints ....

But again, it’s not the camera, it's your eye and the light! About which ... more later.

A NOTE: For those of you who are inspired to do a little more research on your camera purchases, Diana P. Keat wrote to remind us that there are a couple of other good sites for this that are perhaps a little more accessible to the less-than-hardcore photography buff than DPReview. These are

www.CNET.com and www.FredMiranda.com .

Check 'em out! Thanks, Diana.

Happy Birthday, Cousin Kathy!

2009-09-26T08:17:00.005-05:00

Here is my card to Kathy Samuels Schuler, my cousin on my mother's side. To introduce Kathy, let me tell you a bit about the family:

Kathy's mother was one of my favorite Aunts, Aunt Helen, who lived in Oklahoma City, OK. Aunt Helen was the wife of a Christian minister, Uncle Joe. She would sew the most unusual things (like the State of Oklahoma which made an apron) and mail them to my sister, Paula, and I for Christmas when we were kids, she had a love of life and people that was remarkable, loved and was interested in everything, gave excellent advice, laughed at the drop of a hat, and she was always supportive of and fascinated by my cat photography. Aunt Helen would come to the cat shows in Oklahoma City with Kathy, and in May of 2000, she brought Aunt Georgia, the oldest of my mother's sisters, who passed on a few years after.

Aunt Helen died last June after battling colon cancer and the attendant chemotherapy. She was a love. So now I have Uncle Joe and Kathy & Dustin as my relatives who live in Oklahoma City.

Kathy and I have developed a great relationship. She is like a sister to me. And today marks a milestone birthday for her (I'm going to be decorous here and not mention the number, but suffice it to say, she is younger than I am but not young enough to be MY daughter!). So I thought that I could honor her, her mother, and the marking of a good number of years on terra firma by this post. Kathy has a big heart, loves animals, is sharp as a whip and has a sly sense of humor. She is a treasure. Happy Birthday, my Sweet!

Gifts and Glass Collection

2009-09-15T06:27:00.010-05:00

Over the last eight years, I have slowly been collecting glass bottles. Not in a hurry as I want to have just the right piece! Above, you can see the glass bottles that I have on a window sill in my kitchen for which Ken built and stained a wooden plank as an extension so the kitties could hop up and look out. (They rarely use this since their cat tree is taller and close by in the next room -- but it's there if they deign to exert themselves. And there is room enough for them even with the bottle collection!)

Here is another view, with a surprise new addition on the right. Before we left to do the TICA Annual, I received a gift in the mail from a Bengal breeder in New Braunfels, Texas. I was working on deliveries and publisher's deadlines as well as sewing new panels for pipe-and-drape to enlarge our shooting space at the Annual when the package arrived, so I didn't open it for a few days. Then I got an email asking if it had arrived and telling me to open it. What a lovely surprise. You can see how it fits into the collection beautifully.

And above is a closeup of my new Clarkstone Bengals piece -- it's the turquoise one next to the slim green bottle. Thank you, Dave! Your prints and CD will be in the mail on Thursday.

When it's sunny outside, the light shining through my glass bottles always put a smile on my face.

Walking on the Beach

2009-09-10T08:08:00.004-05:00

The sands of the Florida Panhandle between Pensacola and Panama City are composed of pure quartz and are as white as refined sugar. This gives the water the blue-green cast of the Caribbean Islands. Above is a stretch of this beach just East of where Ken and I got married -- yup, "on the beach." With no shoes. :) It's our favorite vacation spot and where we'd live if we could afford it.

We used to come here several times a year when Ken wrote for a living and we had a lot of leisure time. Not so much, anymore.

This shot of me was taken by Ken. Here you can see a little bit more of the shades of the water closer to shore than in the first shot. We'll be walking on the beach in a few minutes before checking out and heading for my sister's house in New Orleans.

