Jul 15, 2011
How quickly the weeks fly by! For our Project 52 theme this week, we were asked to capture our pets “strange behaviour”. Generally, this is the stuff that makes them our pet’s uniquely them and why we love them so much. That is why I knew exactly what I had to capture.
Our wonderful girl kitty, Lady Jane, has a real penchant for sleeping in the middle of the floor with her back legs straight up in the air. So not a lady! From behind, she kind of looks like she has been shot and rigamortis has set in. I know, a little morbid, but it make me laugh every time I see her. The added strangeness is that she makes sure that she is right in the middle of the of the floor where there will be the most foot traffic. I guess she absolutely trusts us not to step on her!
So, here she is, in all of her glory…
And because I woke her up when I took these images, you get to see the front end too! Lady Jane really has the cutest face. (In the background of this image is our boy Ripley, who cannot understand why anyone would sleep in such a fashion – so unbecoming for a feline.)
This week, Posh Pets is linked to Dana Cubbage Photography. Please check out her images here as I am sure she has something wonderful to show of her fur-babies! And then follow the blog circle all the way around – we have some new members this week.
Jul 8, 2011
Posh Pets’ theme for this week’s Project 52 was “spots”. It was described in broad enough terms so as to allow for a wide range of interpretations. Looking at our two cats, Ripley and Lady Jane, it was evident that they would more correctly be considered striped as opposed to spotty. However, they definitely have their favourite “spots” that they like to hang out in.
Like most cats, a sun “spot” is one of their favourites. So, in honour of such a spot, I present Ripley, basking in yesterday’s morning sun. Enjoy!
Next, please check out Ann Kearns blog to see how she interpreted spots. You can follow the blog circle all the way around until you come back here to basking Ripley!
Jul 1, 2011
This week’s image was all about the movies which took me back to one of the first Disney movies I ever watched – The Aristocats. I remember being enthralled with the lives of these cats with such personality. And it stayed with me. Even though it was released before I was born, as an adult, I had my own copy of the movie. My favourite line? The conversation between the siblings Marie, Toulouse and Berlioz.
Marie: Me first! Me first!
Toulouse: Why should you be first?
Marie: Because I’m a lady. That’s why.
Toulouse: Oh, you’re not a lady.
Berlioz: You’re nothing but a sister!
So, for this week’s images, I bring you Thomas O’Malley, Duchess, Marie, Berlioz and Toulouse! Great models they were – patiently sitting while I adjusted the lighting and found my angles. No wiggling, no moving, always looking in the direction they were asked, they were perfect.
So…what is your favourite pet-related movie?
Now, please check out our newest blog circle member, Judy Babinski of Dog Biscuit Photos, and see what movie inspired her this week! Don’t forget to make your way around until you wind up back here. Welcome, Judy!
Jun 24, 2011
This week’s challenge was to create a high-key or low-key portrait. Sometimes, if a pet is not used to a studio portrait session, it can be a blessing. They have no idea what to expect and so the flashes are met with interest and curiosity. Not so with my usual model, Ripley. After enough studio sessions, he knows what those large, black, suspended boxes do and he does not approve of it one bit. They even have the audacity to “beep” after they fire as if to taunt him. So, this week I decided to post an image of Ripley from a few weeks ago. It still makes me laugh for here he is talking. To the flashes. They are his nemesis and he is letting them know that the war is on.
Next in line is Blue Amrich from Chelmsford, MA! I have a feeling she went low-key for her image. Please check her out and the rest of the other photographers in the blog ring!
Jun 17, 2011
Today is a special day in our house – it marks the close of the 14th year that our cat, Lady Jane, has been with us.
Lady Jane is short for Lady Jane Grey, the former, very short lived, queen of England. Her name came from the fact that she was quite obviously a grey tabby, she looked so dainty and small (a “lady”), and the fact that my sister, who paid the adoption fee as a gift to us, has the middle name Jane. It all seemed to fit.
Lady Jane, like her brother Ripley, is also a rescue, the exception being that her original home was the Brampton Animal Shelter. We adopted her as a kitten of about 3 months old. Now, when I say “we”, I should clarify. My husband wasn’t there when I picked Lady Jane out and adopted her. My sister was. But, I had to call Dean and let him know what I had done. I’ll never forget the conversation.
