12 Days of Gladness: May

May 2012: Home and away

I didn't take very many pictures in May, but I couldn't do a series of photos on the internet without one of a cat, right? Plus it's appropriate on two levels. In May I was offered another opportunity to work for a TV show in London, the Channel 4 comedy news show 8 out of 10 Cats.

While in London I also caught up with all my grandparents, had my visa medical and the interview at the Embassy where my visa was approved. By the end of May I was back in Scotland enjoying some quiet time with my parents and my cats.

I have two cats back in Scotland. They are about 14-15 years old and there was no way I'd bring them to the USA at that age. The one in the photo is the oldest; a female with odd colored eyes. She's a mean hunter but a total cutie, even if she's getting on a bit: Looks like Bowie, acts like Queen Liz.

Photo geekery: I use a Canon 350D and usually use a Sigma 18-200 lens (blogger Daryl is currently selling a camera with this very lens). The widest aperture possible with this lens is about 3.5 so with this photo I was experimenting to see the exact depth of field in close-ups. 

You can see the stones that are in focus around the kitty, showing the depth of focus. Unfortunately the cat's eyes are not in focus, which is what you want with pictures of people and animals. If I shifted back a little bit further I could have gotten her eyes in focus, but lying on those stones was a bit oochy-ouchy.