Photo Shoot, 17 July 2011

Don and I have been at it again in the studio, documenting some of my more recent work.  We had hoped to shoot back in April but, due to a medical emergency, Don had to take a hiatus.  He's now almost back in form and we finally got back on track a few months later than anticipated.  As usual, we had a superior supervisory staff; in this case, Dora and Doni, as we were photographing one of my newer Fancy Sunflowers.

Dora was the first to get involved, making sure the piece was properly secured to the background.  She's usually a little more reticent on these occasions but she really stepped up to the plate last week Sunday.  And, of course, Doni had to get involved as well.

Much as I like to talk about my work and what goes into it, it is always an interesting and educational experience working with Don, whether we're shooting my work in the studio or capturing some of the Clematis or wild flowers plein air in my garden.  In this instance, we rolled through about 28 pieces in record time, even with feline "assistance".

One thing I really appreciate about Don and his work is his ability to roll with the situation.  The cats are, frankly, all but uncontrollable and his ability to shoot some superb images on the fly is truly awe-inspiring.  I'm especially taken with his image of Doni (to the right), how the cat's profile echoes the contour of the wood slab we're using as a prop.  You can't get these guys to pose (although Doni did demonstrate a remarkable degree of composure during our shoot in late January) but somehow Don makes it happen.

It's not that often that the cats get that interested in our goings on - frankly, they find the studio pretty boring (Alex and Meli were more interested in the business than most of the younger generation).  Unless it's getting close to what they think is feeding time.  Then they're quite vocal and engaged and not above interfering with our "work" to get some action on the dietary front.  We got lucky this time with some great images of Dora and Doni.