New Kitties are in the Family

Not quite a year ago three cats were rescued and moved in.  The first was a tortiseshell female who had been living in a barn at a farm.  The farm house was being  maintained but the barns were essentially storage for anything wanted at least partially out of the rain.  Not being a working farm, the cat was in a line of other cats who had lived and sometimes passed on there.  A kind lady gave us the cat and we took the tortie right to the vets to be checked over, vaccinated and checked for parasites.  She had a name but was renamed to Callie, a name more suited to this gentle and somewhat skittish little girl cat.

Tortiseshell refers to the coloration of the coat, variegated like the shells of certain sea turtles which are now legally protected.  The highest percent of tortie cats are female.  Having lived with much time to herself and likely harassed by larger and more predatory animals such as coyotes, we found Callie liked to stay to herself and would only venture around the home, near the walls, in very definite areas where furniture and such provided a quick place to hide.  We got the impression this quite gentle kitty with a very soft and beautiful fur coat felt insecure without a ready place to hide. She had not learned that she was safe her new home. 

The Photograph-
Her eye and coat colors are very close to accurate as seen on my calibrated monitor.  Does she often pose like this? No, she does not.  This photo is the result of her tolerating a camera in her face for several shots, most of which were not good because of her squirming out of frame just as the shutter was pushed.

She Now Feels at Home- She is comfortable in this home now and has learned that fears she may have faced living in the barn are not present in this home. She has become used to the other cats and plays running and toy games with them. She is not a lap kitty but once in a while will jump up on the sofa to warm your legs for a moment...it must be her choice at the moment.

SURPRISE, OTHER KITTIES SAW THE SIGN
We joke that there is a sign visible to homeless cats somewhere leading to our front porch. Cats see this "vacancy" light set to "yes" and come up to hang around until noticed.  We lost a precious cat to a fate of illness far before her time in December of 2012.  Barely 4 years old, she had come here as a rescue and had the best medical treatment to take care of conditions normally reserved for very elderly cats. Her loss was difficult and even if we are not ready for more kitties when one is buried and their God given spirit is taken to new life beyond birth, life, death and decay...that is when the light saying "vacancy" appears to be turned on.

This is just what happened...we received Callie early in 2013.  As she just reached the the front porch in the carrier, coming back from the vet and ready to move in,  two little young gray cats ran up the steps and sat one step down, watching intently. They were still kittens/young cats and perhaps slightly younger than Callie.

What is this! More cats? Well, weather was turning bad as it seems to do when you find a stray cat on the front porch. "They will leave and have a home in the neighborhood even if they are too small to be out like this and should be inside anyway...", I thought, hoping at the time it was so and they had not been cast out with no home. The second day they were given a box and blanket for warmth on an adjoining deck. By week's end, they were the vets to be checked out, neutered and vaccinated.  Because of parasites they were housed in a large crate (cage) in the garage with heat and cover.  Several weeks went by before they were free of persistent problems.  The health issues did pass and the two boys were then introduced to the other cats in the home, including Callie who kept her distance. 

Our eldest kitty took to them quickly and was a friend and companion. Lizzie died in the arms of my wife in the fall of 2013 and our hearts still cry for her, with fond memories of 20 years of joy from a stocky little black and white long-haired girl kitty.  The totally neat part is how the blue* boy cats stayed with her the night she died.  Apparently it was a stroke and she seemed confused for a moment then lost ability to use her right side.  Somehow, she made it to the food dishes and while trying to walk upright, one of the new boys stood directly beside her, holding her up from falling and they moved in unison to a feeding dish.  Within 2 hours and sleeping in the arms of my wife,  this little girl simply went limp and did not wake up.  She had reached that  wonderful goal: A long life, death and passing to a new world while in her sleep, apparently with no pain at all.

This story tells something about the boys who saw that "vacancy" sign.  They have no papers and brought none with them. However, they carry the undeniable characteristics of Russian Blue cats. Only a few gray cats are Russian Blue and to rescue one from a shelter or in the wild is quite unusual.  These do fit the checklist in most ways we can determine.  Even personality is right for that wonderful breed.  A photo of one of the blue boys is below. Eye color is still developing. 

When it comes down to it, almost all of the many cats who have had a home with us were rescues. We are not particular about breed but are concerned with the cats having a good home. To have these two blue brothers is a special joy simply because of their wonderful personalities and active spirits.

