Li Ward photographer of pets and weddings. Fat Orange Cat Studio is a fresh and candid boutique photography service in Boston, Massachusetts.

I’ll be the first to admit it: I am horrible at displaying prints. I take and take and take photographs and then I take some more…and at the end of the day I don’t know what to do with so many photos. Album or scrapbook? Desk or wall frames? Which ones, in what order and on which wall? I can’t make up my mind so as a result, many of my photos either pile up in a shoebox or in a hard drive, so sad and all alone. If only I had a little direction to help me organize and display my photos so that they receive the respect they deserve! Because what is the point of taking all these photos when you’re not going to showcase them properly?

Enter The Back Bay Framery, Boston’s premier fine-art framer.

I love supporting local vendors and working with great people, so it is with great excitement and glee that I announce a Fat Orange Cat Studio promotion with The Back Bay Framery, to help you turn your important photos into beautifully framed works of art, ready to be showcased in your home!

When you book a session with me and order prints, bring those print in to The Back Bay Framery and receive 15% off all display products and services! This runs the gamut from desktop picture frames to handcrafted scrapbooks to leather albums – and even custom framing.

There are a lot of beautiful products to choose from, and Kerrie, the owner of The Back Bay Framery, is on hand to help. She has been serving Boston’s custom framing needs since 1998, and because of her wonderful service, hands-on approach, and solidly crafted products, her business has flourished, winning the venerable Best of Boston award several times. I am finally getting a few important pieces custom framed, and Kerrie has been wonderful to work with.

If you visit her store now, you’ll see a rather lavish display of my pet photos at the front of the store…

So giddy to see my photos so beautifully framed! No, these are not your IKEA or Crate + Barrel frames, for sure.

Kerrie runs The Back Bay Framery with the help of her lovely assistants, Sadie Lou and Spike (the Yorkie mix). All three may greet you at the door.

So! If (1) You’re in the Boston area, (2) have a dog or a cat / or want yourselves photographed, (3) contact me to schedule a shoot, (4) order prints, (5) head over to The Back Bay Framery, (6) consult with Kerrie to get them beautifully displayed and (7) receive 15% off your order. Now you have no reason not to have your photographs properly showcased.

The Back Bay Framery
227 Newbury Street in Boston
Between Fairfield and Exeter Street

And tell Kerrie that Fat Orange Cat Studio sent you!

Ooooo. Where did this box come from? Tiffany? Hermes?

No, better! Fat Orange Cat Studio!

Last week I packaged up an order for Anya the English pointer, whose session took place at her summer home on Cape Cod. She actually lives not far from us here in the South End, so I was able to hand-deliver the prints myself. Usually when I am able to hand-deliver, I will write up a little thank you note, package up the prints in a nice envelope like this, add a biz card and call it a day. But since Anya’s order was so large – because her parents are so rad – I decided that her packaging needed to be a little more special. I couldn’t just hand them a bulging envelope. I needed to hand them a box. So I headed to Paper Source to see what I could use, and found these great portfolio folders wrapped in book cloth. I snagged a few in blue, got a spool of orange ribbon, glued a strand once around the cover for some extra spice, tucked all the envelopes and CD and whatnot into the slot, and voila.

Here are the contents deconstructed:

I had: thank you note written on my letterpress cards (yay!), biz cards, an envelope of 8x10s, a smaller envelope of 5x7s, package of magnets, CD of the photo session, and two mini accordions.

The mini accordions are a new addition to the FOCStudio product line, and they are so cool:

Mini accordions are 3×3 with 6 images on the front, 4 on the back. The front and back are covered in book cloth in the FOCStudio colors of navy blue, light blue and orange.
As a promotion, I am offering 2 mini accordions for $18.00 to all clients who book between now and the end of the year. They make great gifts!

I’ve been offering magnets for awhile, after receiving some samples from the printer’s. I really loved them. They are so fun and come in 4×5 with beveled edges.

Magnets come in sets of 4 (can all be unique) for $35.00

Now we come to my favorite product – Mounted Prints! They are prints adhered directly to a thick fiber board with black beveled edge and are ready to hang. I have had 6 hanging in The Buttery Cafe & Bistro since May, and am really happy that clients have been noticing them and ordering them.

Anya has two of herself as Mounted Prints, both in sizes 24×30. Art for your walls!

Here is another Mounted Print with Bunny for scale, and displayed on my walls. You can see the keyhole in the back. This one of Balki the Boston is 20×30.

I had a promotion running in July and August, with all Mounted Prints having a 3/8″ beveled edge. All the ones above are 3/8″ thick.

Starting now they will now have a 3/4″ edge. See below:

It’s Kitty’s magnificent rump as Mounted Print, sized 11×14 with the 3/4″ beveled edge.

