A Cat as Model and Muse—Photography Blogger

From Nate Kay at Photography Blogger

A Cat as Model & Muse, Photography by Joann Biondi

By Nate Kay

For 20 years, Joann Biondi worked as a freelance writer. Then one day she adopted a kitten that had been tossed in a garbage can and left for dead. That kitten had an unusual quirk; he liked to wear clothes and pose for the camera. So Joann started shooting, and then she got serious about photography. Fast forward four years and that kitten is now Lorenzo the Cat, a feline art photography project that has gotten both the cat and the photographer a lot of attention; gallery shows, museum exhibits, and stories in major media outlets throughout the world. Amid it all Lorenzo has remained a mellow dude who still likes to roll around in the dirt, chase lizards, and knock things off the kitchen counter when his food bowl is empty.

For more, here’s the link:

http://www.photographyblogger.net/a-cat-as-model-muse-photography-by-joann-biondi/

Pets’ Trust initiative in Miami, Random Pixels

A public service announcement from Lorenzo the Cat about Miami’s Pets’ Trust initiative.

Published on Random Pixels blog:  http://randompixels.blogspot.com/2012/10/im-lorenzo-cat-and-i-approved-this.html

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 10, 2012

I’m Lorenzo the Cat and I approved this message

Lorenzo the Cat

The following post was written by a cat…yes, a cat!

Come on Miami, Give it Up for the Cats and Dogs
Vote Yes for the Pets’ Trust in November
There’s an important measure on the ballot in the November General Election and I don’t mean the Obama/Romney showdown. No, it’s much bigger than that. It’s the vote that will determine whether or not 20,000 cats and dogs are unnecessarily killed each year in Miami-Dade County.

That’s right, killed. Not “put down” or euthanized because they’re suffering from a terminal illness. They are killed by lethal injection often because their owners can’t afford to keep them, are moving to a place that won’t allow them, or just don’t want them anymore. We all know that Miami is a deadly city with a high murder rate, but imagine if 20,000 people were killed here each year. Would that grab your attention?

The big vote is the Pets’ Trust, a legislative initiative that will tax property owners about $13 per year to generate revenue for our Animal Services Department so it can protect unwanted animals and offer low-cost spay/neutering services. And about that neutering thing—to those of you humans who think it’s emasculating to neuter your male animals, I say: get over it. Trust me, I’ve been fixed and the babes still love me.

As a cat that was tossed in a garbage can at birth in Coral Gables, let me tell you that it’s rough out there on the mean streets of Miami-Dade County. My fellow felines are in dire need of help, especially the feral ones—they’re roaming the streets, making kittens, and going hungry. Others are being tossed out of car windows and dumped at shelters—sometimes just because they once peed on a rug. Dogs don’t have it an easier, not that I’m a big fan of those guys. They get dropped at shelters too—sometimes just because they bark.

In Miami-Dade County, it’s estimated that there are 500,000 dogs, 500,000 pet cats and 500,000 feral cats. We know that our human population—which also comes in all shapes, sizes, colors and proclivities—loves animals or these numbers wouldn’t be so high. But Miami, we have a problem. We—the animals—need your help. What’s $13 a year? I’ll tell you what it is: less than the cost of two bottles of beer at the new Marlins Park stadium.

“The greatness of a nation can be judged by the way it treats its animals,” said Mahatma Gandhi. And the same is true for counties in Florida.

Please, open your hearts and vote YES for the Pets’ Trust - #240 – on November 6th. Vote meow!

Yours truly,

Lorenzo the Cat

 

The Photo Brigade: Life’s a Beach–but not when you have a cat with you.

From The Photo Brigade, a blog for photographers.

 

Life’s a Beach—But Not When You Have a Cat with You – by Joann Biondi

Miami-based photographer Joann Biondi often encounters curious on-lookers when she takes her cat on location for a shoot.

You’d think that sunrise on South Beach would be a quiet time for a shoot, but it isn’t. It took five days to get these images of my cat, Lorenzo. First there were the beach-cleaning guys and all of them had to stop, make the obligatory meowing sounds, and try to pet Lorenzo’s head. Then there was the homeless man who climbed up on the lifeguard stand, asked for money, and wanted to know why my cat was wearing clothes. Next came the jogger who could not believe his eyes—“Hey lady, is that a cat up there?” And of course there were countless tourists with cameras that all wanted us to pose for them for their vacation snapshots. But the worst was the 200-pound Russian woman who climbed up on the stand and insisted on telling me her life story which included the ownership of at least 25 cats—but none of them, she said, would ever wear clothes. When she left, Lorenzo relaxed and I finally got these shots.

See more of Joann Biondi’s work on her website or on her Facebook fan page.

The Story with Dick Gordon interview

Unapologetically, Dick Gordon admitted that he doesn’t like cats, especially cats that wear clothes. And yet, he was drawn to Lorenzo’s story. Below is  a link to the interview that aired June 21, 2012 on American Public Media.

http://thestory.org/archive/The_Story_61412.mp3/view

Old World Pet Portraits

Carol Lew of Old World Pet Portraits is a master painter who captures the personalities of her subjects in classic, Old World style. She just discovered Lorenzo and wrote this lovely blog about us.   For more on Ms. Lew, visit http://www.CarolLew.com

Lorenzo the Cat

Posted on May 2, 2012 by Carol Lew

I just discovered Lorenzo, a cat who is the subject of some fabulous photos taken by his person Joann Biondi. You’ve got to check them out. This cat was born to wear clothes and pose elegantly in widely varied settings. How lucky that a cat with this calling found his soul mate, and the world gets to see the creative results.

This entry was posted in Animals, Artwork and tagged Joann Biondi, Lorenzo the Cat. Bookmark the permalink.

New York Times photo blog

Thanks to underwater dog photographer Seth Casteel, we got a cute Valentine’s Day mention in The New York Times.  

                                                                                

Here’s the link:

http://lens.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/02/14/dogs-dunked/

Marco Island Center for the Arts

They came out. Lots of people. Even a few felines. To see our show–One Woman, One Cat at the Marco Island Center for the Arts February 3-5. Here’s what it looked like.