So, there is the story of a new kitty and her two new friends. All are members of this home for slightly less than a year and were rescued in early 2013.
*Blue is used to describe the color of a particular gray fur in cats. These kitties have that color and the silvery blue of the dual layer coat of the Russian Blue breed. For information particular to the breed, go here

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If interested in photography of your pets in their own environment, please do contact me. This blog is not my professional photography website. Rates are reasonable and most photos are done where the pet lives or at a place of your choice.  We work out of Clinton, Tennessee and within a reasonable driving distance. Thomas Haynes Photoshoot is the professional/commercial site for our business.

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More of our photography may be seen at the website used for client galleries, here.

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New Photo Website..new site, temporary name:! Thomas Haynes Photography

I am working on a photo gallery website and although not finished I need to announce that here.  The site is Thomas Haynes Photography  a gallery hosting website.   I hope to be using a more marketable name in the not too distant future, one not relying on my personal name and also better in search engine location. The new name name is not yet chosen, considering the one I had selected is taken already. However, the new name will end with less emphasis  on "Thomas Haynes". Our intent as photographer has always been to take the desire and vision of the client..perhaps you..and combine that with our creative perspective and technical abilities to produce an image capturing the vision of the customer with remarkable clarity of meaning.  We are not speaking of photos simply technically on the mark because it is more than that:  The photograph ideally will relate what the customer sees in  personal vision combined with our rendering of that vision in a most appropriate manner: We want you to see the image and feel, well, "Oh my, that is it!"

Of course, some photos are simply fun, fill the memories of the moments and record the faces of loved ones on a rare occasion together...that sort of photo..the kids in the pool or the cat hanging from the curtain.  These are small events in the scheme of life but important in a box of little joys and smiles of memory.


 For now our host is Zenfolio and each day we add a touch here or there to improve the presence of Thomas Haynes there. As galleries are added with more photos, will the more complete and newly named version stay on Zenfolio? I  do not have all the answers yet and it is much too early to judge any success I might yet have in being seen by search engines. That does not happen without much effort and certainly not this soon do we reach our goal.
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 Rowing Through Silver..posted previously in this blog but appropriate for now.

All is in the works.  Guests and users of the present website will be notified when any change takes place.   For now, please visit and take a look. Yes, some photos were first published in this blog and others are more recent, including private viewing galleries for clients.  Sign the guest page.  Every visit and guest comment is encouragement to reach for the full realization of photography with Thomas Haynes and get that going strong, renamed and branded.

SET UP FOR SINGLE PRIMARY LIGHT PHOTOGRAPHY USING A FLASHLIGHT

THE POST ON JANUARY 9, 2012 showed photos taken with a  single primary light source.  The post today shows the set up, a quick and hasty way to shoot simple objects and give your creative  lighting talents a chance to shine.  The set up consists of these items:

• White matte window shade used as the infinity curve backdrop
• Camera
• Tripod
• Light Source- we used a Surefire™ tactical flashlight, a very bright hand torch
• Objects to Photograph

A tripod to hold the camera is recommended. Although exposure did not require a really slow shutter, the tripod ensured a steady shot and freed me to move around with the light source. My arms will not reach like Plastic Man and it was comical enough  bobbling around in the crowded space and not tripping on the tripod or the legs of the ironing board  used to support the backdrop. I maneuvered around with the flashlight and used the camera timer to click off the photo.

Typical exposures use ISO 400, F/2.8 to F/7, somewhere around 1/40 sec to 1/60 sec shutter.  I recommend manual focus and manual exposure, fiddling with exposure to get the look you want.

A PERMANENT PHOTO SET UP: The best way to use the window shade backdrop is on a permanent photo table.  The shade should be mounted a foot or so up at the back of the table then pulled out along the table when needed. Add various arrangements of light tents, diffusers and multiple lighting methods to do macro and product photography.  The key is in the set up of the item and lighting. Take time with that.

 

A window shade makes an easy infinity curve backdrop for photography of small items.

This is the basic set up. An older camera fills in as model.

The room was darkened for photos taken with the single primary light.

The single source light and items to photograph

Play with lighting and discover the effect you want.

