May 20, 2011
This week it was all about the details. In other words, the little bits and pieces that together make up our wonderful furry family members. It was fun to shoot with my macro lens, as getting that close to something seems to set it apart for special attention. It allows one to capture the amazing beauty of these “feline parts”. So, without further ado, please take a look at the images Posh Pets captured this week:
First of all, we have two different paws. Elegant and small, paws are a wonderful thing made up of four little toes. Flexible and padded, they are just perfect for running, jumping, leaping and pouncing. Fortunately for us humans, they do not come with opposable thumbs. Imagine the mischief our kitty family members could get into if they did!
And then we have the feline nose, so cute and small. Regardless of the colour, it is used to track a wandering mouse, to ascertain exactly who in the neighbourhood was here last, and to hold on high if anything does not meet its possessor’s high standards. Always working, a nose gives a cat the information it needs.
Last, but not least, are the eyes. Who has not been the subject of a cat’s stare? Sometimes intense and direct, sometimes sleepy and lazy, they truly are windows into a cat’s soul.
The next step in our blog circle will now take us to the west coast to beautiful San Francisco, California! Please check out the blog of talented Cyndi Kuiper of Chickpea Photography Studio to see what details she captured this week. And please keep going all the way around until you end up back here in Toronto.
Apr 28, 2011
Hard to believe that another week has slipped by! But that is a good thing in Toronto – it means we are inching ever closer to the nicer weather. It also means we had another theme to work with at Posh Pets for our on-going Project 52. This week’s theme was blur.
If you spend any time with photographers, you will come to realize that they are generally obsessed with “sharpness”. They can wax poetic about how “sharp” a lens is, the “sweet spot” of any particular lens and how to properly “sharpen” a file for print. But, this week we needed to produce blur. And, more importantly, to ensure that it was not mistaken for the dreaded out-of-focus image. It was also important for us that the blur be created in-camera and not as part of some manipulation done with Photoshop.
So here’s our take on blur. Thankfully, my subject was patient. You should see the outtakes! (You are welcome to post your guesses on how we created the blur!)
Next, take a trip a little to our south to New Jersey to see Stacey Axelrod of Wacky Dog Photo’s image. Please start here and follow the circle all around. When you get back, you can post your guess!
Mar 25, 2011
So, we’ve started a fun, new project at Posh Pets. The idea is that a group of pet photographers will come up with a different theme each week and it is our challenge to interpret that theme and post one or two images. The twist is that each photographer will link to one other photographer’s blog, forming a circle. That way our readers can take a look at all the different variations on the same theme.
This week our challenge was simply: Ears!
As any pet owner will tell you, you can tell a lot about the mood of your animal by their ears. They can be happy ears, scared ears, let’s play ears, oh-boy-am-I-going-to-get-a-treat ears. In the absence of actual conversation, ears are a form of communication.
So, without any further ado, here is our interpretation of this week’s theme: Ears!
First up, here is Ripley, our 16 year old. He is happily basking in the rays of the morning sun. Quite oblivious to the fact that he is having his portrait taken. Or, at least, he is not allowing that fact deprive him from the joy of sunshine on his back.
This is Lady Jane and this photo makes me laugh. Only because it is obvious that my sweet kitty is desperately trying to ignore me. But her ears give her away – she knows exactly where I am!
So there you go – two sets of ears for a Friday morning. For another take on this theme, please visit an awesome image by Dallas Photographer, Claire Baxter. See her work at Studio Fetch
Feb 21, 2011
As families in Ontario and Alberta celebrate Family Day today, some are celebrating with their pets. Ripley is our beautiful orange tabby and the original Posh Pet. While he is also known as “Ripley Cat”, “Purr Face”, “Baby”, make no mistake…he is definitely one cool and classy kitty! I think he considers the other names we call him as his “aliases” that he uses when he goes on his secret missions. He’s a debonaire, James Bond type of a cat. However, February 13 marked a milestone in Ripley’s life, for he has been an important part of ours for 15 years.
Ripley was a rescue from the Toronto Humane Society all those years ago. My husband, Dean, and I had decided that we wanted a kitty in our lives. Okay, truth be told, I had decided that I wanted a pet in the home and my dear husband probably thought that there could be worse things I could want. He was rather ambivalent, having grown up in a decidedly pet-free home. However, in deciding to get a pet, I had also made another important decision – ours would come from a shelter. I have always had a soft spot in my heart for “unwanted” animals and yes, I am one of those who, on the rare times that I watch tv, can be turned into a puddle of tears should the donation appeal ads come on. All of this led us to set out on a cold February evening in 1996 in search of a new member of the family.
When we arrived at the THS, there were so many to choose from. Dean and I drifted away from each other as we read the notes posted outside their cages. Such a huge decision and big responsibility. After a period of time which left me feeling rather overwhelmed – I wanted to take them all – my husband came over quietly and said, “I think I have found him”. I was so surprised. Dean hadn’t been the impetus behind us getting a cat. But, he had found him. He took me over to Ripley who was sitting his cage looking up at us. I asked my husband why he thought he was the one. He simply said, “He reached out to me”. And so he had. Apparently, as my husband had been peering into each cage, Ripley took his front paw, put it through the cage and touched Dean on the hand. That connection was all it took.
After about half an hour in which we were interviewed to determine if we would be good adoptive parents (we were so nervous that they would reject us), we were handed a cardboard “crate” with Ripley inside and directed to the in-house pet store to pick up things like litter, food etc. We drove home and brought Ripley inside. I still vividly remember how, when we opened his crate, he very cautiously poked his head up like an antennae, looked around and then lithely jumped out to explore his new surroundings.
Today, Ripley is a contented 16-year old who has brought us so much joy. His initial abandonment issues – his former family simply moved on him and left him on the street – have all but disappeared. He is strictly an indoor cat and seems to be happy to spend his days and nights in the warmth of a home, lying on the softness of a bed or couch with a full tummy. He has since also acquired a sister (also from a shelter) and, while she can be a source of aggravation at times (aren’t all sisters?), he likes the fact that she is around. And we’re so happy that he is with us. As he enters his golden years, he has slowed down a little bit, but that has made him all the more cuddly and affectionate.
Happy Anniversary Ripley! We love you…you have truly found your forever home.
