I make no claim of being a good photographer, I think 25 years as a designer has provided me a decent eye for composition and color, I’m also really practiced at photographing cats, any magic in these shots has to be attributed to the cats - I was just fortunate enough to get the camera focussed, and to press the shutter - it’s as simple as that - Both shot with a 50mm prime lens, which the more I use, the more I love.
Always fun when a client unexpectedly sends me cool stuff - this super8 Kodak Instamatic M22 will fit perfectly in my camera collection (mostly pre-1975 consumer movie cameras) The fact that this one comes with box/instructions and unexposed film is just a bonus. Thanks Barney!
I’ve written more of these posts than any one person should ever have too - but this one is perhaps the hardest, I had been kidding myself that my terminally ill cat ROO would beat the odds, and somehow recover from mouth cancer - when we had taken him to the oncologist he had been given two to four months, and being the amazingly stoic boy he was, he made it four months without even a whimper, I thought (irrationally so) that if he could make it past the four months the oncologist was wrong - and maybe she was wrong about everything, and that ROO could make a full recovery - denial is a powerful thing.
On the morning of the 25th my palace of denial came crashing down, ROO wanted to eat, but simply physically couldn’t, ‘T’ and I both knew it was time. I somehow managed to keep it together (barely) and we helped ROO cross the Rainbow Bridge.
I love all my cats equally, but ROO touched our hearts in such a way that his absence in our house is painful - I keep expecting to see him walk in the room - tail held high. We love you big guy, we’re honored to have been your forever family..
Update: Sadly Brave Blackey was struck and killed by a car on November 8th (2009-11-08), NIne days after I took this photo.
Took a short walk to clear my head, it was a grayish autumn day, but if you look closer, happiness is everywhere.
Fooling around with the idea - of portraits not being people at their best, but of people at their worst - much more honest, far more interesting…the anguish I’m experiencing in these images is real, so much more personal that a fake smile.
…from top to bottom - head in the clouds, face made for radio, pockets full of kryptonite, fists of fury, and feets don’t fail me now..
I’ve been working my way through the 6GB’s of emerging artists from this years SXSW conference, maybe it’s just me being nostalgic but so far my favorite is this strange electronica band ‘ear pwr’
ear_pwr on myspace
Guilty Pleasures as of 2009-03-27
Movies: I’m conceptually obligated to watch these movies to conclusion when ever I find them on TV, I dont think I need to qualify them in any way, they’re not fine cinema, but for some reason I just love them.
Music: Not only do I listen to these songs, I’m usually singing along, badly. Again no apologies.
Food: I know they’re horrible for me, I know the better alternatives, I eat these anyway, and before you jump all over me for including Hershey’s Chocolate- I think we all agree it’s not the best quality chocolate, but it IS what my brain thinks chocolate should taste like.
