Month: August 2014

Forever Cats

“Of all God’s creatures, there is only one that cannot be made slave of the leash. That one is the cat. If man could be crossed with the cat it would improve the man, but it would deteriorate the cat.”
― Mark Twain

I cannot disagree with the wise man. Cats cannot be made slaves. Look at this face if you had any doubts.

Look at this royal gesture.

A warrior fighting invisible evil…

“A silent guardian, a watchful protector”…

He used to live a life of emperor and didn’t know what was coming …

… but he took it with dignity.

Another remarkable cat I had a pleasure to meet.

Leo, the most patient and meek creature ever, a good-hearted friend of his humans and their young.

There are many kitties who are less fortunate, but you can see the aristocracy of blood showing through. This kitty was living in the streets and took the food offerings with grace and dignity.

I met this kitty in Dingle Peninsula, driving around the Slea Head. He was sitting at the empty cottage and wouldn’t make any eye contact with the strangers ( otherwise he didn’t mind us, and was actually purring).

This is another stray cat. The only difference is that he was living in Coliseum, Rome.

There are many stray cats in Rome. Old people feed them. The world is a better place because of the caring old people.

This young fella is KC, a member of a family of four cats all rescued by their human in different circumstances.

These three kittens were taken to the vets and put down by a man whom I knew as a kind and caring son, father and husband. I knew he didn’t want the kittens and I asked him if I could take them and find them home, but he lied that he would do it himself… Three years ago we were reconnected at the deathbed of our friend. After we left the room he was trying to make an apology, mumbling something about a reconciliation. I told him he was fine. The following year I got a word that he had an accident at work, and he isn’t himself anymore since. God knows, I didn’t wish him anything like that.

I still keep the simple toys I had made for them.

“The only escape from the miseries of life are music and cats…”

― Albert Schweitzer

Cat’s in the Cradle” is a 1974 folk rock song by Harry Chapin from the album Verities & Balderdash. It has nothing to do with cats. The song is about a man who never had time for his son.

The Cat’s cradle is a string game. You can read about it and many more old and forgotten games here.

Well, we had enough of sad things, let’s have a chuckle 🙂

This image belongs to a Russian artist Svetlana Petrova. Click on the link to see Zarathustra the cat improving some famous artworks with his presence. When Svetlana’s mother died she was deeply depressed, and creating these images was a part of the healing process.

This cutie is Jonne. He had a big happy family – another two cats and a dog. They are all gone. When Jonne joined the family he was sick and weak because of neglect, and he was beaten too. It was long ago, he lives with his significant human now and they are inseparable.

Speaking of friendship.

“You know a real friend?
Someone you know will look after your cat after you are gone.”
― William S. Burroughs, Last Words: The Final Journals

Thank you for reading! These pictures were taken over the years, and some of the cats must have crossed the Rainbow bridge since.

Could you share a few words about your Pet ( not necessarily a cat)?

Photography tip of the day: Taking pictures of your pets use natural light and come closer. The best time for a portrait ( close up) is when the pet has just woke up and is still sleepy. Show their personality in your pictures: You know all these faces and looks, capture them 🙂

Have a great weekend!

Reflections in the Water

Watching the sunset is a sublime and magical experience, but it doesn’t last long and reminds you of the passage of time. There is another sight, equally mesmerizing, and limited only by your imagination: surface of water and reflections.

Water reflects everything and distorts everything. It blurs the boundaries between the real and surreal. Water is an enigma.

I want to share a video, a beautiful interpretation of Claude Debussy – Reflets dans l’eau – Reflections in the Water by an Italian pianist Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli, one of the most enigmatic performers of the twentieth century.

There are a few images from a man-made lake in the Johnstown Castle grounds. All the images are created by light and shadows, weeds, reflections and ripples. Please click to enlarge them to appreciate the beauty of the Nature’s paintings.

Have you ever heard about Memory of water? A study supporting this controversial theory was published in 1988; it is when I first learned about it. I find this theory quite fascinating and hope that there is something beyond the simple chemical H2O.

You can also read about the surface tension to refresh your high school knowledge and reflect on the progress you have made since then 🙂

I have many more images of reflections and hope to share them in the future.

Photography tip of the day: to reduce glare and unwanted reflections, use a polarising filter. The size you want is the diameter of your lens.

Have a good, productive week!

Foggy Dew: Tribute to the people of Ukraine

The last time I was in Ukraine was in 1989. We took a flight to Simferopol and then a trolleybus to Yalta, a beautiful resort town on the North coast of the Black Sea.

