Portland Show January 2010

I am beginning to upload the images from the Portland show along with updating past shows with new images so keep checking back for more everyday.

Here is a little girl having her Mom take a photo of her with Phyllis's Devon Rex. This girl loved this kitty sooooo much! Notice the cat on her shirt. People visit the show with all kinds of cat outfits on, cat hats, cat print clothes, stuffed cats, cat t shirts, even a woman who was in a fancy scooter wheelcahir with a stuffed cat in the front basket.

Pamela Barrett asked me to take images of people enjoying themselves at the show. I had already been doing just that, because that is what people do when they visit cat shows, they have a great time. It is fun for all ages and walks of life. I have met diverse and interesting people from all the States I have attended cat shows at. The charm and humor of the Southerners in North Carolina, the quick wit of the folks in New Jersey, the warmth of the people in Oregon, and then there are the Washington shows, but hey, I am from there so I know to expect a playful crowd with some intellectuals, greenies, and many more types mixed up in it all.

Showing at cat shows is exhausting!

This exhausted cat owner fell asleep in his cage while petting his cats. My only concern was that he might miss the calls for his cats to the rings.

This happens, people miss their cats calls to the rings because of exhaustion.

Some of them sleep under the benching tables hidden behind the fabric that drapes down to the floor. I have done it once myself.

Elaine abd her 25 pound Maine Coon

As I wandered the show hall looking for photo ops I saw a group of 7 photographers surrounding Elaine at her bench. I walked up and said, "There are not enough photographers here, I had better join you all."

Elaine was showing off her handsome and perfectly groomed 25 pound Maine Coon, while educating the photographers on the breed.

I did the math, if you carry 2 Maine Coons to a show ring at a time, you could be carrying as much as 50 pounds to and from the rings. Going to 12 rings is 600 pounds of weight lifting, taking the cats back from the 12 rings is another 600 poun ds of weight lifting. This is not only a cat show, it's a weight lifting event!

Cat show photos

I did my first shoot using some of the lighting, backdrop, set design, and poses that are the standard for professional cat show photographers. I have been invited to be the official show photographer at a show back East and I am going to perfect the craft.

I used a canvas backdrop that has some texture and wrinkles in it. It is not the standard backdrop for pro cat show photographers.

Exotic Shorthairs are cobby, cobby legs, cobby bodies, cobby tails, have no necks, really big round heads with a flat face and small ears. Every cat breed has its own partcular standards, so they all must be photographed to accentuate these qualities while also bringing out the personality of the cat.

If Alex was a person, he would be a line backer playing football. He is just 8 months old.

Cat show photos

Here I wanted to play around with colored paper backgrounds. I felt that blue helped emphasize Alex's coat color.

This pose is not really one of the standard ones you see, but I like to innovate, and I think it shows his breed standards and personality very well.

If you saw the movie Zoolander, then you know that Alex is doing his version of blue steel.

Cat show photos

This is a standard cat pose you see a lot. It shows the tail very well, the color and quality of the coat, the shape of the body, along with the head. Notice how short an Exotic Shorthair cats neck is. With a Devon Rex, you want to show how long their neck is.
This backdrop is not one of the standard ones that pro cat show photographers use. They use a variety of solid colored paper and fabric backdrops, and let the owner pick the color. I have a vast array of backdrops that have subtle and not so subtle patterns. This one is a one of a kind red and black silk screened silk velvet backdrop made by the now retired fashion designer Darbury Stenderu. I was her fashion photographer for a decade.

Alex is one cobby boy, look at the size of his head.

Cat show photos

Here I placed him on a black fabric backdrop. I have to direct him by holding a long cat toy in one hand while holding my camera in the other hand and taking photographs. It is not easy! But the results are great. I tried having an assistant do the cat toy so I could just shoot and that makes it easier for me, but I had less control of the kind of pose I wanted from Alex.

Here is Alex looking like 007.