Good Luck with Black Cats

2009-09-08T19:51:00.022-05:00

We DID have good luck with black cats at the TICA Annual in Orlando, Florida, this past weekend. We shot a Bombay: "Indy," a Black Maine Coon kitten: "Syslmod III," a Black Savannah: "Baz," and a Black Maine Coon adult female: "CinderPaw"and a Black Maine Coon adolescent: "Count Blackula."

Mysticoon Syslmod III, a 4 month old Solid Black Maine Coon male kitten from Nancy Sabra Hull, the owner, and bred by Muriel Kay Heimer of Mysticoon Cattery. Background: Imperial Blue.

IW SGC Toriland Passion "Indy" of Chaparrel, a 1 year, 8 month old Solid Black Bombay neuter. Indy was brought to us for photographs by Jeff and Heather Roberts of Chaparrel Cattery. Background: Purple.

Indy earned the prestigious award of being TICA's Alter of the Year and was so honored at the Annual Award Banquet on Saturday!

Count Blackula, 7 month Solid Black Maine Coon male kitten, from Janie and Allen Harris of Royal Lions Cattery. Count Blackula is a son of RW SGC Tanstaafl Beauregard and CH Broadsway CinderPaw of RoyalLions. Background: Old Gold with red taken out post-processing.

At this show, we had an unusually high number of black cats to photograph. There is a problem photographing black cats though ... the camera has nothing to focus on unless the cat's eyes are open ... and stays open. Then I can focus on the eyes. But if the cat's head is down, or lowered, or not looking at the camera, then Ken has to put his hand over the back of the cat and I focus on his hand. One of the things most often heard when we are photographing a black cat, is me yelling out "Hand" ... then ..."focused!" And this has to happen for every pose with the exception of close ups.

GC Broadsway CinderPaw of RoyalLions, a 1.5 year old Solid Black Maine Coon female, from Janie and Allen Harris of Royal Lions Cattery. Background: Periwinkle.

CinderPaw and FirePaw, sisters. Background: Periwinkle.

CH Broadsway FirePaw of RoyalLions, seen above with CinderPaw, is a 1.5 year old Brown Classic Torbie Maine Coon Female, from Janie and Allen Harris of Royal Lions Cattery.

Kirembo Barack "Baz," a 10 month old Black Savannah neuter, brought to us from

Brigitte Cowell of Kirembo Cattery. Background: Old Gold.

Baz, the Black Savannah, was a very large cat even though he was only 10 months old -- and when he went striding across our photo table, I had a split second after his tail came into the frame before his nose left the background on the other side.

Lucky for us, Karen Frankenfield offered to help with the cats during shooting as well as helping to change out backgrounds, etc, so she would hold the cat with his front feet on the table, Ken would tease the cat across the table and at the right moment, get the cat to look at the camera while striding across. It's hard to get this pose but worth it. This is the one pose that shows the body conformation, head shape and actually ... everything about the cat!

http://www.photopoints.com/main/photos/showphoto.aspx?pid=64CA+6A88D8F8AF87AE4

(Link to Baz striding across the table was posted to PhotoPoints, a website for photographers.)

Kirembo Amadi Binah "Maddie," photographed with her brother, "Baz," is a 10 month old Brown Spotted Tabby Savannah female, from Brigitte Cowell of Kirembo Cattery. Background: Old Gold .

The 2009 Annual was a good show for us. It was great seeing old friends as well as seeing breeders get awards for their winning cats. The Southeast really knows how to put on a good show!

International Publications

2009-08-30T07:59:00.009-05:00

In our foyer, Ken arranged the magazines from around the world (excluding the United States) in which I have my images published. Some of these are covers (China, South Africa and Poland), others are images inside the magazine or small "mug shots" on the cover (Japan, Brazil, Denmark, Sweden, and Russia).

It took me around four years to start getting published abroad. And to those aspiring cat photographers out there, I can tell you that it started by letting my images get published without remuneration, just to get my name out there. If you are looking to get published and be paid for it, I suggest you first start by qualifying when you are willing to donate images for a one-time use (Photo Courtesy of "your name here") . And don't forget the Internet -- another way to get your name known.

