Relaxing with the girls and Steve and trying to get better at this whole photography thing. Here is what I did tonight:
He’s really an easy subject to work with- he appears to like to have his picture taken, which makes sense, because he is just a magnificent beast. The funniest thing about him is he has an inaudible purr. The only time I know he is purring is when he jumps into bed, puts his torso and head on my arm and his paws on my chest (so I don’t move too quick and if I do I get cut), and then I can feel the vibration of his throat on my forearm.
Regardless, such a good kitty. And I think I am really getting better with the pictures.
The Dangerman
He can tell his buddies “check out the stupid human tricks I can make this Dude do”
/Letterman
Lynn Sutherland
These are just beautiful–everything you say about him is visible in these photos. How I love your pet posts–they keep me going.
phoebes-in-santa fe
Yes, your pictures are getting better, but you also have a highly photogenic subject there.
PurpleGirl
The pictures are getting better. His face is clear and in focus in these pictures.
He’s gorgeous and floofy.
Alison
I love that ruff he’s got going on :)
ruemara
You are! And his face is just adorbs. #2 is the best exposure but the pose is best in #3. I just want to give him cuddles and kisses and toe pad smooches.
Mike in NC
That guy is gorgeous.
John Cole
@ruemara: Can you believe I found him in a shelter? Just being all, well, that, and everything? And just three days after Tunch was killed? I swear fatbody sent him to me and that is why I love the Tunch spot so much on Steve.
And do we all now agree he is a Steve? He’s really just the best fucking cat and I love him to death.
ruemara
@John Cole: I can believe you found him in a shelter, because Otajamakushi Taifu, world’s most perfect kitteh, was a shelter kitteh. Along with Kagebasho-master of shadows and sweetness, who was a BJ rescue kitteh, which is like a shelter, but with cussing.
Jane2
He looks just fabulous in all three pics! My Phil purrs the same way…maybe it’s a long-haired boy thing.
Corner Stone
@John Cole: I hope you’re in group.
srv
WTF?
Bigfoot is a thing now, apparently.
Tommy
I got this this on my DVR. Called “Real World of Peter Gabriel.” Folks throwing their fists up in the air. Signing songs of protest. You can Google this, and you should.
rikyrah
Steve is so cute. He’s adorable.
Suzanne
He is just gorgeous. So fluffy and grand. I think Caesar or Khan may have been a better name for someone so imperious, but you know him best.
The photos are better. What kind of camera are you using? Maybe get a SLR.
Tommy
@Suzanne: My niece has never seen my cat. She lives (four years old) in a household with a huge dog and two cats. I am like here is my cat good looking, showing her pics on my phone.
My cat runs my household! I went on to say I got nothing against her cats, but my cat is in your face and wants attention 24/7. She was like WTF, she sleeps with you every night? Yes. Oh come over for a day and she will park herself on your lap and exacted so much attention at times it can become taxing :).
patty \
he is really a beauty, john. merry christmas! btw, speaking of shelters, my husband and i are currently living in s korea (he is active duty air force) and you would not believe what you see in pet stores here. puppies and kittens obviously sick and way too young to be weaned. i saw a couple of puppies in a window last night that couldn’t have been over 3 weeks old. just so freaking depressing.
Karen in GA
Those are the sweetest Steve pictures yet.
Phoebe, the World’s Most Affectionate Cat. Purrs like a leaf blower. Met her when she was a kitten in a shelter, hours from euthanasia. She was in a carrier next to the table where they were going to put her to sleep. I held her up to look for signs of illness (runny eyes, etc.) — and she stuck her head forward and licked my nose.
Anne Laurie
@John Cole: He is a lovely kitty, your photo skills are indeed improving, but: Mungo. Cat’s real name is Mungo!
wasabi gasp
He will always be a Shaun to me.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vM072Y_zEPw
Warren Terra
The pictures are getting better. Next is to work on composition, and to avoid excessive backlighting.
jl
@Anne Laurie: Thanks. I’m glad someone else knows the truth.
Beautiful cat and beautiful pics. I don’t think there is any problem with backlighting. That glow is Steve/Mungo’s nimbus.
MikeJ
@Suzanne:
iPhone 4S back camera 4.28mm f/2.4
liberal
Suck on this, cat lovers!
Tommy
@wasabi gasp: LOL. Abba.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xFrGuyw1V8s
Recall as a kid, Boy Scout, we went to well hearing this.
Tommy
@Tommy: Oh I should say we used to do orientation. You know the use of a compass. Point to point. I recall like the early 70s and a VW Bus. It was fun.
Napoleon
Re the backlighting, if he was using his flash it would not be that big of an issue. But yeah, he has to work on lighting.
