I got to photograph a Lykoi

I generally don't put images from the cat shows I photograph in here (I figure y'all see enough cats without seeing the ones I photograph), but this little guy is so interesting I figured y'all might enjoy seeing him......


This little guy's name is Wolfsbane and he was a delight to photograph.  He looks like a little werewolf, and his fur looks like it might be a little rough and bristly, but it's actually VERY soft.  He also has amazing toes!

He was competing in an ACFA show where I was the photographer and I had a chance to capture a bunch of images of him and some of the other cats...

He's unusual!

He looks human like.  Like an old wise man. 

Something hypnotizing about his gaze.  Beautiful.

PS, there can never be too many cat pictures. LOL

Thanks for sharing! And describing him as soft haha. You're right.. He doesn't look it.
I just learned about this new breed... Fascinating and definitely unusual. Wolfsbane, what a great name for this little werecat

Awesome. And hey, there's nothing wrong with sharing cat pictures. No one around here is going to complain, trust me.

ahhhhh he's so pathetic looking but that makes him cute! I totally like him. He does look like a little werewolf cat.

I fell in love with this breed the moment I first saw them.  They are just so unusual, and their little faces are so expressive!

Mamanyt1953 said:

 
I fell in love with this breed the moment I first saw them.  They are just so unusual, and their little faces are so expressive!

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I agree, his face is so expressive.  You really have to wonder what's going through his mind.  He knows something we don't. LOL

His face tugs at my heartstrings.

Beautiful photo of a most unusual cat.  I imagine the caretaker was thrilled with the shot.

what a cool looking cat

Oh, what a precious, sweet cat!  His face is so gentle and if you do look at his fur, it looks like soft angora yarn.  Thank you for letting us know about him.  I am going to investigate his breed.  His torso shape is very interesting.  I love him! 

Thanks everyone.  If you want to see more of this little guy, I have several images from the shoot on my website.  I'm not sure if I can post a url to the site without violating the rules here....

His mom is an awesome lady that breeds Sphynx cats and says "Wolfie" has "tarantula toes"... 

Woooow! Thanks for sharing! How intriguing   Never seen one before.
 

I have to say, besides Lykoi being and intriguing little kitty, that is one beautiful portrait.  

Are there any other kitties you can share.  I don't want you to get in trouble with your clients. But your work is beautiful.

My fluffy cat she looks very similar. She has extra dew claw and toe. Yellow eyes gray and fluffy in winter. Shes very unhealthy looking at times but very almost human like smart. Caught her hanging from slider on porch one paw on handle one paw on frame trying to open it. Lol she can talk also its kinda creepy.

We do a number of CFA and ACFA shows during the year, so I get to photograph some incredible cats.  I"d love to find more shows arsound the country, but some cat clubs are reluctant to pay to bring in a photographer that specializes in cats, so we work mostly in the Minnesota area. 

I've been sending images to Cat Fancy (when it WAS Cat Fancy), and even had the cover of the September 2014 issue.  Unfortunately, since they changed to Catster, they now use more "informal" images - more the cell phone version of cat selfies than professional portraits of breeds... 

Here's a shot of Peaches, an extraordinary Maine Coon with a poster of her Cat Fancy cover.  This was also the cover of the 2016 Show Cats calendar I created last year - I'll do a new version for 2017...

I recall seeing that issue on the newstand. The cat caught my eye. To bad you aren't closer to New England. Our photographer had to bow out of our show because of a serious family illness. We scrambled to get another and I am not sure how well he will do since he doesn't have experience shooting at cat shows.I don't think the clubs would mind paying for a photographer who specializes in cats, if they had the money. The expenses are so high these days - travel, hotel, and meals for judges have to be covered by the club. Most clubs think if they can just break even they have a successful show.

I totally understand!  Unfortunately, you're right about the costs.  Traveling, especially flying, with the equipment we use (multiple cameras, lights, stands, backdrops, and all that) is incredibly expensive for the clubs.  There are some that seem to have no problem, paying to bring photographers from Texas or the West Coast to the Eastern seaboard.  Others just don't have the budget.

One advantage we have is that since both I, and my cat wrangler (also my wife), have retired.  We don't have to fly any more.  We typically hook up the 5th wheel and head for wherever the show is, and build it into a vacation.  That way we can charge just for the mileage one-way and the campsite during the show - and often, there are spaces to park right at the show hall so there's no need for a separate site.  It's cut the cost for the clubs quite a bit, though it only works during the part of the year where we can use the RV.  Doesn't do much good in New England in January (or Minnesota either for that matter).

The other thing we typically do is capture candid images in the show hall when we're not busy doing portraits.  We make those, as well as the portraits, available to the sponsoring club at no charge for their websites, advertising, and so on.  That usually offsets the cost of bringing us to the shows if they're not too far away.  Either way, in these days when just shipping our EQUIPMENT costs between $800 and $1000, and hotel rooms at $100-$250 per night, it's a lot more cost effective to travel the way we do.

As for specific skills at feline photography, over the past 10+ years we've learned just how specific the techniques of photographing cats are.  And how specific the equipment needed is.  It would be absolutely impossible for me to get the images I do without the assistance of my wife, who does my cat wrangling.  Her ability to bond with the cats and develop an instant working relationship makes what I do possible.  It is often surprising to me just how good she is at getting show cats to give us really terrific poses.