Black Cat Portrait

A picture on a warm day in London of Charlie, a black cat who happens to have three legs. The whole photo session lasted about 5 mins. Like all cats he is not that keen on being photographed. You have to get the picture quickly. He still looks handsome despite his advancing years. I think he is somewhere near 12.

Black cat portrait photograph by Michael

You can see the spot of rusty fur where the sunshine has illuminated the black fur.

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Comments

Black Cat Portrait — 17 Comments

Ruth (Monty's Mom) on July 7, 2013 at 1:03 am said:
I wish that could happen, Michael, but not in this life, unfortunately. Even were you or I to travel to the other’s country, neither of us would risk air travel for our precious feline companions. We need a Tardis like on Doctor Who! Until someone invents that there is no good way to transport a cat that distance. Or a human for that matter! My late husband always said, “If you have time to spare, go by air!” and he was a pilot of a small airplane. He loved air travel, but accepted the limitations caused by bad weather with that form of travel. It is nice that the miracle of the Internet allows us to share our feline companions with each other without ever leaving home.
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Ruth (Monty's Mom) on July 6, 2013 at 8:07 pm said:
Wow, what a great photo. I could be biased– he does look a lot like my Monty
— but I think that is one of the best cat photographs I have ever seen.
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- Michael on July 6, 2013 at 8:47 pm said:
  Thanks Ruth. It sounds strange but it was pretty easy to get really. I like his face in this picture. Tranquil and strong.
  He went under a bench near my flat and the weather was fine. Grabbed camera, lay down on grass, took about five photos and tried to get him to look towards me. The best one is when he looked away slightly and the light is nice. I adjusted exposure upwards because photographing a black cat tends to make the camera overexpose because the camera sees black!
  He does look like Monty. I would love to photograph them side by side!
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Rudolph.A.Furtado on July 6, 2013 at 4:55 am said:
A very handsome cat and a masterpiece of a photograph. Cat “Charlie” seems young as age in a cat or dog becomes prominent on the face.His fur is a jet glossy black, an indication of being in the pique of health.
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- Michael on July 6, 2013 at 5:02 am said:
  Thanks Rudolph. It very kind of you. He does photograph well! Mind the light was nice. He has a strong face, which helps. Although he is not that cooperative. He is probably better than most cats though in that he lets me get the photo.
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Caroline on July 5, 2013 at 6:08 pm said:
Your Charlie kitten is the most beautiful. He decided to adopt you, didn’t he? He needed you, Michael, and I think that you should honor him, as your “avatar” What do YOU think, our most humble Buddha, Egyptian cat?
We love you, you respect us, we respect you, P-of-cats.org Administrator? our Ailurophile. (Charlie, kitten, tell him, so that he hears you.)
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Dan in Tempe on July 5, 2013 at 5:20 pm said:
I love that rusty spot as well. He really looks like a much younger cat. I would say 7-8 years maybe. With all the TLC you give him and proper vet care he’ll be around for a long, long to come.
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- Michael on July 5, 2013 at 5:45 pm said:
  I agree Dan he does look younger. That may be the air brushing 😉 And the photographic skills 😉
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Ruth aka Kattaddorra on July 5, 2013 at 4:06 pm said:
Charlie is such a gorgeous boy!
Our Walter and Jozef are almost 12 so they are around the same age, 64 in our years.
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- Michael on July 5, 2013 at 4:19 pm said:
  He has a handsome masculine face. He is sweet boy though. Quite reserved and decent minded. When the weather is finally warm he stays outside about 5 yards from the back door and watches. I like that.
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  - Marc on July 5, 2013 at 6:09 pm said:
    Wow great photo – the bit of light on the far cheek is impressive to say the least!
    He looks very male it’s true actually.
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    - Michael on July 6, 2013 at 10:46 am said:
      Yeh, I like that bit of light on the cheek. It sort of defines the face better and the red rust. He does look like a boy and he behaves like one even though he is neutered. Sometimes, incorrectly, I wish he was whole and intact. We have to neuter and spay but the whole cat is so glorious.
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Caroline on July 5, 2013 at 4:05 pm said:
Your Charlie is THE most exquisitely midnight that I have ever seen! My goodness, you took that with the Canon.
That three-l this beautiful kitty, is so so very fortunate to have you, as we are. And, needless to say…:)
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- Michael on July 6, 2013 at 10:44 am said:
  Yes, the camera is a Canon 7D. This is a really functional camera that helps you get the picture. Love the camera. Love Charlie. Thanks for the compliments about Charlie.
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Barbara on July 5, 2013 at 3:36 pm said:
Charlie is a fabulous, handsome, gorgeous little chap and it’s lovely to see him out enjoying the sun. Our boys don’t like their photos taken either, I’d hate to try and count up the number of “perfect shots” we’ve just missed and ended up with a catless photo and a cat grinning on the sidelines.
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- Michael on July 5, 2013 at 4:17 pm said:
  Thanks Babara. He is handsome. I did flatter him a little bit in the photography but don’t tell him that.
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- Michael on July 6, 2013 at 10:42 am said:
  I know about missed cat photos. God, they are legend. However, Charlie is quite accommodating. There is a limit but perhaps he is better than most. For example, he looks me in the eye for as long as I look at him. Also I have a decent camera that helps me to capture the moment. They are fleeting especially when photographing cats.
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