Good luck! The world can always use better cat images.

I Got Flowers!

2009-08-28T11:54:00.004-05:00

Before a Big Cat Show, like the TICA Annual coming up, I get a little short-tempered. And if I have to sew cases for pipe-and-drape, or hem new backgrounds, that cuts into my retouching time and publisher's deadlines, so I am afraid I am not as "zen-like" as I'd like to be. Ken knows this (probably better than I do), so he brought me flowers this morning to stave off the beast!

Since the beauty of flowers is so transitory and they die, a photograph "is forever" they say, so I will keep the memory close to my heart -- and hopefully keep a civil tongue -- while the blooms are alive. If I forget, I have the photographs! I'm smiling already. :)

Backgrounds for Black or very Dark Cats

2009-08-26T16:52:00.006-05:00

Click on the image to see it larger and to be able to read the names we've given to our backgrounds!

Backgrounds for Red Cats

2009-08-26T13:18:00.003-05:00

Click on the image to view it larger and to read the names we've given to the fabric colors.

My Show Calendar

2009-08-25T22:54:00.084-05:00

2012
Feb 04-05, 2012 -- Taunton UNITED KINGDOM - TICA WesTICAts
Feb 11-12, 2012 -- Kileen TX - TICA Heart of Texas Cat Show
Feb 24-26, 2012 -- St Augustine FL - TICA Florida Sun Cats On Safari
Mar 09-11, 2012 -- St Francis WI - TICA Wisconsin-Illinois Cat Club
Aug 03-05, 2012 -- Corpus Christi TX - TICA T.I.F.S. SC Regional
Sep 01-02, 2012 -- Columbus OH - TICA Annual
Oct 05-07, 2012 -- Austin TX - TICA Austin Cat Fanciers
Oct 26-28, 2012 -- Atlanta GA - TICA PartyCats Cat Show
Dec 14-16, 2012 -- Corpus Christi TX - TICA T.I.F.S. Cat Show

2013
Jun 29-30 -- TENTATIVE: Switzerland

2014
Apr 19-20, 2014 -- Mesquite TX - CFA North Texas Cat Show

2015
Apr 18-19, 2015 -- Mesquite TX - CFA North Texas Cat Show

2016
Apr 16-17, 2016 -- Mesquite TX - CFA North Texas Cat Show

2017
Apr 15-16, 2017 -- Mesquite TX - CFA North Texas Cat Show

2018
Apr 21-22, 2018 -- Mesquite TX - CFA North Texas Cat Show

Our Backyard - Raccoons, Possums, Foxes, Squirrels

2009-08-25T13:39:00.007-05:00

Below is our backyard. Ken calls it our "meadow" ... that means he doesn't have to mow it. What you see are wild onions with the morning rays of sunlight hitting the blooms. This is where some of the wildlife lives in our neighborhood: butterflies emerge from their cocoons here -- and that's where I get the butterflies that I put into my cat shots.

It's about 9:30 pm. Below you see our Black British Shorthair, Nox, sniffing the Raccoon outside the door of our den. Zak, our Blue and White Maine Coon, watches from a safe distance. Who knows? The Raccoon may decide to open the door! Nox is our Alpha Cat but Zak is vying for the job.
The Raccoon and Nox both turn away from the glass door at the same time, Zak hasn't moved. But you can see an Oppossum (we call them "Possums" here in Texas) eating cat food from the bowl inbetween the uprights of the cat tree, taking advantage of the Raccoon being interested in the indoor cats.
Here's a closeup of the Raccoon. I think this is a Mom, because she brought two little ones by the next night.
Now here we have the newest arrivals -- two of the three Foxes we've seen. They are very skittish and I could not get a picture of them without using my on-camera flash. I thought that would spook them, but they were too hungry. It's almost as if the one on the right is the lookout, as he was darting in, wheeling around and trotting down to the edge of the patio while the other just sat gobbling up kitty kibble.

