Tag: Cats of University Heights

Photo by Joe WilcoxFeb 14, 20196:01 am

The Cats of University Heights: Valentine

Some kitties pull your heartstrings—to somber notes—as did this black and white seen yesterday along Campus Avenue, at the same property where lives the grey that I call Blue. The putty-tat earns its nickname for the day being profiled and for me thinking when looking at its face: “Be mine”, like the text on one of those candy hearts.

Valentine also has the distinction of being the first cat appearing in the series shot using the Fujifilm GFX 50R, which I received four days ago, and Fujinon GF63mmF2.8 R WR lens. Vitals for the Featured Image: f/5.6, ISO 100, 1/70 sec, 63mm; 9:13 a.m. Same for the other, but 1/100 sec.

Photo by Joe WilcoxFeb 13, 20193:38 pm

The Cats of University Heights: Mewl

Wagering a guess, the shorthair that I call Mewl is a pregnant female. She was needy and noisy—hence the nickname—when my wife and I encountered the kitty along Spalding Place on Feb. 6, 2019. We approached from Madison Avenue through the alley between Park and Georgia, when we saw her walking from street to sidewalk. She turned when I pulled out Google Pixel 3 and loudly and nearly continuously meowed as she came up to us.

I spent some time tweaking the Featured Image and its companion, particularly for highlights and shadows. Vitals: f/1.8, ISO 58, 1/1466 sec, 4.44mm; 10:43 a.m. PST. I let Google Photos auto-tune the second pic, for comparison sake. To my eyes, the first is more color accurate, as captured by the smartphone. The other has a more yellowish hue. Vitals: f/1.8, ISO 57, 1/1565 sec; 4.44mm; 10:43 a.m.

Photo by Joe WilcoxFeb 9, 20196:24 am

The Cats of University Heights: Shy

Happy Caturday! Meet our thirty-sixth behind-the-window watcher, whom I have seen several times over the past few weeks. During the portraiture session a couple days before the Featured Image, a young man returning home said that was his kitty, Shy, looking out. None of the shots, taken with Google Pixel 3, precisely auto-focused on the shorthair.

But on Feb. 3, 2019, with Leica Q, I could manually focus just right. Vitals, aperture manually set: f/5.6, ISO 100, 1/320 sec, 28mm; 11:14 a.m. PST. Shy lives in the same apartment complex as Honey Bunny, who was the 11th cat to appear in the series. Shy is number 244. BTW, Veruca lives on the same block, along Meade.

Photo by Joe WilcoxFeb 5, 20191:11 pm

The Cats of University Heights: Brick

Feline sightings along Panorama are infrequent. Among the 243 profiles since the series‘ start in October 2016, this is only the third from the drive that horseshoes to Adams Ave. at both ends. Brick—nicknamed for the wall behind—joins Herbie, the Love Bug and Roadie. Will there be more?

Few months ago, I saw the black shorthair in the same vicinity before it disappeared into the bamboo along the canyon. Brick presented once more, finally, briefly in a yard on Jan. 30, 2019. I used Leica Q to capture the Featured Image, which RAW DNG file underwent extensive editing to emphasize highlights, pull back shadows, and boost whites to make the dark fur more visible. Vitals, aperture manually set: f/4, ISO 100, 1/320 sec, 28mm; 9:38 a.m. PST.

Photo by Joe WilcoxFeb 4, 20195:11 pm

The Cats of University Heights: Calm

While walking down Mission Avenue on the afternoon of Jan. 19, 2019, I came upon a handsome feline sitting on cement-stone steps in statuesque repose, unfettered by passing people, cars, or dog walkers and their beasts. The kitty surprised, as I hadn’t seen him (or her) on the street before. She (or he) presented on the several following days, on the same property and others.

The shorthair earns nickname Calm, for demeanor. I used Leica Q for the Featured Image and its companion—the latter on the 21st. Vitals, aperture manually preset for street shooting: f/5.6, ISO 200, 1/60 sec; 28mm; 4:20 p.m. PST. The other is same, except for ISO 100 and 3:13 p.m.

Photo by Joe WilcoxJan 27, 201912:16 pm

The Cats of University Heights: Shadow, Too

For years, I have wondered about a house on Monroe Avenue, around the corner from where live Luci, Maven, Night, and Peso because of the kitty decorations in the yard. This morning, while passing by, my curiosity met the cat: the series‘ thirty-fifth behind-the-window watcher. Initially, I stopped to gawk but not to photograph because something felt a little too intrusive about the setup and my peering inside from the sidewalk behind the lens.

But before reaching the cross street, I turned about. As I lifted Leica Q to manually focus, a couple walking dogs passed behind me. The gent gleefully yelled: “Oh, that’s Shadow!” To which, I asked: “How do you know?” “We know the owner”, he answered, adding that there is a companion cat named Charlie.

