The Making of: Bubbles

I have a friend with a cat named Bubbles. This cat was very shy the day I took this photo, making it a fun challenge. Without a pet’s trust, it’s real hard to capture its personality well. When I first walked into the house, the cat ran. I decided to sit on the couch and ignore him until he came out from behind the furniture. While I was waiting, I talked with the owner about random things and how he normally gets him out to come out. He said he hadn’t really socialized him and that’s why he was unsure of new people. So I continued to wait until I saw him poke his head out.

I had the camera in my hands and ready for him. I tried to get a few shots of him sticking his ears above the couch but he didn’t stay there long enough for the photos to be in focus. Because he saw me there, he went to hide in a different spot that time. He ran under an end table and glared at me. I did take photos of him like this but I didn’t keep them because they didn’t describe him.

Finally, he decided to go to a more comfortable spot on a shelf underneath a table. I found out his plan was to sunbathe on top of the table at some point and that was as close as he would get for a long time. I tried giving him treats, let him smell me, and eventually he let me pet him a little. He wouldn’t touch the treats but his face and body tension was easing away until he started purring. That’s when I got this photo. I love the way he positioned himself so the sun is lighting his face.