Below is another shot of them, both of the Foxes are looking in at Ken who was watching TV.

After the outside animals have had their way with the one bowl of kibble I put out at night, that's it. I do not put out another bowl until the next evening. I would hate for the Squirrels and Birds who come during the daytime, to run afowl of these guys. So the evening (with one exception) is the only time we see the Foxes, Possum and Raccoons. Daytime is for the Squirrels and Birds.

This Squirrel is sitting on the edge of the patio eating sunflower seeds after taking a drink which I found I have to support with two bricks or it lands on the ground below.

So that's the activity that goes on in our backyard. "Kitty TV," we call it!

Joan Baker Designs at Cats Unlimited

2009-08-22T18:49:00.005-05:00

Darlene, the owner of Cats Unlimited in Bedford, Texas, where we live, has some hand painted cats on glass that I can't get enough of. When I was there with Christie, I took some snapshots of some pieces that I liked and this was one of them. The light isn't perfect as you can see some of the background where they're hung coming through the glass but I love the look on this cat's face! The colors are bright and happy and I had to buy one. I have my eye on a very large rectangular one but that will have to wait for a publishing contract to come through.

Darlene Thomas, Owner

Cats Unlimited

Phone: 817-354-5000

www.catsunlimitedtx.com

The artist is Joan Baker and she has other designs, but these cats are the ones that make me smile every time I see them!

Cat Tease ... attached

2009-08-19T10:33:00.005-05:00

The Bite. There is nothing like a moveable tail to enthrall a kitten -- even if it is attached to one's own body -- but sooo much better if that tail belongs to a littermate!

Abyssinian kittens from OhMy Cattery, photographed at the 2009 TICA Thunderkatz Show, April, 2009.

Background color for Pat Harbert's Aby kittens: Charcoal

Cat Fancy Cover - September 2009

2009-08-18T11:00:00.010-05:00

Above is my image sent in to BowTie for consideration in the Russian Blue issue of Cat Fancy magazine.

Below is the cover of Cat Fancy, September 2009 issue:
So here you have it: my latest Cat Fancy magazine cover - The Russian Blue. The Russian Blue on the cover is GC, RW; IW SBC Valnika Silverstone "Stony" brought to me for photographs by Valarie and Willy Williamson. The actual shot had a magenta background but the art department must have changed it out to a brown -- I have no idea why. The image was also flipped, but that's understandable. I thought that my original background would have been more eye-catching, especially if the art department had used the green of the eyes for CAT FANCY -- but who is to reason with Art Departments!

Still, I am pleased to have the cover -- tickled to death, actually! There is also another image of Stony inside the article on Russian Blues. Congratulations to Valarie and Willy Williamson!

Cat Hearse in Houston

2009-08-15T11:57:00.003-05:00

In July of 2009, when I was staying with Brenda and Gary Hammett in Houston, at the end of my stay we went shopping at some antique stores. This hearse was parked outside one of the stores we were in. What a surprise -- and how cool it was. I wish it were parked on the grass somewhere so I could have shot it from the front and sides, but alas, this was just a shot as we were passing. It was so hot and humid outside that I couldn't spend too much time on a photo shoot, but this "catmobile" was too good to pass up!

Surprise Lilies!

2009-08-05T12:21:00.005-05:00

These pink lilies have apparently "self propogated" themselves as I used to have only one stem a year appear. This was a delightful surprise! We could see them outside our dining room/living room windows.

Here is a closeup of them. I was fortunate that I took the time to photograph them as they only lasted a week. We had some torrential rains that hit them hard over a period of about four days after these shots were taken. They were never the same and no new stems appeared this year.

And finally, this is what they looked like after a rain one morning. They looked lovely with the raindrops (like little diamonds catching the light) but the blooms were pounded too long to be able to photograph them again after the rains ceased.