Cara Hodge
Documentary Child Photography. Cat and Mouse.
Updated: Jan 4
It happened so fast.
Tiddlywinks had her eye on something. She jumped. Pounced....I don't know if I saw the mouse before I clicked the shutter button.
Certainly I hadn't seen THIS coming
It was only when I looked back through the pictures on my camera that I saw.
The mouse in the upper left hand corner of the frame.
Surprise!
I was taking some personal family portraits of my son by the window (...I love end of day window light...). I just hadn't counted on Miss Tiddlywinks spying the mouse!
My son Ben rescued Miss Tiddlywinks from the streets of Abu Dhabi when she was a small kitten.
Her mum was a domestic turned street cat with lots of white fluffy hair.
A new mum, she only had the one kitten with her. Miss Tiddlywink's dad was (we think) was a ruffian. A bandit. A street fighting, kebab toting street king.
The dad disappeared and the mum left Tiddlywinks on the doorstep of our home.
A tiny thing.
Mewing to be picked up the whole time. Even then, she knew how to survive. She had us from hello.
The love affair started between Tiddlywinks and my son. Wherever he went, Tiddlywinks was sure to be. And vice-versa. Ben had her in a truck. In a cardboard fort. In his bed. She put up with anything my four year old son wanted. She was "his".
She came all the way from Abu Dhabi to Dublin, Ireland, when we relocated in 2018.
(I forgot to mention, she was the star in some many of my favorite family & child pictures with my son. I'll have to post my favorite photographs of Miss Tiddlywinks...) She was a wonderful companion for our impromptu family photo shoots shoots here at home in Blackrock, Dublin.
Miss Tiddlywinks: Loud purring, big cuddles, adventurer, escapee, mouse-catcher.
I am a professional child, newborn & family photographer based in Dublin. I LOVE documentary style Fly On The Wall photography. That's moments that come up naturally in a family photography session. I also love to add expressive child & baby portraits into my sessions.
That's a more classic portrait that takes into consideration the setting of a portrait
This portrait of my son watching Tiddlywinks catch the mouse was shortlisted for the 2020 Documentary Family Awards, an international award. Best moments from my family documentary sessions are in the award section of this website!
I've included a few more family portraits with pets on this blog post.
I always find that our pets bring out magical moments of connection in family sessions - our pets are so much part of our lives. I have also included two of my favorites with Miss Tiddlywinks that were both featured in international child photo competition, best of black & white child photography
I welcome you to bring your dog on any family session with me!
To find out more about my natural family photography Dublin, have a good look around my website to take in my look n feel and contact me to ask about a session.
We miss you so much x






