It shouldn't be that surprising to those who know me that I love cats, and as much as try to be a non-biased "Mom Cat," you are bound to find more images of my boy cat than my girl cat. They're both sweet, lovable, unique, and everything one could want in cats, but The Bud* is the most wonderful cat with whom I have ever shared a home and our relationship is very dear to my heart.
I'm going to cheat a little and show a few of my favorite images of The Bud, but my reasons for loving each of them is very similar. I think that each of them shows our closeness and his trust in me. Those who also have known me for a while, or anyone who has visited our house, also knows that he is the epitome of a scaredy cat. He can't stand to be in the presene of any humans, but my husband and myself. The vet, Dr. Konz, gets some privileges, but certainly not of his own free-will.
A Young Crasher
Darling Boy
This one makes me want to simply pet his sweet little nose and somehow earn the unconditional love that he has provided to me.
My Little Boy
I think this one absolutely shows his vulnerability and his capability for emotions.
The Buddy Nose Shot
Curosity killed the cat, or so they say. Well, thankfully not this one yet. Although, we believe he must be on life 6 or 7.
Profile of a Cat
For me, this photograph is particularly cool from a scientific perspective. Who gets to really see how a cat eye looks up close? It also again just highlights the trust that this animal has for me, and frankly the converse too, because I have felt the wrath of the Buddy claw and to put myself this close to him could, and depending on his mood, turn out to be a mistake. It this case it wasn't. I just simply looked silly lying on the floor trying to make this image.
And, while I write this piece, a bored Buddy is in the other room playing with a crumpled piece of paper. Guess it's time to go.
I would like to add that last Sunday, NATURE by PBS featured a program called "Why We Love Cats and Dogs." If you are at all interested in learning a bit more about your furry friends, I highly recommend spending an hour being amazed by their grace, intelligence, and tenderness.
Learn more here - "Why We Love Cats and Dogs"
*The Bud is also known as Buddy, Crash, Crasher-San, Darling Boy and the list goes on.
Tags:
cat, nature, pbs, relationship, the bud, why i love this photograph
Posted at: 06:36 PM | 0 Comments | Add Comment | Permalink
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A few tidbits about me to set the stage. I am an only child who was raised by older parents, i.e. they were in their 30s when I was born. This trend is becoming more common today, but when I was a kid, my parents were generally 10+ years older than my friends' parents. This March, my dad will be 75 years old, a fact that boggles my mind, but then again, he was 38 years old when I was born so the math adds up.
Because of the larger gaps between generations, all of my grandparents have passed away with the most recent death being over 18 years ago. I am not necessarily envious of people whose grandparents are still alive, but more so I have learned to appreciate the time we did have and treasure even more that which I have inherited, especially the photographs.
What I continually find interesting is that of this collection there are some photographs that I know by heart. I have seen them so many times in my life or because multiple family members have copies too so that I just know them. Then, like magic, I'll open another album and I'll find another photograph that I've never seen before. In most cases, I can guess at who the photographer is/was, but other times, I have no idea. This photograph of my mother is one such example where I don't know the photographer, but I sure wish I knew.
The image intrigues me for so many reasons.
- What is she looking at?
- What is she thinking about?
- Who saw this moment and why did they click the shutter?
- Why is she dressed up?
- Which event was she going to?
Plus, I just love her heels.
This image makes me want to be a better photographer. My goal is always to try and capture this type of thought provoking image, but I think that it is very difficult to do so. You can tell someone to look wistfully out of a window, but knowing the exact moment - "the decisive moment" - of when you'll get the best photograph takes skill, practice, and patience.
In this series of posts I hope to show you my thought process of why I made a particular photograph, but also highlight photographs that inspire me. There are so many great photographers out there who create incredible images. I hope they inspire you too.
Tags:
ellen quaas, inspire, mom, musings, photographs, why i love this photograph
Posted at: 10:26 PM | 0 Comments | Add Comment | Permalink
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