Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and Happy New Year

Our cats are ready to party! Maybe they’ll start dancing on the table tops, or swinging from the chandelier. Lets hope not! Christmas is pretty much here and we at twoguineapigs HQ wish you all the best for the season - eat well (not too much) - drink well (ditto!) and stay safe. Hope all your wishes come true.

Adopt before you shop.

Easter Bunnies and 2 Black Cats | cat photography

It's not the first year these boys have encountered Easter chocolate bunnies. When the two guinea pigs were still around (RIP), these boys were kittens themselves and learning well, not to be rodents. Fast forward 3 years, the Easter chocolate bunnies are still as new as anything to these cats. PF in particular, wasn't impressed he couldn't take a bite at the bunnies. (Frankly, I find it hard to eat the bunnies myself too!)

Valentines | black cat photography

Its valentines day and I can think of one bachelor cat around here who could do with a date.

But be warned - Mr Big has no money and no experience ordering at restaurants - and I’m pretty sure he has never bought flowers before (he may have eaten a few though at some time).

Anyway - here’s a shout out on his behalf just in case!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Christmas at twoguineapigs HQ

Happy Christmas and happy holidays from twoguineapigs HQ.

Its been a mad December (and last 3 months leading up to Christmas) and we are exhausted (Christmas orders to fulfill, lovely kikki-k Christmas cards to write and send, presents and hampers to deliver) - except for certain cats that - er - took a bit of a back seat when it came to working. Two were 'scheduled' in for our yearly Christmas photoshoot - only one stayed (cooperated). Who says working with cats with big personalities is easy.



This year, we decided to send lovely kikki-k Christmas cards and personalised every card's wordings.



Thank you all for your support and interest for twoguineapigs. Take care over the break and we’ll see you all in 2012! :)

Blackboard Jungle | cat photography

Today I decided to chalk up a post on facebook using my trusty blackboard. This little board I got from Typo and I love it. Very handy and it has a very handy delete function if you write a message you suddenly regret - called a duster!

You’d think photographing a blackboard, which just sits there, would be easy - but nothing happens at our place without the cats deciding its a good idea they should get involved one way or another. Both investigated the board and - erm - made their mark.

All cat “owners” out there (still not sure who “owns” who in these relationships) probably recognise subsequent events as recorded by this humble photographer.

Its not easy running a blog - especially a photographic blog which involves not only writing but also shooting. Add animals to the mix and it’s a labour of love.

Mr Big the black cat | cat photography

It is not often that I get a chance to photograph Mr Big “conscious” as he spends most of his time asleep.

Cats only understand the English they want to hear (like “dinner is ready”). Other forms of English don’t impress them so much - such as a photographer demanding “Look here kitty!”. Its hard work believe me.

As if this is not enough he puts on this zoned-out look to torment me further - something I suspect he has learned from PF, the resident space-case.

As usual it makes me wonder what is going on in that head. I’d ask but the English thing once again means I doubt I’ll ever get an answer!

Brief update

Winter arrived early this year - bringing with it great light and streets with more character than the bland hot roads of Sydney during summer - heaven for us picture takers - although admittedly its a chilly heaven. I’ve been a bit under the weather for the last week. Despite that, I hope to be able to blog about some new projects I’m working on. Stay tuned!

Cat nap | cat photography

Mr Big can be a sweet boy - mainly when he's asleep. And when he is, he has no qualms about where, and how, he sleeps. He's a big cat - obese actually. Sometimes he moves his mouth or rocks his back leg in his sleep. He's a dreamer for sure - although its a mystery what's going on in his imagination. So peaceful?

{ ISO 400 | 1/25 | f/2 }

I normally like high contrast black-and-white images but I think I like this less contrasted version - it gives a 'softer' feel. What do you think?

Season's Greetings

I was told a long time ago (and am still being reminded constantly) never work with children or animals.

Well, this year’s Christmas shoot has proven that the guinea pig is the pro! Wiggley is also the oldest amongst the remaining furballs we consider as kids in our household. (Ginger would have put the cats in their places). At least the cats didn’t mind wearing a Christmas collar for the shoot.

The Pro, originally uploaded by twoguineapigs pet photography.

2 more sleeps to Christmas!

Here’s wishing you all a Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, and a Happy New Year!

Thank you all for your constant support. Have a safe holiday.

