My babies Boots and Thelonius

[Hilary Wolfskill]

I was going to title this CatsKill Hilary since My last name is Wolfskill so this is just a play on words...I hope that no one takes any offense at all, but this is really the way that I feel when my cats are in front of the lens as my subjects. I can never get them to stay still...

maybe they think that the camera is a vacuum...you all know what I am talking about...

"Boots" - Orange Long Hair - really is my fiances cat, well he brought him into the relationship and sometimes they get jealous of one another. Boots likes to come to me when I lay on the couch and nurse on my shirt by my shoulder. It really is quite funny and I will be sure to have my fiance take a photo of it one day. He only really does it at night so it would be hard since our place is VERY dimly lit.

"Thelonius" - Black/Grey/White Long Hair - for anyone with a heart this story actually is quite gut wrenching. Thelo [for short] was found while my fiance and I were photographing a band from out of state in a wooded area close by to our house. We walked into the woods for the photo session and we heard loud meows nearby. Suddenly a very skinny small unhealthy kitten walked from the brush and proceeded to grapple up my leg. Yes it did hurt but I was taken back by its bravery and need of attention so I ignored the pain. Then 2 more kittens just like the one on my leg walked out as well...as soon as the meows became too much for her to bear the MOM now know as Moo-Moo came darting for all of us. She was not angry at all...but rather relieved...she knew at that moment that she was being saved. Here is where the story gets ugly...

Me and my fiance immediately agreed that we had to do something and that they would not be left to starve in the woods. So, we needed something to store them in. I offered to stay with the cats while he went home with the group in the van and got a large storage container or something like that to bring them home in. Well, we really did not need to go that far...not far from the site where we found the cats my fiance located a tupperware container about 2 foot by 3 foot by 2 foot high...filled with feces and urine...along the insides of the container there was blood and really deep scratch marks from the cats...would you believe that someone would actually leave them like this. When I tell you, this woods was desolate I mean it...they would have almost never been found had it not been for us...and they were near dead. So, to make a long story even longer...they were taken home and we thought long and hard about what we were going to do. We already had a cat [a family member] and we did not want to betray his trust, so we bough them to my fiances Mom's house and put them in the garage with lots of food, blankets, and plenty of water. We paid out of pocket to have them looked at after all the local animal agencies would not take them since they were strays...the local animal shelters or pounds would not even take them. We started to ask around using forums, myspace, and posters to see if people would take them.

Well, 2 of them were quickly spoken for as we decided to take Thelonius [thought she was a he] and my fiances Mom was attached to Moo-Moo [who now lives in her garage. The other 2 were also taken by close friends. So after all this all of them are safe and sound in a home. They are all indoor cats and fear the outside with the exception of Moo-Moo who chases my fiances Mom's dog Pebbles [a cockabi] around the yard once in awhile.

I hope you enjoyed the story and that it was not TOO MUCH!!!

Here are some photos of OUR loves...I hope you like them.

BIRD WATCHER - Thelo perched up on the high part of the couch staring out the window.

DISTURBED - He was sleeping in a few of these but this one was nicest, it was cropped 8x10.

NAP TIME - same perch, I guess bird watching is tiring...?

BUDS - this is a photo that was taken about 3 weeks after Thelo moved in, I know that it is blown out in places on Thelo's face but it is charming to say t he least.

I am open to all critique...so bring them on.

 

[Cem_Usakligil]

Hi Hilary,

This is a coincidence. We had a male cat called Boots some years ago. A seal point mitted ragdoll; Boots referring to the nice white feet of his. We got Boots, together with his sister Jinx from the cattery when they were 13 weeks old. Only a few weeks later, poor Boots has gotten ill and has died in just two weeks time due to a very nasty viral cat disease :-((((. We were very sad obviously. The cattery owner was also very upset and has offered us a "replacement". We did not want to raise Jinx alone anyway, so that's how we became the certified servants of Boogie (officially named Boogie Wonderland), a blue point bi-color mitted ragdoll male cat and Jinx of course.

I can post some pictures if you are interested.

Cheers,

 

[Ray West]

Hi Hilary,

I think the last one would be worth spending some time on, if you have photo shop or similar. Hopefully the original is in raw. If you cropped it, framed it in a blurred oval type frame, much of the blown white of the tabby would not be noticed - 'cos it wouldn't be there. Then, carefully recover the nose area.

