Riga - cat on (hot tin?) roof Photo

Photographer’s Note

this cool cat is not looking for a kitty, as the song goes. instead it is helping the original owner of the house to express what he feels about being banned from the Merchants Guild - the building of the Guild is on the right and anyone looking though it's windows would see... yes, THAT side of the cat. the Guild sued the owner, but, as you can see, the cats (it's two of them) are still there.

the buildig was constructed in 1909 as a residence with a shop on the first floor, and the cats took up their posts in 1913. since then, the building has changed owners many times, but two things remain constant - there's a caffee "Black Cat" on the first floor, and there is a black cat that greets everyone that enters the building now full of offices. according to the very localised urban legent, that is the only LUCKY black cat in the world - if you see her on your way to the office, the day is going to turn out really good.

"Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" is is a Tony-nominated play by Tennessee Williams; the play won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1955. the movie adaptation in 1958 stars Elizabeth Taylor and Paul Newman (both were nominated for Oscars for their work in this film).

jalab_temen, dlevy23, MayaG, zmey, Floydian, pasternak, Wandering_Dan, fulvio52, grantlp, jorgi, mpb001, Merline, flashpoint, gunbud, plimrn, trekks, Dpbours, cfreire, JorgeCK, belido has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

jalab_temen (1994) 2008-03-28 5:20

DEar Kristine, the nice capture, amazing colours, delightful title make this photo really unique. Thanks for sharing, Jalab

dlevy23 (2018) 2008-03-28 5:52

Hi Kristine, really nice photo. Very intense colors and great composition. Love the kitty in the roof, it goes with mi cat photo from yesterday!!! :) I love the way you composed the photo, the building is in an angle but the kitty is perfectly straight. By the way, good information on your note.
Good job!!!

Daniel

MayaG (2393) 2008-03-28 5:59

Hi Avene,

this is really nice. The complementary colours are wonderful and rich. I like the way you composed the image, with that strong downward tilt, which adds tension - and the reference to the play is great, as the tension between the characters (and inside each of them) is one of the most important thing in the drama. You reminded me of American literature classes, thank you!
Great work:)

zmey (7282) 2008-03-28 6:31

hello there

a nice one... :) clear and well lit very trek-earthy architectural portrait. i even was not aware of the urban legends and the history of the building. so, kudos for the note too. :)

warm regards and hugs,
K.

Floydian (30970) 2008-03-28 6:52

Hello Kristine,
You control your colour balance very good. In all your latest uploads the colours are dominating on each other but never interfer with each other, that's really a strong sky in your pictures. Here the deep yellow/orange against that sky is in perfect harmony. Beside that the tilt and cat make the composition very interesting.
Very good work here in exposure and composition.
Regards, Henk

vincz (19075) 2008-03-28 9:07

Wow this is really a beautiful shot. Such great colours, so much depth. I like it a lot.

pasternak (13796) 2008-03-28 10:14

This is really nice, Kristine! In my opinion this is your best shot so far from your latest series about Riga. This isn't just a well spotted shot of a roof detail, although this alone would be nice as well; this shot is very well composed to bring a feeling of tension which fits so well to the main "character" here, and excellent light is really well used, the tilt also serving to acieve good polarization. Above all, a clever title with a reference to a famous play and a good note. Compliments!

Cheers
Alexander

Wandering_Dan (3329) 2008-03-28 10:23

Hi, Kristine -

Very interesting! The slant of the buildings is countered by the level lines of the cat. Great strong colors, too.

A lot of European cities have fascinating statues of animals and people in odd positions. Part of the fun.

Best,
Dan

fulvio52 (8314) 2008-03-28 12:11

Hi Kristine,
a most unusual and most creative angle, superb contrast between those wonderful orange-yellows and the metallic-blue sky (I LIKE THAT, as you very well know!), a great reference to Tennessee Williams (one of my favorite American writers, together with John Steinbeck and Jack Kerouac, well... I can't ask for more!
Excellent job!
You have a wonderful weekend, if the weather (as it seems) gives us a sunny break I might be posting something soon again.
Cheers,
Fulvio.

clio (23421) 2008-03-28 15:41

Hi Kristine
I do not know if the roof is hot but really like these so warm colors and this strange cat!
The pov with the construction in diagonal is excellent.
Bravo and thank you for this reference to Tennessee Williams.
Have a nice WE
Diane

toto (18783) 2008-03-29 1:24

Bonsoir,
belle photo de ces toit superbe avec ce chat qui fait le gros dos.
Jolies couleurs et bonne netteté de l' ensemble.Bon POV en diagonal.

Amitiés Thomas
Je reviens

mikeo (12117) 2008-03-29 2:24

:)))))))

Great and funny:)
The title is perfect:)
How did you find this cat:)? Great eye really...

Superb, so clear colours, interesting POV...
Good shot!
Greetings
Mikeo

grantlp (2104) 2008-03-29 4:18

Hi Kristine,
A wonderful creative composition, made even more dramatic by the angled POV. The contrast in colours between the blue sky and ocre walls works extremely well, and the cat provides the additional 'spark'. Very well seen and captured.
Regards, Grant

jorgi (3804) 2008-03-29 4:37

Hi Kristine,

I disagree with urban legend, there are at least two black cats that make my day really good. :) I remember you complaining about bad weather in Riga... hm... You are one though lady to satisfy. :P Seing all these shots I envy you marvelous light conditions, they bring the best out of your hometown, just look how the buildings are glowing! Simply fantastic, this contrast of orange and darken blue. Not to mention great choice of angle which positions cat perfectly on the shot and creates additional dynamics. Simply brilliant.

