{"id":15722,"date":"2015-11-15T00:10:33","date_gmt":"2015-11-15T05:10:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/zeezoey.com\/blog\/?p=15722"},"modified":"2015-11-15T09:10:35","modified_gmt":"2015-11-15T14:10:35","slug":"sunday-selfies-a-sampler-of-this-that-cats-and-more","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/zeezoey.com\/blog\/sunday-selfies-a-sampler-of-this-that-cats-and-more\/","title":{"rendered":"Sunday Selfies – A Sampler of This, That, Cats and More!"},"content":{"rendered":"

Editors Note:<\/strong> I decided to abandon my usual Caturday post, and instead participate in the super fun and wildly popular Sunday Selfie Blog Hop that was created by the talented Janet Blue of The Cat on My Head<\/a>. Rather than be a traditional selfie post, I\u2019m sharing some recent pictures I have taken (many of which some of you have already seen). There are good and bad, winners and losers -take a look to see what I mean and I\u2019d love your opinions, insight, and suggestions as to what works for you with your cameras! \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\"g\"<\/a>

My obsession with picture taking started when I saw\u00a0Rolz grooming his sister, Mia. The look of pure contentment and adoration just radiated from her sweet little face and I knew I had to try to capture it for eternity. Camera: iPhone 4<\/p><\/div>\n

So now that I\u2019m home all day and night with the cats, I find that I’m drawn to them more so than ever. EVERYTHING<\/strong> they do fascinates me and I\u2019m constantly feeling the need to photograph them as if I am under some sort of hypnotic spell to do so.<\/p>\n

This is all well and good\u2026 except for the one glaring flaw to the whole equation\u2026 I DON\u2019T TAKE GOOD PICTURES.<\/strong> Or I should say, with the current technology at my disposal, I am unable to manage my cameras to take good pictures.<\/p>\n

I say cameras plural because I actually have two that I can chose from \u2013 one from my Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 that I won from a random drawing at a BlogPaws<\/a> conference several years ago and the other from my iPhone 4s that I got in 2011. 2011? Yes, I know admitting something like that can get you laughed out of an electronics store in a heartbeat, but you have to understand I grudgingly got my iPhone in the first place (to be honest, I tend to be off put and grumpy when it comes to just about any new technology). I would have much preferred to keep my old android phone, but since the the darn thing kept dropping calls, I had no choice but to find something that actually allowed me to talk on the phone without going outside and balancing on top of my car to get uninterpreted reception.<\/p>\n

So now I\u2019m surprisingly and admittedly hooked on the iPhone technology \u2013 I love the quick and easy freedom the camera gives me, but because it’s an older phone model, it does not have the razor sharp pixel clarity of the newer phones, and more times than not, most of my pictures come out horribly blurry. My Samsung, on the other hand, is actually able to take nice pictures, but not close up ones\u2026 which is typically what I need when I take pictures of my\u00a0cats.<\/p>\n

\"IMG_1702\"<\/a>

I was recently told I needed to start posting pictures on Instagram – not really understanding how it all worked, this frightful picture was the first one I posted. Between the bad lighting and the fact I have bad eyesight up close, I had no idea until I uploaded the picture how awful and blurry it was. The funny thing is, it still got lots of likes! Camera: iPhone 4<\/p><\/div>\n

\"charleyr\"<\/a>

Understanding the concept of Instagram a little better, my next image was less blurry as I had good outdoor lighting to work with. This is one of my neighborhood cats I see when I walk in the morning – he gets so excited to see me that this was as still as I could get him. Camera: iPhone 4<\/p><\/div>\n

All of my close-up pictures, no matter what setting I use, come out looking like an oil painting. Not that the technique isn\u2019t pretty, but I would prefer something with sharp clarity. I went on line to see if others are having the same problem and it turns out my version, lucky me, is the one that does not have the macro focus setting that I need. Sigh\u2026 I don\u2019t mean to look a gift horse in the mouth, but it really would have been nice of Samsung to include that very basic feature in this model.<\/p>\n

If I stand far away from something to take a close-up with the Samsung, that seems to work, but more times than not, the cats are being especially adorable in the guest bedroom and due to the logistics of it, I am not able to move far enough away to get the shot I need!<\/p>\n

\"20151107_120734<\/a>

Getting frustrated with my iPhone, I started to use my Samsung to take pictures of the cats – when I take the pictures, they look really sharp on the screen (it’s a much larger screen than the iPhone, which I really love), but when I upload them for editing purposes, that’s when you can see that the clarity is distorted, giving it the look of an oil painting. Camera: Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7.0<\/p><\/div>\n

