“Hey Barb! I don’t know if you saw, but I have baby kittens! They are almost two weeks old now. I wanted to offer their adorable faces to you for photos I’m sure your readers would love that. We will have them for another 8-10 weeks. Let me know if you want to do something like that!
I hope all is well
Emily”

Kitten photography? Could an invitation get any better? My emerging photography skills were really put to the test.. squirmy little bundles of fur that couldn’t stay still for more than a fraction of a fraction of a second! Lighting was overhead fluorescent bulbs (I believe) and they actually worked in my favor.. the colors of my photos were warm, just like the faces on these sweet little kittens.

There were four little kittens to fall in love with.. but I must mention their mother Violet, the most serene, patient mother in my estimation! I didn’t manage to get a photo of her, so I will have to go back to remedy the situation. Violet gave birth to four kittens that exemplify Mendel’s laws. Each of the four was a unique combination of the shades found in Violet’s fur, black, grey, white, and ginger.

Let me introduce you. First we have Dandelion, he’s the lovely ginger colored kitten you see above and below.

Then we have his brother Periwinkle, a gentle little boy all soft and gray lovely..

I love the contrast of the markings on this little black and white kitten, her name is Indigo.

And finally.. another sister, aptly named Olive Fern by her two loving owners..

I brought my wooden trencher dough bowl and lined it with a little faux fur from IKEA and some skeins of wool.

I took hundreds of photos and I have to say.. I had a hard time choosing which ones to share with you! Every one.. an endearing face, a new turn of the curious head, or a tentatively placed paw.

Most had settings of ISO 6400 (remember that’s a fast “film” for fast moving targets), aperture was set to f 1/8 (so some background soft focus action but less light needed), and shutter speed 1/50. If I did this again, I think I need some daylight, “real” lighting or a higher shutter speed, but I have to say I still love the soft focused nature of the photos.

This was completely so much fun.. holding and playing with tiny kittens.. and having the chance to practice photography!

Could it have been any better? Only if I were allowed to bring one home! I must have been quite fond of Dandelion, I had so many photos of him that I lost count..

I am so grateful, Emily! I’ll be back for a few family photos soon!!