How to take photos of cats
by Amy Renfrey
A short time ago I had the pleasure of doing some photography for a pet rescue organisation. They wanted me to take photos of quite a few kittens and cats on the same day. This was a fantasy come true to me. Not only am I a photographer but I am a cat lover. I felt this job was a lot of enjoyment yet especially challenging.
You might have heard that pet photography is very difficult . It's difficult to think that photographing sweet little kittens might be very tricky. What is so hard about this type of photography? It is the similar thing that makes other types photography difficult; speedy motion. Let's discuss ways to overcome some of these familiar issues.
Kitten photography
If you are photographing kittens the initial factor to understand is that you will be photographing an unpredictable subject. It is very extraordinary for a kitten to just sit and stare at the camera. You must use toys to guide your kitten with no intimidation or fear. It is crucial to keep the kitten as calm as possible. A bouncy kitten is very hard to photograph. A relaxed kitten is ideal.
How can you calm a kitten? One of the ways that kitties relax is by letting them spend as much energy as possible. Once they start to fatigue then you will have a better chance of gaining the photographs you need. You can ask a friend to tinkle a toy or blow a whistle over your shoulder so that the kitten looks in the direction of your camera. You may also give them a little bit of special kitten food and the minute they pull their head up after eating, shoot the photo. Strive to get them to look at your camera if viable. This can be tricky if they are still in play mode. This is why I say it's more intersting to take photos of them when they are beginning to relax.
If you would like a spontaneous and fun playful shot then it may be at a nice idea to let your kitten play. You can take some splendidly spontaneous photos using this method. You can take a photograph of your kitten reaching up and trying to reach for a toy with toy. You can also take a shot of your kitten appearing very interested in something. These spontaneous and truthful shots work very well as an choice to the average pet portrait photo. I have taken many natural and fun pictures by doing this.
Professional Pet Photography Tips
What are the right settings to use for kitten photography? People who have not learned manual mode accurately are likely to take photos using semi-automatic settings. I do not trust you can get the true photo when the camera dictates the adjustments for you. You are more clever than the camera. I always photograph in the manual setting mode for absolutely everything. Kittens included.
Why is this? It is beause I comprehend more than the camera does. I understand what will work. I want to have absolute control over my aperture because I want to control my own depth of field. If you let the camera dictate your aperture then you are letting the camera to control your depth of field. Your camera will not be aware of how to capture a good image, it simply knows that it needs to expose for lighting and capture depth of field. It does not know how to get sharp photos of moving kittens.
I usually place myself about a meter away from my kitties. As the focal point moves all the time I make use of auto focus. (Due to the movement of the kittens). Using manual focus can take too much time for your kitten to move into the plane or focus, if at all. I chase the kitten about with my finger on the button, repeatedly focusing and refocusing. To help me to get clarity of the kittens eyes I am thorough and precise about what F stop range to use. I am inclined to use an aperture between F5 .6 and F8. This allows me to have a reasonably short depth of field without focus challenges.
I use a shutter speed of about 200th of a second or more. Your kitten can move about very fast and you want to be able to capture the speed of motion without blur. If you are making use of the flash you will see that you do not need to worry about shutter speed. Flash will stop the action at about 250th of a second. This is pretty practical to work with due to the fact all you have to do then is set your f-stop knowing the flash will manage the shutter speed, in effect.
If you set your f-stop to a wide setting, like F2 .8 or F4, you may discover sharpness eludes you. This may be since your kitten has moved out of the focal range and the image is no longer holding sharp focus. However, if you use a slightly smaller aperture you might find you don't undergo this predicament. F-stop and depth of field are closely related. It is imperative that you get the correct f-stop for the distance from your kitten. In other words the bigger the aperture the further in to your subject you need to be. Think about this when you are photographing your kittens.
What happens when you can't use the flash?
Just prior to one of the shoots my flash decided to stop working. Fortunately I was using continuous lighting. I decided to take my flash off the camera. I then produced my photos at 6400 ISO, 200th of a second and F 7.1. I used a very high ISO to compensate for the soft light. I wanted to get as much light as I possibly could. I also needed to use a high ISO so that I was able to use a rapid shutter speed. Using an F stop of 7.1 enabled me to get some clear and sharp images.
How to photograph kittens
I shot a mixture of typical and candid, yet lighthearted, photos. I made the decision to produce a succession of these photos in black-and-white. I call this my "Black and White Kitten Series".There are many opportunites to capture some very resourceful photos of kittens. You might shoot some intentional blur, side profile photos, intense macro images or even use aids like baskets or flowers.
Just remember the secret to taking photos of kittens is light and motion. It is best to get as much light on the scene as possible. Window light is good but you also want to light up the scene from the opposite side. You may need to use reflectors but it might distract the kittens. Otherwise you may want to bounce the light from the flash off the roof as I did. (Before my flash stopped working.)
Bounced flash is good. It is also valuable to have a white card on top of your flash unit. This white card assists in leading the lighting from the ceiling downward onto your subject. It is not ideal to blast your kitten with front light from the flash. The flash may damage their eyes and unsettle them.
You want to be spontaneous and ready when you photographing your kittens. Always position yourself on the ground and shoot from an angle that's near to the ground.. This may assist you to hold sharp focus on the eyes. Be prepared to move around with your kitten. It is essential to provide them encouragement as you go. After you capture them give them a little treat. Animals know when they are respected.
Photographing kittens needs practical skill and good lighting. It also calls for the photographer to be calm and relaxed. Some days are more productive than others. Sometimes your kittens are not frightened by your camera. They will look at the camera with curiosity and even move toward you start sniffing the camera. This is a terrific photograph if you can get it. If you are working with unsettled kittens then be exceptionally gentle and very tolerant.
Photographing kittens is a pleasurable and interesting experience. Always take care of your animals with highest respect and love at all times. Kittens and sensitive little beings and need to be treated with respect.
Amy Renfrey is a professional photography teacher. She is the author of several photography ebooks and a monthly photography emagazine. She shows you how to take stunning photos every single time, even if you have never used a digital camera before. Click here to <a href="http://www.digitalphotographysuccess.com/focusezineSub1.htm">learn photography the easy way</a>.
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New Unique Article!
Title: How to take photos of cats
Author: Amy Renfrey
Email: info@digitalphotographysuccess.com
Keywords: kitten photography,how to photograph kittens,how to photograph cats,cat photograph,pet photography,pet photography secrets,professional pet photography tips,how to take good photos,learn photography.
Word Count: 1395
Category: Hobbies
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