Like most of you, we stayed home for the last six or seven weeks due to the virus and the stay-at-home orders, and likely will continue for a few more weeks. This time period is generally one of our busiest, with spring migration bird photography, our central Florida spring weather bringing out all the wildlife and flowers, day trips and camping trips, and our interpretive naturalist hikes. Most of the parks around us closed due to people not observing the social distancing rules so our plan to hike and continue our spring photography fell through. The preserve where we lead the spring hikes cancelled all events, which included our two-hike Spring series. Social distancing an interpretive naturalist/photography hike just doesn’t work. We are always pointing things out, gathering around certain areas getting interesting shots, and comparing shots by crowding around someone’s camera.
Karl has found various subjects to try test shots as he works at learning the Sony mirror-less as well as he knew his Canon. I thought that maybe pet photography, that old standby, might be interesting. Why, I don’t know. I guess all the time at home affected my memory. I wrote before how the two feral cats who decided to live with us six years ago don’t like cameras.
When they first came in, both cats started out happy to share the house as long as we kept our distance. Over time they turned into friendly cats who love attention and sit with us in our chairs, and during colder weather insist on sharing our bed. Sassy, the gray one, is actually a loving lap cat.
However, put a camera in your hand and everything changes. During this time they have gone from simply running away and hiding as they did as kittens, to faking me out by posing nicely then bolting just before I pressed the shutter, to their current mood of staying put while giving me unfriendly cat looks.
Neither felt like rousing themselves while sleeping on an outdoor shelf, so I tried again. Midnight would not look anywhere near the camera. This is the closest I got, which is more like a “just get it over with” look.
Sassy gave me the annoyed cat stare. She is very good at that. She also has an open eyed stare that truly makes you wonder what you have done. Hard to believe she is a purring, happy lap cat most of the time.
Well, it was an idea. No cute cat photos or cat videos from me.
Nichter Photography PLUS 