Have a great w-end,
Jeri

steliosk (4784) 2008-03-29 16:40

The placement of the statue is outstanding like the POV too. The colour addition is working perfectly for the eye to view.
Another worthy picture I'd love to look at ;)

Many Regards
Stelios

mpb001 (4600) 2008-03-29 16:57

Hi Kristine,
Excellent and colorful shot. I really like the diagonal form. The details, including the cat are very well presented.
Nice work,
Mike

Merline (6578) 2008-03-29 17:47

Kristine, I disagree with the legend ! my cat brings luck too:o)))
A dear salute from her to these couple here, that I hope will be staying up there for a long time...you are showing us details of this lovely town now, and this is a very good catch. Shining bright and warm, my, what a pleasure for the eyes, the diagonal makes this building stand out excellently against the deep blue of the sky, the colors...well they are simply gorgeous. Thanks for this sunny postcard with style. Nice note too, funny story:-)

Kind regards, have a great Sunday
Michèle

flashpoint (3591) 2008-03-30 12:36

cioa Kristine,
great sharpness and colors in this capture
i like the crop and tha cat over the roof
have a great week

cheers sERGIO

gunbud (28295) 2008-03-30 19:56

Hi Kristine,
Wonderfully imaginative titlted POV catches the preciously balanced feline in its most exposed pose. The lovely golden yellow of the Guild building is marvelously complimented by the deep blue sky and the clear light and colors expose beautiful details the ornate building and lovely coned shaped roof.
Regards, Tom

plimrn (19872) 2008-03-30 20:21

Hi Kristine,
I've seen this cat before, although the colors and framing are much better here. I really like the diagonal of the roof; even more, I like hearing why this cat was placed on the roof. HLJ, Pat

trekks (14336) 2008-03-31 0:38

hi Kristine

Looking at this photo at a quick glance without reading the title, is basically color contrast and architecture feature. So a question : Where is the cat? I was looking for a real cat climbing like spider-man on the wall!

Oh...so the cat is on the roof. And a dead one.

This abstract shot is quite interesting in a few ways, with the imagination running curious on how it looks like on the overall view. The angle of shot makes the diagonal lines more interesting. Good creative work.

TFS, bill
later

delkoo (35024) 2008-03-31 1:35

bonjour kristine
The clarity of this image is excellent. Well composed with good saturation of colours and sharpness.

well done
best regards
didier

Dpbours (220) 2008-03-31 15:08

The cats? Where's the second one?! I'm trying to find it, but I can't see it in the compo I guess. The diagonal and the yellow make it an attractive compo!
Good sharpness all over and a good note as well on the play and the residence.

Greetings! Dennis

cfreire (11677) 2008-04-02 8:52

Hi Kristine
It's a wonderful shot did with a great creative in your point of view. The shadows are sharpness and its enrich the group. The colors are well saturated with special shine that brought out all the contrasts. Well done! Regards, Consuelo

JorgeCK (2602) 2008-04-03 8:35

Hi Kristine,
Your creative collection from Latvia is really impressive. Love the colors, POV and sharpness of all your pictures.
Congratulations
joRge

batalay (21416) 2008-04-03 10:12

Hello Kristine,

What a fabulous package the photograph and note comprise — entertaining, engaging and a pleasure to the senses. 3-4 years ago when my son and daughter-in-law (at the time my son was doing medical residency at Johns Hopkins) took us to see Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, the lead was Theordor Bikkel. To see the great old man in that lead makes this photograph all the more memorable.

Warm regards,

Bulent

belido (17185) 2008-04-04 16:53

Hi Kristine,

interesting perspective and crop. Very nice details of the architecture. There are two thing that pleases a lot in this one: the cat and the diagonal line. Both of them work fine for the composition. Well done!
Regards,
Carlos

Angshu (34243) 2008-04-28 21:05

Hello Kristine
Once again an intelligent compo. with the rooftop in a diagonal, creating a good warm-cold contrast with the sky. The low light is good as it falls on the warm colour of the facade. Of course the statue of the cat is the centre of attraction..can't find the second though :-). Well done with both the light & compo.
Best Regards
Angshuman

Greg1949 (8545) 2008-05-20 7:51

Kristine, I like the way you lean toward saturated strong colors, I think this works very well, though I do like out of focus foggy day pictures a lot and think they deserve extra attention... I like your note, you tie a lot of kitty stuff together very nicely. As with most of your gallery this is another strong and image, well seen and captured.

Greg

Photo Information

Copyright: Kristine KM (avene) (11242)
Genre: Places
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2008-03-05
Categories: Humorous, Architecture
Camera: Nikon D 200, Nikkor 18-200 3.5-5.6G IF-ED AF-S DX VR, Nikon CircPolar II 72mm
Exposure: f/8, 1/160 seconds
More Photo Info: view
Photo Version: Original Version
Date Submitted: 2008-03-28 5:01