Season's Greetings, originally uploaded by twoguineapigs pet photography.

In the meantime, here are some behind-the-scenes shots that I saved for this post that included my faithful staff assisting me with the shoot:

{behind-the-scenes}, originally uploaded by twoguineapigs pet photography.

{behind-the-scenes}, originally uploaded by twoguineapigs pet photography.

{behind-the-scenes}, originally uploaded by twoguineapigs pet photography.

My other boy

I'm pretty sure Mr Big sleeps a lot more than other cats. You guessed it, his daily routine, well, is quite simple. Wakes up only at the sound of us making breakfast. Goes back to sleep. Wakes up only at the sound of dinner. Goes back to sleep. And the routine repeats itself. Ok, maybe in between all that he ventures out into the garden but only for a little while. I can't imagine other cats leaving him messages. He has no social life. He's the complete opposite of PF.


His black paws used to be soft and smooth, now they show signs of stress and wear.

Back paw, originally uploaded by twoguineapigs pet photography.

I'm not complaining. I get to photograph him sleeping as much as I want.
(which is also why Mr Big hardly appears on my blog — how many pictures of a certain sleeping cat can you have?)

And he sleeps — ever so soundly and peacefully.

He sleeps, originally uploaded by twoguineapigs pet photography.

{ ISO 320 | f/2.8 | 1/20 }

Isn't he handsome?

Though he's a bit on the big side, ok, Mr Big is obese, but he's still a good looking cat.

I can't believe we picked him and PF up on the side of the road in March 2009 and he has been with us since.

My boy, originally uploaded by twoguineapigs pet photography.

The chair

PF is often spotted on the chair — he seems to have 'upgraded' from his pink beanbag.

Both cats got an extra fleece blanket each, for this Winter. PF has his on his chair.

But a certain other cat is now interested in that chair. This time, Mr Big had his chance.

Chair drama, originally uploaded by twoguineapigs pet photography.

I'm not sure if the chair, or Mr Big or PF is responsible for the complex situation.

It is a complicated threesome relationship.

He can look intelligent too

I caught Mr Big sitting quietly by himself one afternoon. So I made this image of him in black and white.

He too, can look intelligent — only when he wants to.

I sometimes wonder whether Mr Big shares the same interests as Ginger.

Mr Big, originally uploaded by twoguineapigs pet photography.

Then again, Mr Big's personality is quite similar to Wiggley's in the sense they share similar interests and have only one thing in mind — food.  Nothing can stop these two from reaching their goal, ie more food; endless eating. 

Wiggley has an excuse since he's a guinea pig, well, not quite the same as a pig but close enough. But Mr Big... 

Hence his name. It's not because of S'nTC, but more so because of the fact that he eats non-stop and he has a profound fondness for food; almost as if he's addicted to it. He's one cat that lives to eat.

So it is probably one chance in ten that you will find Mr Big sporting an intelligent look.

We're putting him on a diet.

Repeated offender

I'm not very impressed with Mr Big lately.

From the corner of my eye, I saw what he did last evening,

I saw what you did last evening, originally uploaded by twoguineapigs pet photography.

He picked on my curtain!

And, he did not indicate to me that he needed to go to the toilet...

Mr Big strikes again

I must admit it's quite confusing for us humans when names of cats these days  include 'bigs', 'big', 'big ears', 'mr big', 'big' — everything or whatever.

Mr Big got his name not because of Sex and the City, but because he is a big cat. He's nearly 6kg and only 1 year and 3 months old.

Mr Big, originally uploaded by twoguineapigs pet photography.

Mr Big, originally uploaded by twoguineapigs pet photography.

Mr Big, originally uploaded by twoguineapigs pet photography.

Mr Big, originally uploaded by twoguineapigs pet photography.

Mr Big

... is one of the two black cats Stephen and I adopted - one of the bigger of the two.

One rainy evening in March 2009, on our way home from work we passed by two dark figures jumping out of the bush onto the road. We pulled over and found two kittens, 10 weeks old and so tiny back then that they could fit on one palm each. We tried to locate their owners but were shocked and saddened to realise that they had clearly been abandoned.

Fast forward 12 months, they are huge, adorable, intelligent, sensible and sensitive cats. And I still tell them to leave those birds alone! (Ok, Mr Big is quite a drama queen actually)

Mr Big, originally uploaded by twoguineapigs pet photography.