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Yes! I AM beautiful!

© Peter W. Marks

Yes! I AM beautiful!

Uploaded: August 31, 2009

Description

Exif: F Number: 9, Exposure Bias Value: 0.00, ExposureTime: 1/320 seconds, Flash: did not fire, compulsory flash mode, ISO: 200, White balance: Auto white balance, FocalLength: 70.00 mm, Model: Canon EOS 20D

Comments

Susan Weisensel August 31, 2009

I think all cats think they are beautiful, I know mine do.
Cute capture Peter. #1174947

Peter W. Marks August 31, 2009

Thanks Susan! We have two moggies, both of which were strays that decided to adopt us as pets. This one is officially Cleo, as named by my wife and daughter but she only answers to 'Babycat' which is what I have always called her and she knows only too well whose hands it is that feeds her at 5am every morning. Our other cat is a dark tabby, Maggie who is the boss. She turned up for breakfast one morning 11 yrs ago, took a liking to my cooking so stayed. #7905283

Susan M. Reynolds level-addict August 31, 2009

Yes, she is gazing with those "look-at-me" eyes!
Nicely done and BTW you must be a great cook because all the cats I know are so picky! lol #7905607

Peter W. Marks September 01, 2009

And thank you Susan! She has claimed her place on my lap as I type this at 5.58am CST. I tried to put her out when I got up but she took one sniff of a temperature only in the 50'sF and decided against it!
Yes, I am a pretty fair cook and enjoy it. I took on this chore when my wife went back to school five years ago. She graduated with two degrees, both 4.0GPA and now is a 6/7/8th grade teacher and is also working on her masters and will graduate next May, so I send her off to work each day with one of my delectable creations. No packets of mac-cheese for my lady! #7906260

Susan M. Reynolds level-addict September 01, 2009

I congratulate you on your EP for this photo, and your wife for going back to school (it's something I've always wanted to do!) and to you for being such a great support/husband/cook for your wife! Not to mention being a great photographer and story-teller! :) #7907485

Peter W. Marks September 01, 2009

You are so kind Susan. Thank you and feel a virtual hug!
BP has been so kind to me too since we got back from Cornwall. I have received 12 EPs out of thirteen submissions. Although that has left me pleased yet puzzled because the one that didn't receive any recogntion was the one of the yellow snail climbing up a huge granite rock. I self rated this quite highly- oh well!
I have signed up today for the short 4 week BP course on Natural Light with Jim Zuckerman to try to move up a level in my photography. Wish me luck!
Pete #7907553

Thomas Ehlers September 07, 2009

Hey Peter, I like the way the light is hitting the cat and the basket, I think the only thing I would do diferent is to clean up the glass in the background on the left. Nice shot friend !!!!! #7923650

Peter W. Marks September 08, 2009

Oh heck Thomas! OK I will get out the Windex and clean the glass. Just another item on my wife's honeydo list.

Thanks friend. Pete #7924399

Susan M. Reynolds level-addict September 08, 2009

Hey Pete,
I took that class with Jim Zuckerman last year and that is where I got the snail photos from...late afternoon light!
Good luck in your class. I enjoyed it a great deal :)
p.s. I like your yellow snail! I've never seen one like that before!!! #7927182

Meghan Gonski September 16, 2009

You really feed your cat at 5am?? That's so early!
What does your wife teach in those grades?/
very funny about the windex :) #7949773

Peter W. Marks September 17, 2009

Thank you Meghan and Susan. I somehow missed your comment re the Jim Zuckerman class Susan. He is in Namibia, Africa at the moment so has extended the time for submissions as he is not able to get ready access to a computer.I appear to be the only student so my work will probably be light on peer critiques.
And Meghan, yup! 5am. 365, never miss. Feed the dog, feed the two cats, get the coffee pot going and make lunch for Elizabeth to take to Oakville Middle school where she is the art teacher. She has been a professional illustrator ever since graduating high school but needed to get a job with health benefits as I was retiring and she would no longer have my coverage.
Her schoool is 45 mins south of here so she leaves at 6.15am. Needless to say, we hit the sack by 9.30 at night!
Regards to you both. Pete #7950446

Meghan Gonski September 17, 2009

Wow way to go. it must be pretty and calm at that time.
I'm glad to hear Elizabeth is an art teacher. As you can probably imagine, I loved my art classes in school. Does she do photography also? #7951674

Peter W. Marks September 17, 2009

Hi Meghan. Elizabeth uses my old Olympus Z4000 digital top-end, point and shoot mainly for recording stuff that she will later paint or use to show her students different features of other cultures such as in my native England, particularly Cornwall and also when she studied native Mexican weaving in that country.
She has two degrees in Fine art and Art history (both 4.0 GPA Summa Cum laude) having graduated two years ago and now is working on her Masters.
So, you probably realise that she is my photography's greatest critic. We attend art shows every couple of weeks and I try to soak up as much as I can from her and the artists. This is why on BP I sometimes suggest folk look into an image not just at it. In other words try to work out what the photographer had in mind, not just the prettiness of the image. I have to admit though that with the thousands of images of flowers we see here I don't know what to think other than to admire their technical qualities.
Pete #7951970

Meghan Gonski September 17, 2009

That's awesome!
I'm thinking of going to college for photography or drawing to e a cartoonist animator. I enter things in the fair every year and have done well. This year I got an honorable mention for one of my cartoon drawings. I was really happy about it cause I think it's one of my best. Have you ever read Serendipity books? That is where I got it from, Dragolin. I have trouble drawing from my head so I draw things I see. #7952073

Susan M. Reynolds level-addict September 23, 2009

Hey Pete...here is a website you and your wife might enjoy. I found this lady on facebook when looking up photographers in the Sacramento area. She combines her photography with painting...it would be a way for you and your wife to combine your work...this lady's artwork is fabulous - she combines pictures that she takes and surrounds them with a painting that matches the edge of the photos...like the photo goes beyond the picture into the surrounding artwork. It is really beautiful and totally unique. I can't wait to meet her.
Here is her website: http://www.judithmonroe.com #7973137

Peter W. Marks September 23, 2009

It is 6.30am and I am leaving for one of my three times a week workouts. I will respond properly when I return.
Cheers, Pete #7973666

Meghan Gonski September 23, 2009

I looked at the site Susan. You can see the images you are talking about in her visions of heaven blog. They are really cool like you said. My favorite is "Planted by the River"
thanks for providing a nice creative site #7976548

Peter W. Marks September 23, 2009

Meghan and Susan. Thank you both very much. I have vaguely heard of the Serendipity series of childrens books but although I have just had a quick look at their web site they don't ring any bells for me. Why not take a photo of your cartoon based on one of their characters and let us take a look Meghan. Much of my wife's income came from illustrating childrens books for various publishers around the country.
And Susan, thank you for leading me to Judith Monroe's web sites. I don't have time to look at them in depth tonight but having spent a while on them earlier I find them most thought provoking. I love the combination of words with images and I think this is sometimes evident in my responses to other folk's images on BP. I try to flesh out an image with words even if it is nothing that the photographer had in mind.lol
Both of you ladies have talked about going back to school and starting on new careers. Go for it girls. My wife Elizabeth was 47 when she went back to school in 2002 so it is never too late Susan and you are just a baby Meghan so just set a goal and go for it.

Easy for him to say, I think I heard you say!

Pete #7977271


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