Finger knives

Just a little project I concocted while stuck at home most of September recovering from a respiratory infection.  I had just enough energy to manage a compact camera and handheld off-camera flash.  The cats provided the entertainment.

Just a little project I concocted while stuck at home most of

September recovering from a respiratory infection. I had just enough

energy to manage a compact camera and handheld off-camera flash. The

cats provided the entertainment.

This series is hilarious!

Jim Phelps

Thanks, Jim.  I posted these to Facebook first and most folks loved 'em.  Just a whim, not my usual subject matter.  I've been recovering from a respiratory infection, no energy, so this gave me something to do beside piddle on the laptop or read all day.

At the end of August, this kitten literally jumped out from behind a dumpster at a nearby store and followed me home.  I'm not a sucker for strays and usually ignore them - there are many in my area.  But this little pest was determined.  I figured I'd clean her up, check her for fleas, etc., and find her a home elsewhere.  Five weeks later, she's still here.  She really is a hoot, funniest kitten I've ever had and I've had many.

I thought about naming her Mehitabel, the cat from the Archy stories by Don Marquis.  But since Eartha Kitt played both Catwoman on TV, and Mehitabel in the theatrical production of "Shinbone Alley" based on the Marquis stories, I decided on Eartha Kitty.

If I get enough good photos like this I may put 'em together into a Blurb book for family, friends and anyone who's tickled by these silly creatures.

Lex, just came across this sequence which made me laugh. Cute and funny.

 Only problem is my cat now wants to feature on PN!

Thanks, Frank, glad you got a kick out of it.  This project was a surprise to me.  The last thing I ever expected to do was make "cute" cat photos.

Back in August I'd watched a local theater production of The Tempest that inspired me to try some techniques for combining motion blur in dim lighting with movement partially frozen by flash.  This recent photo of a neighbor's partially completed pinata was one such experiment.  I'd planned to test a few methods at home before trying them with an actor and dancer.

Then I spent much of September stuck at home with a respiratory infection and no energy.  I'd just been adopted by a dumpster kitten (Eartha Kitty, in this series), who was a bundle of energy and delighted in pestering our adult cats.  Gave me plenty of time while lying on the sofa with a P&S digicam, handheld flash and various slow and fast shutter techniques, varying the ambient lighting.

This photo from the series was the closest I got to the combination of motion blur and stop motion I was looking for.  The technique turned out to be very difficult to apply consistently to a skittish kitten.  But at least it got me closer to what I hope to eventually do with a project involving a dancer.  We'll see.