“Hey honey, you will never guess what I have gone and done!”
“You adopted another kitty?”
Silence. How did he know? He says now that it was simply in my voice. And the fact that we had had some conversation about Ripley needing a sister at some point. I honestly have no recollection of such a conversation, but I was so happy that Dean was willing to welcome Lady Jane into our home.
Lady Jane changed our home forever. Initially, she did not stop moving and I do not remember her ever sitting down. She would only collapse on occasion to sleep. At night, she would walk on us constantly until such time that she needed a warm place to nap. While Ripley preferred my feet, Lady Jane’s “place” would be my husband’s face. She seemed to like the warmth of his breathing, kind of like a heating vent. So, he would awaken to the feeling of being suffocated, which in retrospect, he probably was.
She climbed plants, she chewed things and enjoyed laying on her back with her legs in the air. Anything but a lady! She also has an eye defect – the pupil of her left eye does not contract completely in bright light. So, she compensates by closing her eye a little. However, it also throws her perspective off a little bit and in the beginning, she would run into things at break-neck speed or miss things when pouncing. She purred all the time. Even at her Veterinarian’s office while getting her annual shots. When we spayed her, we were supposed to keep her “quiet” for a couple of days. But that was a lost cause. Apparently, even in Recovery at the vet clinic, she had opened her eyes and begun running about. She was such a happy, comical cat that through everything we would sit back and laugh and love her.
Today, Lady Jane is much calmer than in her kittenhood. She has grown to the point where she is bigger than Ripley. But, she is content to be the little sister and allow her brother the role of Alpha Cat. She moves less and sleeps more as the 14 years of life take their toll. She no longer sleeps on my husband’s face – that would literally kill him. Rather, each night, she lays on the bed, holding my finger in her paw for a few minutes. It is our good-night ritual, just before she moves to sleep on her ottoman by the side of our bed.
Tonight though, we will celebrate. With new catnip mice and treats and belly rubs. We will tell her what a good kitty she is. And she will purr, just as she has for all these years. Happy Anniversary Lady Jane!
Jun 3, 2011
As Posh Pets continues with Project 52, I am posting an image for this week that I think captures the simple theme of “love”. For nothing is stronger than a mother’s love, be it human or animal.
We happened upon this mama cat and her baby during one of our travels in the country of Bulgaria, more specifically the ancient city of Plovdiv. The “old city” is beautifully restored and has an abundance of little shops, lining winding streets, in which you could happily get “lost” for hours. We had decided to enter a local craft shop to see what we could buy when we came across this scene. Technically, the cat was a stray. This we learned from striking up a conversation with the lovely shop keeper. She explained that mama had appeared one day and the she had kindly given her some food. Seeing as the cat continued to come around, she eventually provided a basket for her to make a bed in. And then she had had her kittens. She had never left, preferring to carefully watch over her little ones, hugging this one as he napped (he opened his beautiful blue eyes for us when I took the photo).
As far as we know, to this day neither mama or her babies have names. They are most likely still living outdoors on the streets with only the kindness of one woman to rely upon. However, it was inspiring that, in spite of her circumstances, mama cat had not turned into an angry, fearful animal. Rather she had maintained her trusting nature and allowed us to approach her. She had remained true to her nature – a domestic cat. It made me think that maybe that that sums up the power of love. To be able, in the face of unfavourable conditions, focus positively on someone else important in your life. And to allow that relationship to prevent you from losing your humanity.
Now, it is time to travel around the world. Please check out Karla Ogilvie’s blog and see her interpretation of love!
May 27, 2011
There is a beauty in black and white photography that I simply love. To me, it seems to interpret a scene in its purest form – shadows and highlights – and therefore accentuates the light falling on your subject. And we know that photography is all about the light. So, without any further commentary, here is this week’s image in black and white:
As always, please check out the next photographer in our blog ring. This time we are going to Australia to check out Claire (Bear) Garrett from Petography. We will see you again when you make it back here to Toronto, Canada!
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.
