We adopted Portnoy last year. A friend of ours took in three strays and found homes for them. One of them found his way into our lives. He has been nothing but lovable, playful, and very well mannered for the past year.

Portnoy is named after Mike Portnoy, the drummer from my favorite band, Dream Theater. Ever since I discovered Dream Theater, I thought Portnoy would be a great name for a cat.

Pet photos get a bad rap, and rightfully so. They are often taken at eye level looking down with harsh on-camera flash. They are out of focus, motion-blurred, and composed poorly. Dogs are slightly more cooperative than cats. Many animals don’t like flash.

Fortunately, I have the equipment, knowledge, and patience to achieve better results. I captured this goofy expression with my Nikon D80. I aimed the flash unit straight up to bounce the light off the ceiling. This lights the scene evenly, as if no flash was used at all. I got down on the floor to his level. Patience is what makes or breaks pet photos. You have to sit and wait like a sniper.

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