Mounted Prints are my absolute favorite way to display prints – eye-catching but minimalist. Sizes are available from 11×14 to 30×40, and prices start at $110.00

To see more info, visit my Products & Pricing page!

From Jean: Casey is the middle cat (10.5 years), and was obtained as company for Emma (she’s actually Emma’s cat). She’s a tortie/calico with gold eyes. She is quite shy at first, then demanding of attention. She likes to spend time on her cat tree or sprawled/hanging off the sofa back. She is extremely sweet.

“Oh, hello.”

I love torties. But Jean failed to mention that Casey’s pelt is also coated in the Soft as Satin polymer technology. That cat’s fur is unnaturally SOFT. As SATIN.
Her paw pads are also as multicolored as her coat.

Casey was very shy. I tried my best not to make sudden movements that would have her diving under the bed. The treats were brought out for her benefit. Like Emma, Casey knows how to sit on command.

(By the way, we’ve tried getting VanBuren to do something useful for roast beef. The only thing he’ll do is lick his chops and beg for more. So far, all signs suggest that he is untrainable and a big fat pig.)

She warmed up to the camera eventually.

She doesn’t match the linens the way Emma does, but here Casey wants to show you that her coloring is quite nice nonetheless. Who knows though, maybe one day mom will be wanting a Halloween-themed bedroom?

Casey is brought to you by the color Orange.

“I dreamed a dream of times sans dog…”

Casey is battling a multitude of emotions – fear? intrigue? quiet rage? – while watching Logan play in her cat tent.

I think the below is my favorite photo.

I don’t remember what Jean was saying to Casey…or maybe she was talking to me as I was waiting at the bottom of the stairs for Casey to make her re-appearance from under the bed. Like I mentioned in the earlier post about Logan, I loved the lighting on the stairs and at one point, just sort of sat there at the bottom, waiting for Casey specifically. I think Jean is saying Quick! Here she is! and even though you can’t see Casey’s tail, I bet you it’s in the air and slightly curled at the tip, expectant of an incoming head scratch. Which she got as a reward as soon as she got a leeeeetle bit closer to me…

Casey is so pretty, even in negative space.

P.S. I love negative space and I’m trying to do these kinds of shots more often. It’s kind of not that easy – I seem to get it more by accident than on purpose, like the last two shots of the Springers from this post. It really works well when you overexpose the shot of a subject with very distinct markings. Gonna try it on Bunny.

Next up: Kiera, the totally tweaked orange tabby. This cat l.o.v.e.d the camera. Here is a preview:

Bahaha.

The 2nd grand opening party at Pawsh Dog Boutique, which I first mentioned about in here, is happening this Thursday, April 2 from 5:00-8:00pm. Boston-area dogs should stop by and get their haunches massaged, then their paws read, and finally their mugs photographed! And not necessarily in that order, although it would help you relax in front of the camera if you got your massage first. Heh.

And maybe if you’re extra good,  you’ll go home with one of these fabulous t-shirts.

iPood. I am Fartacus. Bahaha.

And Pawsh is displaying 6 of my prints in their store! I’m all pink from being tickled! Only 5 are showing because I made a clerical error and had to reprint the 6th one. All of them are 16×20.

3 prints (and soon a 4th) above the entrance.

From L-R we have Daisy in the snow, Lola in the South End, and Sadie and her snout. On the very right is their owners’ own photo of their Balki as a puppy. Cuuuute.

2 more prints above the staircase to the lower level. Beijing dog on the left, Margo on the right.

Hee hee! Thanks Mike and Nancy for displaying my prints!

Boston dog owners, see you Thursday!

How ready are you to see many, many photos of a hardcover book? Because it’s not just any hardcover book, it’s MY hardcover book. Mine. All mine.

8×8 hardcover hinged book, 18 pages total or 36 sides
Photos and layout by: Me!! Hahaha!
Printing by A Certain Pro Lab in MN :)
Turnaround time including standard shipping: 1 week

The craftmanship is excellent. It’s a REAL stinking BOOK, nothing flimsy or half-baked. The hinged version cost a little more than a regular book, but it’s totally worth it to have it lay flat when opened. No bits getting lost in the crease. And print-wise it all came out just as I designed it. No placement mistakes or cut-offs where I wasn’t expecting them, thank goodness. Now I’ll be brave enough to attempt some 2-page spreads in my next book, and all the books thereafter.

I’ve decided that a customized book is just about the coolest freaking thing ever and want to make hundreds more, for all occasions, for everybody. They are truly one-of-a-kind. Professionally yet home made at the same time. I’ll be making yearbooks of Bunny & Veebs, of us, of special events, travels, everyday life. No longer will photographs waste away on hard drives; they will get their moment to shine in a book, a book you can touch and smell and flip and share.

All the effort was completely worth it. It really can’t get more personalized or special than this. I. Love. It.

And will be offering it as an FOCStudio product. :) :) :)