Macfilos Weekender by Richard Alton
When I lived in East London, I rode a motorbike. For servicing I’d take it to Etty & Tyler’s in Forest Gate, which is where I met Sylvester. He used to share duties with Bruno the Mastiff — Sylvester was front of house manager, while Bruno kept an eye on the workshop. Bruno featured in my Macfilos article on dogs about town.
One day I found Sylvester relaxing in the sun, king of all he surveyed. With the warm afternoon light, I just had to take his portrait. Crouching down, I took three or four shots before he walked away. With its direct eye contact, for me this frame captured Sylvester at his imperious best. Not surprisingly, close friends called him Top Cat.
Taken with my Leica M3 (double stroke) and 50mm Summicron.
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Great pic as is. And I just zoomed in to have a good look at Top Cat’s expression – if I was Bruno the Mastiff I’d spend my time skulking out the back too.
Thank you, Wayne. I agree – pound for pound, I’d always put my money on Top Cat in a fight.
What a wonderful shot. I can tell that cat was definitely the master of all he surveyed. The sign on the door is a nice bonus too. Well done!
Thanks, Richard. Sylvester – was he Top Cat or Top Dog? I don’t know, but certainly he was inscrutable.
That’s an excellent shot, and wonderful story to go with it. Thank you for sharing.
Thanks for the feedback, Dave. I dug deeply into my ‘archives’ for this shot, so I’m glad that it continues to give pleasure. I haven’t ridden a motorbike for over ten years now.