sparkle and shine

With all the rain we've had this week, good natural lighting has been a scarce commodity. A bit of a shame, since the leaves are in full chromatic glory and a bit of sunlight would make for an absolute high def backdrop for our kielbasa's second autumn. But the overcast weather has provided an opportunity, at least, to use my camera's much avoided flash feature.

I tend to avoid using the flash as much as possible when taking pictures, mostly because I think it tends to wash out the things I find interesting like texture, color, and shadow. But I now realize using the flash with Baxter helps bring out features I don't quite get to think about in other circumstances, like his e-red slightly liver nose & brown eye rims, and in particular, the glossy shine of his youthful coat. Something to fondly look back upon when he's old and gray like the boys, but for now, something I would take for granted were not for reminders like this.

I don't think Baxter is quite sold on our indoor lightning machine, based on his look in this picture. But I'm sure he'll take what he can get if it means mom can be done with taking pictures that much faster. Enough with the picture taking, he says. The electric blankie is nice and warm so let's get on with the business of cuddling, okay?