The set up for this photo of a Wacom™ graphics pen and mouse is seen in the first photo. Lighting was the Surefire™ hand-torch with a tad of ambient light leaking in from a hallway.

Single Primary Light Photography, Still Life and Portraits, Evening in Paris

Lighting is an utmost essential ingredient to a good photograph. Beyond the very basic need of enough light to take a photo in the first place, lighting contributes to color, mood, atmosphere, ambiance and drama of a photograph.  Certainly, you need a suitable subject, composition and technical skill to form the basis of any photograph: The better each of these areas the better is the photograph you produce. Yet, with the same subject matter and composition, changing the light will often dramatically alter the photograph from ordinary to very good, from snapshot to excellent.  This is true whether the subject matter stirs smiles, tears, joy, revulsion or basic curiosity in the person looking. 

 Please, No more!

Of course, I have learned that some people simply have no interest in any photos anyway, anyhow unless possibly of their kids.  And, everyone with a camera and able to put on a Thanksgiving Dinner has a photo of the table, a photo always a must to take but never seen again. If you love photography, this is a "to live with".  Some people simply would always rather do something else than see your photos! I know that is nuts but is reality.

HOW I DEFINE SINGLE SOURCE PRIMARY LIGHTING

Obviously, outdoor shots are single source lit...by that single source we call the Sun.  That light is quite varied depending on surroundings and nature of the sky at the moment.  In an open wide expanse of flat land the sun would seem more single source. In a city it is still a single light but reflections abound from built up surroundings.  This is natural light and is not what I am concerned with in this post. We are at the mercy of weather and time of day when shooting outdoor photographs, even if we do help it along in some ways. Timing and a good eye are needed for truly fine outdoor photographs.

A night in Paris no one remembers

 

Today, the single source primary light is a single artificial light.  For the photos shown, the light was a tactical flashlight by Surefire™, a very bright little light designed to hold next to a defensive handgun in target acquisition or used in emergency to temporarily fog the vision of an adversary.  I use the light because it is bright enough to cover a long distance in the woods and able to illuminate the deepest shadows easily.  The price paid is quite short battery life.  Why do I have only these photos to show today?  I used the Surefire™ flashlight to play with light bright enough to allow photos with only a sparse amount of ambient light sneaking into the hastily rigged up "studio".The next day I got out of bed all excited(it doesn't take much...and yes, I do have a life) to try more photos. I set up the studio again and put out expertly selected subjects  Camera ready...all set, turn on the light!  It was yellowish. A pack of new lithium 123's should arrive at the door any day now.

A flashlight? What camera settings did you use?

The bright flashlight made it possible to rather easily take photos inside with a tripod to prevent shake from a slow shutter.  Settings were based on ISO 400 (digital equivalent film speed) and that meant all I had to be concerned with was how open was the lens(F stop) and how quick was the shutter.  The  general settings were in the range of F/4.5 to F/8 at shutter speeds of 1/30 second to 1/50 second. Surprisingly, the faster shutter speed was at  F/8.  Remember, light power goes up or down very quickly depending on the distance the light is from the subject.  The 1/50 second shot had the light quite close to the subject.  The camera was set to aperture priority and I chose that to start.. If my choice of aperture did not give a good start for a particular artistic effect, I switched to manual and varied the aperture or shutter as desired. With digital, the viewer gives a quick idea of the ballpark where you are playing.  Film? Now I have a clue how to shoot the same photos using film. Had I started that way a lot..yikes..I do mean a lot of film would have been wasted trying for different effects. I won't be shooting film, anyway.

Nevada.

Whitehorse Turquoise and Tabasco for the Bowl of Beans

The photos are only a few examples of things to do with a single source primary light.  When the batteries arrive I will likely do more. Then we move on to single studio strobe if space permits, including basic but neat portrait work.

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Set-up for these photos:

• 1 White matte finish pull down windowshade
• Camera (a digital slr in these shots)
• Sturdy tripod
• Tactical or other bright small light
• Subject matter to photograph
 

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Thomas Haynes is a photographer working out of Clinton, Tennessee, a city just north of Knoxville. His photography is often of a fine arts direction but as in this post, his love of nature takes him again to the Clinch River Raptor Center, a rehabilitation and educational not-for-profit organization.. Visit Thomas and see more of his photography at  Facebook

 Contact Thomas to discuss photography you want done.