I’ve been waiting to use my new camera for some long exposure landscapes on the coast, but I didn’t have a tripod that was up to the job. The last time I tried, I stood and watched the end of my lens bob up and down in a stiff breeze. A new tripod was ordered, but the ball head wasn’t in stock and I had to wait some time for delivery. The kit finally arrived the other week, but I missed high tide during the middle of the day for my desired locations and so I will have to wait a bit longer.
In the meantime, I had a couple of photoshoots with the cats in the winter sunshine. In the past, I’ve used a couple of stands to peg my fluffy throw up high on the far side of our bed, but the cats think it’s much more fun to play underneath. This time I just put the cover directly on the bed, threw on a couple of catnip toys and waited. Within seconds I had eight cats bouncing around in the sun. Not only was I spoilt for choice, but I couldn’t isolate just one for a portrait. I let them play undisturbed for a while.
Eventually they calmed down. Some wandered up to their play den in the attic, leaving me to concentrate on those who were left. Bubu was my first model and in spite of having a poorly eye, I think the image has come out rather nicely. (He’s on ointment three times a day for a sequestrum and is doing very well as you can see).
Chai is always one of my favourites to photograph and there is something about her colouring in the sun that works perfectly. She is also happy to perform for me when I’m using the camera. The image featured at the top is probably the best from the entire session, although I’m very happy with all the others shown below. The new camera seems to like the cats, probably because the 36Mp provide so much more detail in the eyes and fur. It also handles high contrast so much better than the Sony, enabling me to keep the curtains open while still preserving the highlights.
Sonea, our chocolate smoke Devon Rex has always been difficult to photograph. She’s either having a “whizzy” round the house, or she gets shy and won’t look at me if I’m pointing a camera in her direction. She settled down in a sunny spot and I was immediately drawn to her shadow on the door of our airing cupboard. She stuck around long enough for me to capture the image below.
I must remember that this is definitely a winter pursuit, as from spring to autumn, the sun is too high in the sky and only makes it as far as the bedroom carpet. So, while I’m waiting for high tide over the next couple of weeks, I will try and have another session on the next sunny afternoon.
