Saturday, February 23, 2013

Upper and Pet Portrait (This week's Photo Hunt themes)

 

It used to be that having pets were something only the upper -- or at least moneyed -- classes could do.  These days though, it can seem like more people have pets than don't have them.  As it so happens though, I'm one of the latter. So this week's Photo Hunt theme chosen by Gattina (but less so Sandi's) looked like it might present me with a problem (or, at least, a puzzle)... until I got to realizing that I do in fact have portraits of other people's pets!

As unlikely as it may seem, both the bird photos in this Photo Hunt entry were taken while out hiking in Hong Kong.  More specifically, while traipsing along the Lung Mun Country Trail around this time last year, my hiking buddies and I caught sight a bird cage with a beautiful bird in it.  (That it was someone's pet was obvious as its owner was in the vicinity -- I guess he lived nearby and wanted to take his bird out to get some fresh air!)  And if that were not already an unexpected sight, at Tai Po Kau last month, my hiking buddies and I came across a colorful pair of un-caged parrots that seemed content to pose for portraits for just about anyone with a camera who passed by!

As for the upper-most photo on this blog entry: those familiar with Hong Kong art will recognize it as a work shown at Art HK 12 by Wilson Shieh, one of my favorite Hong Kong artists -- and whose studio I visited during last year's Fotanian Open Studios.  And while I'm not so sure that it could be considered an upper class marker to own one of his creations, I -- for one -- reckon it's a sign of one possessing good artistic taste to appreciate them! ;b

16 comments:

magiceye said...

Beautiful takes on the themes!!

Carver said...

You did a great job with the themes. Happy Weekend!

Anonymous said...

Good job on combining the themes.

YTSL said...

Hi magiceye --

Thanks!

Hi Carver --

Thanks for thinking so and happy weekend to you too! :)

Hi ewok1993 --

Thanks too for your vote. :)

Gattina said...

The first picture is very funny ! I like the parrots !

Bing said...

the first pic is a perfect depiction of the theme. :)

eastcoastlife said...

I like the picture of the doggies! Can the parrots talk?

*shyly*I have my own plush pet - Elmo. :D

Anonymous said...

Here everyone has pets. You often see those who are living on the street with dogs, cats, and other creatures keeping them company.

Great shots for this week's theme.

Have a super weekend.

Trekcapri said...

Hi YTSL, I love how the parrots are looking to the side together. You just never know what one may find on the trails. :) And the dogs in your first photo, great piece. Wonderful take on the dual themes for the week.

Have a great weekend!

Vane M. said...

Adorei as fotos, principalmente a primeira, bem apropriada...um abraço!

YTSL said...

Hi Gattina --

Re the first photo: I like the part about the air conditioning... ;b

Hi Bing --

Pet + portrait -> art. :)

Hi EastCoastLife --

Didn't hear the parrots talking but they probably can if they want to. Yeah, Elmo -- you mentioned him in a previous comments thread -- I was hoping to see him! ;b

Hi JDeQ --

An increasing amount of Hong Kongers have pet dogs and cats now to gauge by the number of pet shops about. The closest I myself have to pets though are my plushies... ;b

Hi Trekcapri --

I have other pictures of the parrots where they look in opposite directions. Might put them up at some point. :)

Hi Vane --

I'm glad you adore the photos. :)

Sandi @the WhistleStop Cafe said...

Birds who pose?? I can imagine them holding out a cup for donations after you took their photo. :-)
Great photohunt!

Susan Demeter said...

Perfect for both themes. :) I love birds but as pets they require a lot of dedication. Thank you for your kind words on my blog.

YTSL said...

Hi Sandi --

Teehee at your imagination -- and thanks for visiting! :)

Hi Sue --

You're welcome re the comment on your blog. And re pets in general: they all require a degree of care that I think my current lifestyle would not allow them!

Hootin Anni said...

I like how you infused the 'upper class' and pets all into one post like this. Great job, and wonderful images.

YTSL said...

Hi Hootin' Anni --

Thanks for reading as well as looking and visiting. :)