Jebediah, RBG
It’s nice to be getting a better look at Steve as Cole’s photographying skills improve. Number three really shows a big personality!
Somewhat off the cat topic – after our Christmas dinner and presents and whatnot, we watched a French movie (subtitles and everything!) called “The Intouchables” and really liked it. You will too. You should watch it.
Calming influence
That 3rd shot is the best one – Steve looks like he’s about to put a paw upside your head.
poptartacus
Yes and no
Luci
Steve IS a glorious creature! And, I do believe you got him in a shelter. I once picked up the most wonderful kitten in the world on the highway. She was so cold and starved that she could not run away from me, and so I got her and nursed her, and she was absolutely glorious.
raven
Looks like a cat to me.
OzarkHillbilly
Mmmmm mmmm, kitteh. They’re not just for breakfast anymore.
Bwahahaahaahaaa (evil Snidely Whiplash laugh)….
Betty Cracker
Your photography skills have improved leaps and bounds. Steve looks like Brett Favre in these photos, particularly the last one. I’m not saying he should be named Brett Favre, just that he resembles him somehow. You can just see a thought bubble over that last picture that says, “You expect ME to train Aaron Rodgers? That’s not my fucking job.”
jak
A recent piece on taking pictures with an iPhone.
http://www.theverge.com/2013/12/23/5210112/the-verge-at-work-making-perfect-pictures-on-your-iphone
Manyakitty
Gorgeous boy! All three of mine are Petsmart rescues, not exactly shelter cats, but close. They ARE the best kittehs ever.
WereBear
All of mine are rescues: left in a cardboard box on a pet shop doorstep, picked up by the police as evidence of animal cruelty, taken from mother too soon and nearly died, and found abandoned in a field at the age of 3 weeks, respectively.
It should not astonish anyone that rescue cats are fantastic cats, because most cats are abandoned, treated badly, and barely make it to a home with the thinnest of margins.
We should be astonished that, as a society, we put up with such blatant cruelty. Fortunately, there’s a growing number of people who will not.
Hunter
I always had to sneak up on Ben to take his picture — otherwise, he would walk right up and stick his nose on the lense, trying to figure out what was in there.
karensky
Excellent pix.
kc
What a face!
stinger
I want #3, framed. All are good, but I love the one where he’s looking right at me. He looks a lot like my Gina, but her chest is all white, not just the love patch, and her feet and hind legs are white as well. She doesn’t have the bent whisker, but instead one whisker on each side curves up like a bandit’s.
MikeInSewickley
Yes, the pictures are getting much better.
And that mane is magnificent!
I just watched that Bigs Cats and Boxes video and saw the Lynx playing with the box.
Now I remember why I called the semi-feral Maine Coon cat we’ve been feeding Lynx. Maine Coons just remind me of them.
Nice pics for a snowy day.
gogol's wife
Steve is so beautiful. I want him.
vtr
Steve outshines our M. C. cat, as gorgeous as ours is. His name is Nikko, though often call him Fabio, after the Italian model, because he has long hair, he’s beautiful, and he’s dumb. Don’t tell him that, or he’ll pee on our carpet again.
Matt McIrvin
You need more light in general; when the subject is backlit, it’s good to have another light coming from the front to provide a bit of “fill”. The flash can do that, but cats as subjects can also create terrible glowing-eye problems with a flash that is too close to the lens.
Brighter lighting will also give you pictures with less blur and grain.
These pictures capture Steve well, though, and he’s a beautiful cat. I like his mane.
muricafukyea
That winter coat is gonna really suck when that cat starts shedding.
jayboat
Cole, glad you are taking the photo thing a bit more seriously. You gots some world-class subject matter.
Your technique is most definitely improving. I guess all the pointing and mocking from the peanut gallery had some effect.
8-]
May I suggest a bit of post-processing for your next phase of photoskool?
Sometimes all that’s needed is a slight tweak in exposure, saturation or contrast to make a huge diff.
This could use a bit of noise reduction as well, but I like the details in his fur.
Also, Adobe is currently running a special of 9.99/mo to sign up for Photoshop and Lighroom in the creative cloud.
Just sayin…
Paul in KY
@John Cole: I now agree that ‘Steve’ is certainly a fitting name for him.
Excellent choice, John.
coin operated
Love the pics JC. Keep ’em coming…I’ve always loved Maine Coon cats but cannot have one with me at this time.
Abo gato
What I love best are the dark, dotted lines that run sideways away from his nose. He looks so mysterious.
LT
Hey, those are darn good. They’ve got personality – Steve helps though, doesn’t he.