Dark Gray and White Cat on Mykonos

 

This is a straightforward shot taken just a few minutes before I photographed the 'Black Cat Waiting for the Painter' during a morning photo walk. I decided to post this image since it includes the characteristic whitewashed building, with a faded 'Greek blue' shutter behind the cat. A typical setting on Mykonos, and the Greek Cyclades islands in general.

Notice the clump of wet fur sticking up from the middle of his tail. I'm pretty sure I interrupted a grooming session as I approached to photograph him. Greek cats, like cats everywhere, like to keep their tails looking just right, so he probably went back to work on it once I walked away.

Garden Cat Peering Around a Corner

If you've been following this blog for awhile, you will probably recognize this cat. I featured her 'In the Garden' in a February post, and then again as the partially-hidden star of 'Cat Tail and Water Pail'. Here she is peering around a large white vase/planter in that same hotel garden on the island of Mykonos.

On a technical photo composition note, I'm not thrilled with having that planter in the background, directly behind the cat. I shot this photo at an aperture of f/8, which didn't help fade the background much at all. I was using a great Pentax 35mm prime lens that would have been fine at f/2, f/2.8, or f/4, so I would shoot at one or more of those apertures (to defocus the background more and therefore isolate the cat better) if I could do this one over again. Or I would shift my position a bit to the right or left, but then I might miss the classic blue shutters in the background. I'm guessing that 90% of shutters in the Greek Cyclades islands are painted this color blue, or something pretty close to this color.

Anyway, you don't always have much time to work the subject and backgrounds during these unplanned photo shoots, so sometimes you just take what you can get.

Black Cat Waiting for the Painter

I came across this cat during an early morning photo trek on Mykonos. It was a little bit after sunrise, and I wasn't having much luck finding 'good' cats to photograph until I saw this one relaxing on a white ledge in front of a painter's art studio.

As you can see near the upper right of the photo, the green door to the studio was locked. My thought was that maybe this cat was waiting for the studio to open, in hopes that the owner/operator might set out some food and water for him (this would not be at all surprising). Or maybe this guy was just resting for a while, plotting his strategy for the rest of the morning, or daydreaming about the mouse that got away, etc. Who knows?

Also, I was tempted to clean this guy up a bit in Photoshop, but then decided against it. The cat has bits of white/gray hairs mixed in with his black coat, dirt and sand on his face, and other 'beauty' issues that are so typical of the stray cats of Greece. Some are in really great shape, and others look pretty rough around the edges. This guy was in between, but still photogenic enough for me.

Cat Tail and Water Pail

This is the tail end of the cat in the garden at the Hotel Philippi on the Greek island of Mykonos. She's peering through a square opening in a short wall that borders one of the garden beds at the hotel - no doubt spying for any ground-level activities that might require her further attention. She stayed motionless in this position for several minutes, allowing me to take photos from several angles. I liked this one the best.

The Cafe Break

Trekking around Greek Islands in search of photogenic cats and other interesting distractions can burn a lot of calories, especially with a full photo backpack in tow.

This image is from a small cafe just down the way a bit from the Hotel Philippi on Mykonos island. We stopped here several times during our stay to enjoy the chocolate-filled pastries baked fresh daily, not to mention the cappuccino and espresso.

I made this image with a 35mm lens (approx. 50mm equivalent), set wide open at f/2 to minimize the depth of field. I'm sure I was very close to the minimum focusing distance of this lens.

(Photo Tip: If you're going to take 'food pictures' while traveling, just remember to do it before you and your travel mates devour everything on the table.)

The Cat and the Junked Car

I was hiking up to some good high vantage points over the main port town of Mykonos one morning when I came across this fellow. He was exploring this field - probably on a morning hunt - and stayed still long enough for me to grab some shots with a telephoto zoom lens. He didn't seem to be a very trusting sort, so I stayed back in order to keep him from running off.

The reddish car in the background was an abandoned 'junker' vehicle that had probably been there for years. I wouldn't be at all surprised if it serves as a bit of a shelter for stray cats in the area during bad weather, etc.

In the Garden

This cat was a happy resident of Hotel Philippi on the island of Mykonos. The hotel has a wonderful large garden in its back courtyard area, which the cat liked to explore for hours on end. We stayed in this hotel for three days, and saw her roaming the garden on several occasions as we came and went.

Here's a portrait of her relaxing in the shade next to a stone planter. I have another image that shows her in a more interesting pursuit - but that will come later.

Cat Guarding the Drinking Water

This cat took me a little by surprise during a hike on Mykonos, as he (she?) was perched at about eye level on an old stone fence along a narrow pathway, and he came into view pretty suddenly. The improvised water container placed somewhat precariously atop the fence serves as a strong clue that a 'caretaker' lives nearby, providing some basic essentials for this cat (and probably others) in the area.

This one became very curious about me, though he didn't seem to be overly approachable. After nervously shifting around a bit, he settled in to stare at me while I took several pictures at close range. I really like his focused gaze - it gives the impression that he's protecting his favorite water supply on a very hot day.