\"20151108_125709\"<\/a>

Zoey, Mia, and Jazmine watching bird TV. The picture is a little sharper, but it still is not as sharp as I would have liked it. Camera: Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7.0<\/p><\/div>\n

\"happy<\/a>

I don’t even mind that this picture is not super sharp – I just love that sweet little photobombing face of Jazmine’s so much that nothing could ruin this picture! That’s Rolz in the background! Camera: Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7.0<\/p><\/div>\n

\"20151110_125556\"<\/a>

This was a great catch – Mama Zoey and Papa Zee with their siblings Peanut, Mia, and Rolz all sharing an afternoon nap together. I really would have loved this image to have been clearer, but because I had very little room to back up against, I had to take a closeup, which seems to cause the distortion in the Samsung.<\/p><\/div>\n

\"jazmine<\/a>

With me being home all day long now, Jazmine is my constant supervisor and companion. This is her on a shelf that sits above my computer. Poor thing, I guess it’s exhausting taking care of me! Camera: Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7.0<\/p><\/div>\n

\"20151112_092844\"<\/a>

In the case of this picture I got of Rolz, looking as regal as ever, somehow the painting effect of the Samsung camera looks good – almost like I did it on purpose!<\/p><\/div>\n

\"squirrel\"<\/a>

Much as I love my cats, I am a sucker for a cute squirrel too!! This little guy was so excited, wanting the peanut I had for him, that I had to take the first shot I could get! Camera: Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7.0<\/p><\/div>\n

I suppose I wouldn\u2019t even be complaining at all if it weren\u2019t for the Purina Better With Pets Summit that I just attended. I was sight-seeing with Angie Bailey of Catladyland<\/a> and one of the places we visited was St. Patrick\u2019s Cathedral, which is unbelievably gorgeous. She was taking pictures with her new iPhone 6 and the sharpness and clarity of her pictures was breathtaking. I looked at my pitiful pictures \u2013 all distorted and blurry \u2013 and wanted to cry!<\/p>\n

\"yawn\"<\/a>

I was able to capture Zoey and Mia at the perfect time – just as Mia was yawning!! Had this been the iPhone6, it probably would have been an excellent picture, but I had to settle for my per usual oil painting effect from my Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7.0<\/p><\/div>\n

If there was ever a question as to whether or not I wanted the iPhone 6, it was answered at that very moment. But naturally, it\u2019s not as simple as that. After doing some research, it seems as if the iPhone 6 is like buying a car \u2013 it\u2019s not cheap and there are about a hundred confusing options and plans as to how to get one. Leasing, lease to buy, purchase, purchase on monthly credit, purchase with trade in and on and on. Fine \u2013 just take my first born son \u2013 I think that would be less complicated.<\/p>\n

\"flowers4\"<\/a>

Another non-cat picture, but just an example that if I am able to stand at a distance, I can get a sharper picture from my Samsung. These are flowers that are in my front yard.<\/p><\/div>\n

And honestly, I just want a phone that takes good pictures. Can\u2019t we live in a time where something just is what it is without needing a user\u2019s manual to understand what it is before we even buy it? Oh well, until I can figure it out, I\u2019m just going to have fun taking pictures with the cameras I have. There are so many fun editing programs now that even a bad picture can turn into a good one with a few artistic tricks! Obviously my cats aren\u2019t going to stop being cute anytime soon and by the time I get around to figuring out how to get a new iPhone6, it will already be obsolete, with a new and improved version on the market.<\/p>\n

\"love<\/a>

This picture is absolutely dreadful – it’s Zee and Zoey in the bathroom atop our hamper. The lighting is awful and the room itself is old and outdated – nothing about it invites a good picture. Despite that, I took the picture because of the love it represents between the two of them. Zee had his paw around Zoey and with a little editing fun, I was able to make the best of it. Camera: Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7.0<\/p><\/div>\n

\"IMG_20151108_104437\"<\/a>

This picture was taken with my Samsung – I came outside to feed the squirrels and saw the yard blanketed in a wash of tiny white flowers that made it look like it had snowed. I shared the picture on Facebook and despite that there is not a picture of a cat in the image, it was actually one of my most popular pictures – getting almost 100 likes!<\/p><\/div>\n

Happy Selfie Sunday and just for the fun of it, which of the pictures I shared today was your favorite?<\/p>\n