Tanja - photographer

I'm falling behind on adding profiles for the great photographers I get to work with as part of this project! Yesterday I went out to do a photo shoot with Tanja, of Jelger and Tanja Photography She was super nice and very patient with the young cats (one shy, one less so), following them around, trying to capture them relaxed and adorable. And, of course, she sent me amazing photos afterwards! Once again, it was a challenging lighting situation, with one shy cat and one black cat - but Tanja got great photos of both! yay!

Look for more photos of Marlin and Valentine in Tanja's gallery soon. These siblings are available for adoption through Vancouver Orphan Kitten Rescue!

Thanks Tanja, for your time and these lovely photos - I look forward to doing more! 

Marlin - the shy cutie

Valentine - the playful one

I Have Cat Feature

In an effort to get more people aware of (and buying) the fundraising greeting cards, I reached out to the biggest powerhouse I know in the internet cat world (besides Maru, that is) - I Have Cat. Tamar writes a fabulously entertaining blog to chronicle her life as a 30-something NYC singleton looking for love despite the complication of owning cat. As funny as it is, she also does a service, I think, by breaking down the stereotype of crazy cat people.  I especially love her features of cat men to balance out the cat ladies.

Tamar was nice enough to do a feature on me and Orphan Animal Pics!  And some cards have already sold from etsy as a result!  Thanks Tamar -  I'm honoured to be on such a great blog, in such great company and fingers crossed for more sales in the fundraiser!

Shy Cats

Shy cats. You know the ones - they run and hide when company comes over, people don't really believe you have a cat because it's never seen by strangers. But when the strangers are gone and it's just family - they're snuggly and show a whole different side of themselves.

For cats looking to get adopted, being shy can be a barrier to finding a new home. People go to shelters and foster homes and want that instant connection with 'the one'. I understand that. But there's so much reward to be had with adopting a shy cat and helping her overcome that shyness and learn to trust you (and hopefully others!). Watching a shy cat come out of her shell is a wonderful thing.

So shy cats are already starting out in a challenging place - by running and hiding when potential adopters come to visit. This behaviour also makes it difficult to get their photos, even though they are often most in need of photos that show off their good looks and personality!

There's a pair of bonded brothers with Vancouver Orphan Kitten Rescue - Sammy and Jet, I saw them in the gallery and couldn't believe it - they've been passed around through a few homes and spent years in the foster system. Two boys who sounded just lovely!  That's crazy.  So Kris of K9 Studio Pet Photography and I made a date to try to get their photos, even though we were warned they were shy.

These boys are great cats! Jet spent the first half hour under the bed, then walked out into the living room and right over to me (a stranger) for a head pat! Cats are so funny.  Kris got some beautiful photos of Sammy, but Jet (the black cat) wasn't as cooperative (and is black, making him more challenging to begin with).

Once again, I'm so impressed with the photographers I get to work with - they take crummy lighting situations, busy backgrounds, faulty equipment.... and somehow in the end manage to have beautiful photos.  Thanks Kris! Keep your eyes peeled for Gallery 4 with Kris's photos.

Card Sales

Haven't been scheduling photo shoots lately, have been spending time working to peddle the greeting cards.  So far only 13/100 have sold, but I have high hopes for the holiday season. I've got a free table at the Blim Community Market this Sunday thanks to the organizers and VancouverIsAwesome.com!

Sunday, Oct 21, noon - 5 at Heritage Hall - come visit me!

I did have a nice coffee date today with Kris of K9 Pet Photography, who caught my eye when I saw her amazing photos of shelter dogs. We're hoping to work together soon - so stay tuned for that.

unrelated HomeFinders kitten

She also told me about a very interesting organization called Hearts Speak that works to "unite the individual efforts of animal artists and animal rescues into collective action for social change."  They seem pretty awesome - I encourage any animal rescue groups hoping for photography service or other donated artist skills to contact them and see if they can connect you with someone in your area.  One of my favorite parts of their website is the before and after photos - it really powerfully shows what a difference great photos can make!

Cards Ready for You!

I picked up the greeting cards from the printer!

So exciting to see the photographs printed out - I think they look great. Please consider buying one or several. All the proceeds go to the animal rescue groups that do such tireless work to save these beautiful animals.

Just by buying a card from this fundraising effort instead of from hallmark, you can help make a difference, how easy is that!

Cards are listed in my etsy shop and will be available at some craft fairs around Vancouver, BC.

The 4 designs are shown below.

"It's your birthday AGAIN?"

Wow, your birthday sure gets a lot of attention.

[blank interior]

And all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.

Those eyes

*sigh*  I always want to take them all home.  Look at the eyes on this little thing!  This is the infamous bunny cat Stellaluna whose adorableness cannot be overstated.

Photos being uploaded to Jackie's gallery now.

Jackie & the Bunny Cat

Jackie and I visited some lovely ladies and their foster cats today, including Stellaluna the bunny cat. Born with a funky tail end, Stellaluna is a pretty accurate cross between a kitten and a bunny, complete with adorable little hop (she's quite speedy) and a little puff tail. Seriously, it's pretty much the cutest thing ever. When Stella is a bit bigger, they'll be able to x-ray her and try to see the cause of her uniqueness; it's hard to predict if she'll be just fine as she grows or if she'll have issues/need surgery. Right now, she's pure adorable. Hard to get her to stay still for a photo, actually!  Jackie the photographer fell in love and I think is plotting a way to steal her.


We also visited a cute & friendly stray cat found by a lady who helps people find their lost cats. She hasn't been claimed and is looking for a new home. She's very sweet, playful and posed nicely for the camera - hard to ask for a better cat really!