The Cats in Front of My Lens

Tom Tom — the former feral who spent a year pretending he didn't care, then walked inside one day and never left.

Everybody wants to know how I get the cat pictures. Here is the secret: I live with my models, and they do not take direction.

Take the big man at the top of this post. That is Tom Tom. He was a feral cat who spent a year pretending he did not care about me — a year of me feeding him and him acting like the food appeared by magic. Then one day he walked inside like he owned the place, and he never left. Now he sleeps on his cat tree under purple lights like a king who pays no rent.

That photograph is the most-loved picture I have ever posted. Not my best waterfall. Not a concert. A sleeping cat. I have made my peace with this.

The black cat runs the night shift around here. Quieter. Harder to photograph. Worth it every time the light catches those eyes.

Perfectly symmetrical, and completely in charge of the session.

Here is what the cats taught me about all of my photography: you cannot rush trust. You show up. You are patient. You let the subject decide you are worth it. Works on ferals. Works on families. Works on everybody.

The cats run this house. I just hold the camera.