The Trifecta, and Gratitude

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.

Cat Fancy Cover - September 2009

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!

A BowTie Kind of a Day

BowTie is the publisher of Cat Fancy, Cats USA, Kittens USA, Cats and The Popular Cat Series of magbooks. The editor of Kittens USA put out a call for images to be considered for the cover of the 2011 issue, due today, which I've been working on, pulling contenders for the breeds they specified from my archives and then retouching them.

But my other BowTie news is that my contract from this publisher arrived today for Cat Fancy magazine's July 2009 issue profiling the American Shorthair breed. I've posted the four images of mine they selected. I have no idea of placement within the magazine but I sized "Champ" (above) for the 11" x 17" foldout poster, just in case they wanted to use him there. UPDATE 12 May 2009: They did! He's the centerfold -- even though Preston Smith, a good friend of ours and a cat photographer, informed me yesterday that he erronously got the credit for it. I'll have to write to Cat Fancy, once I get my copy of the magazine.

Champ was brought to me by Linda Husbands, the owner, for a studio shoot in my home. Champ's full name is Yankee Star Champagne on Ice and he is a Cream Classic Tabby and White American Shorthair Male, 6 months old at the time of this photograph.

The other three images were:

Ginger Brown's three young kittens, from left to right: Ginfree Phoenix, Ginfree Little Miss Sunshine, and Ginfree Lexus, Breeder/Owner: Ginger Brown) photographed at TICA's 2007 Southeast Regional in Raleigh NC:

Poppy Schofield's "Wiley" (Kelloggs Whole Lotta Love, 5 month old Black Silver Classic Tabby Male Kitten, Breeders: Heinrich & Carly Kellogg, Owners: Poppy Schofield & the Kelloggs) from the TICA 2008 Annual in Arlington TX:

and Rania Abdin's "Prince Nishan" (IW, SGCA KingofHearts Prince Nishan, 1.7 year old Black Silver Classic Tabby Neuter, Breeder: Ann Marie Walters/Owner: Rania Abdin) from TICA's 2007 TIFS cat show in Corpus Christi TX:

Background fabric color for Champ: Chocolate.

Background for Phoenix, Little Miss Sunshine & Lexus: Caribe.

Background fabric for Wiley: Magenta.

Background fabric for Prince Nishan: Imperial Blue.