The third, I thought the mouth shape reflected the overall cats head shape, so messed with a barber's mirror type thing, but you need raw, a big yawn and close up.

Best wishes,

Ray

 

[Hilary Wolfskill]

Hi Hilary,

This is a coincidence. We had a male cat called Boots some years ago. A seal point mitted ragdoll; Boots referring to the nice white feet of his. We got Boots, together with his sister Jinx from the cattery when they were 13 weeks old. Only a few weeks later, poor Boots has gotten ill and has died in just two weeks time due to a very nasty viral cat disease :-((((. We were very sad obviously. The cattery owner was also very upset and has offered us a "replacement". We did not want to raise Jinx alone anyway, so that's how we became the certified servants of Boogie (officially named Boogie Wonderland), a blue point bi-color mitted ragdoll male cat and Jinx of course.

I can post some pictures if you are interested.

Cheers,

I am sorry for your loss...I can't imagine what we would do if we lost him...he is such a doll.
I would also love to see some photos...

 

[Steve Saunders]

Great shots, the last one in particular I like.

 

[Hilary Wolfskill]

Hi Hilary,

I think the last one would be worth spending some time on, if you have photo shop or similar. Hopefully the original is in raw. If you cropped it, framed it in a blurred oval type frame, much of the blown white of the tabby would not be noticed - 'cos it wouldn't be there. Then, carefully recover the nose area.

The third, I thought the mouth shape reflected the overall cats head shape, so messed with a barber's mirror type thing, but you need raw, a big yawn and close up.

Best wishes,

Ray

I see what you mean about the oval framing and all that with the 4th photo...however this was recovered from an old computer hard drive and the original is nowhere to be found. This image is all I have of it...otherwise I would love to play with it a bit.

As far as the 3rd one goes...I think the composition on this works well as is...since it creates a nice diagonal line from the top left to bottom right...plus the colors are great.

I should mention I am only 21 and I have never taken a photography course in my life. I am learning little by little off of my fiance who is a professional music photographer for a living [it actually pays the bills]. He does from time to time liek to photograph the cats as well. He is just so busy with work right now. Finding photography as a hobby has been good to me and passes the time wonderfully.

So, when it comes to Photoshop we do have CS but nothing after that. We really do not have EXTRA money to buy the latest programs and equip...but what we have works. Maybe you can give me a few pointers on the editing of these photos...after all it is the reason I joined this forum....TO LEARN!!!

 

[Asher Kelman]

BUDS - this is a photo that was taken about 3 weeks after Thelo moved in, I know that it is blown out in places on Thelo's face but it is charming to say t he least.

Well Hilary,

You do not know it, but when we started OPF, cat pictures were a "no-no"! Nothing against cats, but rather that on other fora where the guys boast about the line pairs per mm of resolution and the rarity of their possessions, we see cat's whiskers as the proof of quality.

So it took a Mary Bull, a 90 year old lady who was serious about her cats, to get us to start this room for pets! The big thing is to not use the cat as a mere test object and not to post "me too" cat pictures" or snap shots.

Rather we enjoy images where care is taken and we are trying to bring out some feeling or ideas as opposed to recording that we have a pert and here is another snapshot.

The picture here of the two cats, side by side, is beautiful and gives feelings of togetherness.

Asher

 

[Hilary Wolfskill]

please let me know if the other shots are NOT welcome or if they are not up to the quality standards of the site...?
Thank You.
H

P.S. thank you for the comp on the pair photo...

 

[Asher Kelman]

Hilary,

Don't take me wrong, I'm just saying what I like and think is extra special.

I also happen to like you cat planning to devour a bird! The pair of cat's, however, is special. So I'm interested in what is good and can be great rather then make people nervous.

The idea is for you feel inspired to get the picture that demands to be revisited, even by people who know nothing about them. When that happens, not only do you experience a special satisfaction but do do we. The last picture, has some of that.

A lot of things have to come together: skill, imagination, passion and then of course, chance! Most photographers expect a very good print 1 in a hundred perhaps.

So you, like the rest of us have to shoot more and more thoughtfully. Keep it up!

Asher