CATegorical Close-Ups

When I was growing up we had all sorts of pets around: dogs, cats, rabbits, hamsters, etc. I wouldn’t mind having a pet around but there’s the matter of expense (vet bills) and also the fact that no critters are allowed in my apartment house.

So my contact with pets is limited to when I visit friends. While I was away I stayed with some friends who have the friendliest cat on the planet. He would climb up on my chest and lie down, carefully attaching his claws to my T-shirt, making sure not to pierce the pale, tender skin underneath.



The last day of my visit was sunny and warm. That morning the cat crawled up on my chest and enjoyed my attention, especially that rub behind his ear. I wondered if I could try some close-up shots with him hanging on my shirt. With my Canon digital point-and-shoot the closest focusing range is at the wide-angle setting.

So I shot away, knowing that if nothing came out, I could always erase the images and not be out anything but some time (the advantage of digital over film). Usually when shooting extreme close-ups I would use a tripod or some other steady form of support. But I made do with one hand petting the cat while the other took shots. I made sure the cat wasn’t moving and I also held my breath so that my breathing wouldn’t affect my handholding and also so that the cat wouldn’t rise and fall on my chest. What are imperceptible movements with normal photography become greatly magnified when shooting so close.





I was surprised at the results. The downside with wide-angle close-ups is that sometimes too much of the background is included. As you can see from one of these shots, I spent time using Photoshop to delete my distracting bluejeaned leg and replacing it with out-of-focus grass.