Quotidian Photography by Jessica

Patrick and Kimberly

This shoot was definitely a first for me.

Two humans, four cats, and two dogs. I'll admit, I was a little skeptical that we'd get them all into one shot. But with perseverance, patience, and me running after fed up cats a couple of times (I'm talking about you, Opal :) ) we made it through. And got everyone into one frame.

Basically, Patrick and Kimberly are some of the best people you'll ever meet. They're genuine, and funny, down to earth . . . And they're animal lovers. Hence the 2 dogs and 4 cats. I worked with Kimberly at the shelter while she was haranguing cats into photogenic poses in front of my flash, and all I had to do was press the shutter button. Talk about an unfair division of labor.

So when I got the chance to shoot her family, of course I jumped at it.

Now they've gone back to Kansas City, but while Patrick and Kimberly were here in San Francisco, they had this apartment with amazing, huge, gorgeous windows. The light was just to die for.

Case in point.

And Patrick's an artist - he paints portraits of animals, so it was great to get photos of the dogs in front of his paintings of them.

I couldn't resist this shot of Ken next to the beer bottle, relaxing. Don't worry, we didn't really give him any beer.

Thanks again Kimberly and Patrick! It was really great. You guys are incredible. All the best while you settle back in in Kansas City!

Shelter Cuties

You might get tired of seeing the cute ones from the shelter, but I'll be honest. I don't. My favorite part is watching them all get adopted - the faster the better.

New faces every week? Yes, please.

This is Hayward. Within about 5 seconds of meeting him, he was in my lap. And I wasn't even sitting down - that's how much of a lap cat this dude is.

And this is Winnie. Aren't her markings gorgeous?

This is Creamer, who wanted nothing but to hide under his bed. We left the bed on top of him and then snatched it up momentarily to grab a picture. Hey, you do what you gotta do, right?

And this handsome guy is Jasper, who is such a winning fellow that he got adopted before his photos could be published online!

This dude is Batman. I think the name is appropriate. What style!

And this was my first rabbit shoot. Her name is Belle, and that's exactly what she is. A belle.

So, want to adopt a cat? :)

Alphabet - Unfinished

Like so many things I've done recently that weren't absolutely essential, my alphabet ended up a little unfinished. As in, I only completed 19 out of 26 letters.

As much as I hate to leave things undone - I think this was an okay compromise. Yes, I love to challenge myself with assignments. And they do tend to get me out of my comfort zone, which is always welcome. But photo assignments really benefit people with cameras who don't use them enough.

This is not me. Have we met? My name is Jessica and my camera is my extra appendage. It comes with me everywhere and gets pulled out of the bag at a moment's notice.

I shoot enough. What I need to be focusing on right now is my business, not fun but ultimately unpractical alphabet assignments.

Still, the part I completed was quite enjoyable. Here's my alphabet, almost. I'd love to hear if you have a favorite.

B is for Bookcase

C is for Chee!

D is for Double Wall

E is for Espresso con Panna

F is for Face

G is for Gazebo

H is for Haven

I is for In-the-Way

K is for Kitten

L is for Lines

M is for Mask

N is for Night

O is for Ocean

P is for Puppet

R is for Reflection

S is for Saddle

T is for Toast

V is for Vines

W is for White Background

Y is for Yawn

So that's my (semi)alphabet. All taken between February 1 and February 25. And yeah, I admit, I skipped all the hardest letters. You can see the complete set on Flickr here.