Photo by Joe WilcoxJan 19, 20197:48 pm

The Cats of University Heights: Ruff

Heavy rains gave way to summer sun this fine Caturday, as temperatures topped 21 degrees Celsius. I hauled out for a late-morning walk, with intention of calling my sister who winters in Florida. Her line went straight to voicemail. I rang my (last living) uncle, instead. Yikes, he prepared his Northern Maine homestead for impending heavy snow and possible power outage. About 15 minutes into the conversation, I asked that he wait while I used Google Pixel 3 XL to capture several quick portraits of a handsome dark grey shorthair sitting beneath a propped window and looking out through the screen.

The Featured Image is the second shot of four, taken along Meade Avenue not far from where Teach lives. Vitals: f/1.8, ISO 67, 1/7813 sec, 4.44mm; 11:22 a.m. PST. Thirty-fourth behind-the-window watcher to appear in the series, the cat earns its nickname for fine white ruff.

Photo by Joe WilcoxJan 18, 20196:05 am

The Cats of University Heights: Monarch

Black kitties are the most difficult to identify, particularly from a distance. Our newest inductee was spotted on Sept. 15, 2018 in the same yard as Skull, the fourth feline to participate in the series (October 2016). Next door, at the Butterfly House, another Halloween cat, Wink, made an appearance nearly a year later (August 2017). Are they all the same, or three different shorthairs? From the various photos, they look distinct enough to me. But who can say?

The Featured Image is one of the last captured with Leica M10, which I sold a few weeks later. Last night, someone bought the other of my two Leica lenses—90mm / f4.0 Macro Elmar—which I used for this portrait. The Blackie earns nickname Monarch, for location seen and timing of this profile; keepers of the butterfly refuge recently relocated to Hawaii. Vitals: f/4, ISO 200, 1/90 sec, 90mm; 6:29 p.m. PDT.

Photo by Joe WilcoxJan 4, 20196:15 am

The Cats of University Heights: Mitsie

Our second featured feline of 2019 is the thirtieth seen along Alabama—on the same block where live Harley, Holiday, Laramie, Lupe, and Precious and where were the homes of the departed Monkey and missing Smokey. I have exclaimed about the putty population density on the street, numerous times, and I know of at least four more cats on the block that have yet to be photographed. But there are others of which I am aware along the 1.5 km stretch between Adams and Lincoln.

I met Mitsie (her real name), one of her owners, and three dogs while they sunned on the cool morning of Dec. 29, 2018. She came to one of her current caretakers as a stray about six years ago, when he lived in Imperial Beach, Calif.

Photo by Joe WilcoxJan 1, 20196:01 am

The Cats of University Heights: Storm

Our third New Years furball joins Norman (2018) and Chub (2017) in the distinguished role. The kitty is also twenty-ninth featured from Alabama. I walk all over the neighborhood, such that the street gets no special attention with respect to others. Yet, for reasons that mystify, more felines are seen there than anywhere. Of the 237 profiles to date, 12 percent come from Alabama between Adams and Lincoln. Meow! The real number of known cats rises to the mid-thirties; I simply don’t have satisfactory portraits of them all yet.

The handsome Tuxedo earns nickname Storm, for appearing between two major rain fronts on the morning of Nov. 29, 2018. Considering the weather, I was walking for exercise between torrents rather than scouting for early day paw-paws. I spotted Storm first in the yard where Striker appeared five months earlier. The Tux moved behind cars and along a house and garage onto another property before approaching close enough for photos.

Photo by Joe WilcoxDec 25, 20188:50 am

The Cats of University Heights: Tranquil

I encountered our honorary Christmas cat five minutes after sighting Comfy, on Dec. 12, 2018—also along North Avenue, but closer to Madison than Monroe. I lugged Leica Q, which was the perfect companion for post-production close-cropping; it’s a necessity when shooting wide (28mm) from a distance but easily doable because of the detail captured by the superb f/1.7 Summilux lens and full-frame sensor.

The kitty earns nickname Tranquil for its position, location, and time of day (sunny 2:22 p.m. PST). Vitals for the Featured Image and companion, aperture manually set for street shooting: f/5.6, ISO 100, 1/250 sec, 28mm.

Photo by Joe WilcoxDec 12, 20188:03 pm

The Cats of University Heights: Huey

Along North Avenue, but on the other side of Monroe from where I recently saw Stark, a handsome shorthair slumbered, soaking up the afternoon sun. The kitty changed positions while I snapped several portraits using Leica Q, which nearly silent leaf shutter caused no disturbance. The Q is my venerable camera companion, now that the M10 has gone to a new owner—a story I should tell soon in a future post. My needs are better met with auto and manual focus options, and the rangefinder only offered the latter.

For hopefully obvious reasons, our sleeping beauty earns nickname Comfy. He reposed on a back porch next to a kitty house. The Featured Image is the last in a series of five shots—all cropped and solely edited to draw out highlights. Vitals, aperture manually set for street shooting: f/5.6, ISO 100, 1/320 sec, 28mm; 2:17 p.m., today.