Tag: photography

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The Cats of University Heights: Spice

For some reason, June 7, 2018 was a busy day for feline finds. The tortoiseshell that I nickname Spice is third in succession, following Royal and Sleepy. We met along Florida between Madison and Monroe. I have seen the tortie twice since, in the same apartment parking lot.

I pulled out iPhone X to capture the Featured Image and companion at 6:08 p.m. PDT. Vitals: f/2.4, ISO 32, 1/60 sec, .97 ev, 6mm. The other: f/1.8, ISO 50, 1/120 sec, 4mm.

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The Cats of University Heights: Sleepy

Cleveland cat sightings are surprisingly few, despite the expansive street’s neighborhood prominence. Among them: BellBlack, Black and WhiteFess (who disappeared), Fresh, Hunter, LeviLiloMellow, Mika (who moved away), MiniPepe (who was rehomed), Roly Poly, and Tortie. That’s fourteen out of the 195 profiles posted since the series started in October 2016 (hopefully I missed none in the counting).

The fifteenth feline—and the first new seen in six months along Cleveland—rested (hence the nickname) in a yard on the stretch between Tyler and Van Buren. I shot the Featured Image on June 7, 2018 using iPhone X. Vitals: f/2.4, ISO 16, 1/345 sec, 6mm; 3:29 p.m. PDT. 

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The Cats of University Heights: Royal

I read about this beautiful Bengal for about a month in various posts on the NextDoor social network before finally making contact, June 7, 2018. Residents wanted to know who this animal belonged to, if anyone, with some confusing the regal feline for Abby, who lives about four blocks away.

Earning nickname Royal, the cat commanded great presence. During our early evening walk, the shorthair approached my wife and I, coming up Monroe Ave. Interestingly, a ginger followed about a half-block behind, eventually seeking refuge either in the alley or some yard between Louisiana and Texas streets. 

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The Cats of University Heights: Maui

We follow Phil with the twenty-first feline seen on Alabama street. This fellow lives in the same residence as Itchy Valentino and Mr. Kitty, no less. I take a chance not clarifying the name, which the owner told me recently. I asked if the spelling was Maui. He hesitated, then said yes. But, in retrospect, I wonder if he could have meant: Meowee, which isn’t a stretch considering the others’ monikers. I will change should that prove correct.

I first spotted Maui under the shade of a chair on May 15, 2018 but couldn’t get a good enough photo through the yard’s fence. He presented again, street-side, on June 1, when I shot the Featured Image using Leica M10 and Summarit-M 1:2.4/50 lens. Vitals: f/5.6, ISO 100, 1/90 sec, 50mm; 9:37 a.m. PDT.

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The Cats of University Heights: Phil

Why are there so many putty-tats along Alabama Street? Phil makes the twentieth featured out of the 191 shot since the series started in October 2016. You will meet yet another tomorrow, and I know of several more living indoors yet to be photographed. I spotted Phil while walking to the Sprouts market late this afternoon.

I chose to shoot the Featured Image with the recently acquired Google Pixel 2 XL rather than Leica M10 slung around my back. The smartphone proved more than worthy. Vitals: f/1.8, ISO 50, 1/176 sec, 4.46mm; 5:51 p.m. PDT. 

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The Cats of University Heights: Darth Mew

It’s a Friday doubleheader: two beasties with Star Wars names—and real they are! We follow Princess Leia with Darth Mew, whom my wife and I met on June 10, 2018. Texas Street is the neighborhood’s designated boundary, and we saw Darth just beyond as we walked in the direction of Arizona.

The Featured Image comes from iPhone X. Vitals: f/2.4, ISO 16, 1/60 sec, 6mm. The other is an ever-so-soft-focus portrait taken with Leica M10 and Summarit-M 1:2.4/50 lens. Composed as shot: f/5.6, ISO 200, 1/60 sec, 50mm. Time for both is 8:52 a.m. PDT. 

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The Cats of University Heights: Princess Leia

We celebrate this fine Friday with the start of a two-part Star Wars theme. Who would have guessed that yesterday I would meet a Calico named Princess Leia along Louisiana between Meade and Monroe. She worried me, though, with her scratchy and continuous mews, that she might be lost—or maybe just lonely. She sounded and moved like a mature madam. I regret only getting her name from the tag.

I used the Leica M10 and Summarit-M 1:2.4/50 lens to capture the Featured Image, which is composed as shot. Vitals: f/11, ISO 100, 1/45 sec, 50mm; 12:30 p.m. PDT. The companion, cropped 3:2 and auto-corrected, comes from Google Pixel 2 XL, which I acquired last week to replace iPhone X. (Oh, yes, it’s gone!) Vitals: f/1.8, ISO 91, 1/4673 sec, 4.6mm. 

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The Cats of University Heights: Little

My wife called it a “tiger cat convention”—three beasties from the same household gathered around the front yard. We had never seen such a sight, and the owner later told me that it was a rare occurrence.

Little, who is shy compared to companions Bruce and Guido, is reasonably reluctant. At about two weeks old, he pushed through a neighbor’s fence to escape several dogs. That gent didn’t know what to do with the kitten; Guido’s mom stepped in, even feeding the furry tyke from a bottle those first days in her care.