ABC CARPETS NY

My initial interest in this class came from my love of pet photography. It started a few years ago when my brother brought home a bulldog puppy that I instantly fell in love with. I began to take pictures of the puppy and found that the images I produced brought me much satisfaction. My brother named his dog Junior, after himself, as they both shared a stocky build. In my pictures I found that I was able to capture the likeness between my brother and Junior. When I shared my photos with my family and friends they were impressed and encouraged me to pursue photography. That’s how I ended up in this course and it’s great that as a culminating experience I can return to what sparked my interest in the first place - pet photography.

Pet photography is used for a number of different commercial products including magazines, pet calendars, greeting cards, and logos. Because I enjoy the artistic aspect of photography I would hope that someday my photos might be featured in magazines and greeting cards.

Capturing candid pet photos can be a particular challenge because animals do not speak our language and so it’s necessary to utilize tools such as pet toys and noises to gain the animal’s attention. In her article “Picturing Your Pet” pet photographer, Lynne Eodice points out that it is necessary to take several photos in order to capture the one that is just what you are looking for. She also talks about the importance of getting on your pet’s level and taking images from a number of different angles in order to produce the best results (Eodice, 2003). I kept this in mind for all of my photos, but most specifically for my Photos 1 and 15. In order to create the angles that I wanted to achieve I had to position myself in the exact right spot and get down to the animal’s level.

Heather Green is an animal photographer who focuses her images on the relationship between people and their pets. She combines contemporary colored photography with more standard black and white photos. Heather creates art within her images so that her work is not only appealing to animal lovers but also to those who appreciate the true art of photography (Green, 2008). I kept Heather’s technique in mind for Photos 1,3,4 and 6. My favorite one of these is Photo 4. This is an image of my brother with my dog, Sachi. We always call Sachi a “cat-dog” because of his dainty behavior and my brother always makes fun of him for his terrified face. I love this picture because you really see a similarity between my brother’s face and Sachi’s face and you also see the playful side of both of them. It’s an owner with his pet, and it makes you laugh out loud because of how similar their expressions are and how they reflect the personalities of each other. Another image that shows the human/animal relationship is Image 8. Sachi, again, is waiting for my dad to feed him. My dad is walking from the fridge to the sink with the canned dog food and Sachi is eagerly waiting. This is a nightly routine for them and every night Sachi sits patiently by, watching and waiting for his food.

As I have continued on in my research I have focused mainly on cat and dog photography. In National Geographic’s Cat Shots the introduction is titled “The Accidental Cat Photograph.” It is an interesting and insightful introduction to the book and states that “cats never pose, they just are” (Slung, 1998). It talks about the art of capturing cats in photography and points out the hundreds of cats that have made their way into the National Geographic Society’s photographic files. “Cats also make contrasts, and contrasts make photographs. In the most obvious sense – as in black or white, tiger or tabby – cats are design elements, absorbing or reflecting light, and adding a patterned flourish” (Slung, 1998). An image of mine that reflects this is Image 9 of my cat, Kitty, sitting by the fridge on the tile kitchen floor. Her patterned fur contrasted with the patterned floor creates a nice texture and image. Her colors blend in with the colors of the wood, which adds an interest to the photo and creates a complete image. The introduction then explores the more subtle ways in which cats can create contrast when photographed with other objects including big and small or rough and sweet. Since many people associate cats with grace, beauty, and relaxation, photographers can use these associations to then pair the cat with a specific object or person, creating a beautiful contrast and giving the image meaning. I used these methods in Photos 2 and 5. In Photo 2 my cat is sitting in a drawer licking her paw. Although the image is blurred you get a sense of the size difference between the drawer and my cat, Sophie. Sophie is a tiny cat, and she looks especially small when sitting in what is viewed by us, a small drawer. Similarly in Photo 5 I took an image of Sophie sleeping. I loved the contrast created by her snow-white fur and my bright red robe. Also, she is the epitome of peac

Route 66 Back in the late 50,s .............

From Google search:
Finally, we stop at the Blue Swallow Motel ("100% refrigerated air") and meet a Route 66 institution, Lillian Redman (now deceased). Mrs. Redman arrived in New Mexico by way of covered wagon in 1916, worked as a Fred Harvey Girl in her youth, and received the Blue Swallow as an engagement present in 1958. In our 1996 conversation, she recalled when the highway was paved with cinders because of its proximity to the railroad and expounded upon her belief that we are all travelers in some way. Even into her nineties, she offered a clean room, hardwood floor, and black and white television to road weary travelers for eleven bucks and change. On the back of her postcard, I read: "From 'birth 'til death' we travel between eternities. May these days be pleasant for you, profitable for society, helpful to those you meet, and a joy to those who know and love you best." If you're curious, Blue Swallow represents two ideas: blue stands for truth, while the bird stands for love.

During our Summer 2000 return to the Mother Road, we met Dale and Hilda Bakke, the new owners of the Blue Swallow Motel. Turns out Dale was a licensed electrician employed by the Colorado prison system for nine years. He loved the first seven but grew to dread the increasingly administrative functions of his job. So he picked up, sold everything, and moved the family the New Mexico after hearing about a chance to buy an old motel. "I didn't know it was on Route 66 or anything, only that it was beat up and needed a lot of work." After winning a competitive grant from USWest, he added a phone system to the formerly communication-challenged court, but made sure that the phones would be vintage rotary models. The floors are now carpeted and the walls are freshly painted, but the overall attitude remains the same. Step into the office, pet a fourteen year old cat, grab a postcard, and settle into a nice room. Given all the refurbishment and upgrade, don't be surprised that the price has more than doubled since Lillian Redmond owned the place, and don't be stingy either. This is the best motel on Route 66. Sure, some folks may quibble over the enhancements. Hilda remarks: "We get some purists who complain, 'you should have left the old black and white TVs, you should have left the old stuff.'" Of course, she adds: "we could have left the old creaky mattresses, too . . . we won't make any structural changes, and most people like what we've done to it."