Wikipedia says that Crimean Trolleybus Line is the longest trolleybus line in the world. It is a 86 km (53 mi) long, pollution-free, low cost, 2 hours long dream ride. The road passes through the Crimean Mountains across the Angarskyi Pass reaching 752 metres (2,500 ft) at the highest point, descends down to the coastal town of Alushta, and turns south winding along the sea for another 41 km.

I cannot share any decent images of Yalta here: on that trip I was using a reversal film, and the slides didn’t survive well. The first one I took from the cable car, clinging to dear life, and the other one from the balcony of the room we rented.

This beautiful place is almost desolated these days. The main source of income in Yalta is tourism. There are very little tourists visiting this summer…

I have never been to Donetsk, and it looks like I never will, but every week I am getting updates from a person who lives there. Russian Grad missiles bring death and destruction turning the area into a bloody nightmare. My heart goes out to you, my Ukrainian brothers and sisters. You only wanted to live your life by your own choice.

I went to University in Moscow, Russia. It was a happy and fun time, we did our best to visit all the museums and theatres; we listened to Vladimir Vysotsky and Mashina Vremeni and wrote satirical poems and songs about the Soviet reality. My dear Russian friends, what happened to you? Since when are you worshipping the Beast? It breaks my heart.

I want to share this video as a tribute to those who lost their lives in Ukraine. The song is The Foggy Dew ( by Sinead O’Connor), and the movie is The Wind That Shakes The Barley (2006). Seeing violence makes my heart bleed. I know that there are the times… but still, unnecessary violence doesn’t do any good to anybody. Nevertheless, I am for freedom for every country and their citizens. May God bless those who defend their freedom.

These foggy images were taken walking along the water edge, in the times of peace. If your life is safe, secure and comfortable, send a word of prayer for the innocent victims in Ukraine.

Photography tip of the day: When taking pictures in the fog it is great to have at least some of your subjects close to the camera so that they come out darker and sharper. Also great if you subjects create layers.

Have a peaceful weekend!

Good old-fashioned sunset

“Nobody of any real culture, for instance, ever talks nowadays about the beauty of sunset. Sunsets are quite old fashioned. To admire them is a distinct sign of provincialism of temperament. Upon the other hand they go on.”

Oscar Wilde

I am a fan of Oscar Wilde since age of 12, so I cannot tell for sure is it his hidden influence or my personal whim that I have never had a picture of a classic sunset on my wall. Nevertheless, the images I am going to share today prove that nothing human is alien to me, which is another quote 🙂 . Sunsets and quotes, hope you enjoy them.

“When the sun sets, who doth not look for night?”

Shakespeare

“Clouds come floating into my life no longer to carry rain or usher storm, but to add color to my sunset sky.”

Robindranath Tagore

“Every sunset brings the promise of a new dawn.”

Ralph Waldo Emerson

“To leave out beautiful sunsets is the secret of good taste.” 🙂

Dejan Stojanovic

“What is life? It is the flash of a firefly in the night. It is the breath of a buffalo in the wintertime. It is the little shadow which runs across the grass and loses itself in the sunset.”

Chief Crowfoot

“When I admire the wonder of a sunset, or a beauty of the moon, my soul expands in worship of the Creator. “

Mahatma Gandhi

“You know – one loves the sunset when one is very very sad…”

Antoine de Saint-Exupery, The Little Prince

“If your eyes are blinded with your worries, you cannot see the beauty of the sunset.”

Jiddu Krishnamurti

“Don ‘t forget : beautiful sunsets need cloudy skies.”

Paulo Coelho

All the photographs are taken in different countries over the years.

Tip of the day: Just sit still and watch. You will know when to take out your camera.

Have a good week!

Irish summer

A newcomer to Ireland arrives on a rainy day. He gets up the next day and it is raining. It also rains the day after that, and the day after that.

He goes out to lunch and sees a young kid and asks out of despair, “Hey kid, does it ever stop raining around here?”

The kid says: How do I know? I’m only six!

This year we have got a proper summer, no jokes! 🙂 County Tipperary has been bathing in sun since June.

It was one of the hottest days when I went to Kilsheelan, and I thought I would walk a little bit by the river. The cows on the opposite bank enjoyed the shade of a giant Oak tree and drank from the river till they were full.

Then they laid down for a nap, black islands in the sea of grass.

What a pleasure to walk along a path lined with lush grasses and delicate wild flowers. My summer favorite is poppy flower.

Another favorite is crop field. I love to take pictures of them in any weather, morning or night, and at any stage of their growth and harvest. What a fascinating sight they make, waving in the wind!