A short time ago I had the pleasure of partaking in some photography for a pet rescue organisation. They wanted me to photograph quite a few kittens and cats at the same time. This was a dream come true to me. Not only am I a photographer but I love all cats and kittens. I found this duty was a lot of fun yet very challenging.
You may have heard that cat photography is very challenging. It's difficult to think that taking photos of sweet little kittens could be very tricky. What is so tricky about this kind of photography? It is the similar thing that makes other types photography difficult; quick movement. Let's talk about tricks and techniques to overcome some of these frequent issues.
Kitten photography
If you are photographing kittens the initial issue to be aware of is that you will be working with an unpredictable subject. It is very exceptional for a kitten to just sit and look at the camera. You must use aids to lead your kitten with no intimidation or anxiety. It is imperative to encourage the kitten to be as calm as possible. A lively kitten is very hard to photograph. A relaxed kitten is ideal.
How can you relax a kitten? One of the ways that kittens unwind is by letting them expend as much energy as possible. Once they begin to fatigue then you will have a better opportunity of gaining the photographs you want. You can ask someone to jingle a toy or blow a whistle over your shoulder so that the kitten looks in the direction of your camera. You can also give them a little bit of food and the moment they raise their head up after eating, take the shot. Strive to get them to look at the camera if possible. This can be tough if they are still in play mode. This is why I say it's more intersting to photograph them when they are starting 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 shooting modes to use for kitten photography? People who have not understood manual mode suitably tend to take photos using semi-automatic shooting modes. I do not trust you can get the correct exposure when the camera dictates the controls for you. You are smarter than the digital camera. I always shoot 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 frequently place myself about a meter away from my kitties. As the focus point moves all the time I use auto focus. (Due to the movement of the kittens). Making use of manual focus can take too much time for your kitten to jump into the plane or focus, if at all. I pursue 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 specific 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 rather short depth of field without focus difficulties.
I use a shutter speed of around 200th of a second or more. Your kitten can move very fast and you want to be able to capture the movement without blur. If you are making use of the flash you will find that you do not need to worry about shutter speed. Flash will freeze the movement 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 understanding the flash will handle 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 photography sessions my flash then began to fail. Fortunately I was shooting with continuous lighting. I decided to take my flash off the camera. I then produced my shots at 6400 ISO, 200th of a second and F 7.1. I shot with a very high ISO to compensate for the soft light. I had to get as much light as I possibly could. I also wanted to use a high ISO so that I could use a fast shutter speed. Using an F stop of 7.1 allowed me to get some clear and tack sharp photos.
How to photograph kittens
I photographed a mixture of standard and candid, yet lighthearted, photos. I made the decision to create a series of these photos in black-and-white. I call this my "Black and White Kitten Series".There are many opportunites to produce some very resourceful pictures of kittens. You may create some intentional blur, side profile photos, intense macro pictures or even use aids like baskets or flowers.
Just remember the key 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 pleasant but you also need to illuminate the scene from the opposite side. You may need to make use of reflectors but it may distract the kittens. Otherwise you may like to bounce the flash off the ceiling as I did. (Before my flash stopped firing.)
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 need to be ready to be flexible and open minded when you photographing your kittens. Always position yourself on the ground and photograph from a low angle. This may help you to focus on the eyes. Be prepared to move around with your kitten. It is important to provide them praise as you go. After you photograph them offer them a small indulgence. Animals understand when they are valued.
Photographing kittens requires practical skill and good light. It also demands the photographer to be calm about the shoot and happy. Some days are more productive than others. Now and then 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 great image if you can get it. If you are working with scared kittens then be very gentle and very enduring.
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.
You may have heard that cat photography is very challenging. It's difficult to think that taking photos of sweet little kittens could be very tricky. What is so tricky about this kind of photography? It is the similar thing that makes other types photography difficult; quick movement. Let's talk about tricks and techniques to overcome some of these frequent issues.
Kitten photography
If you are photographing kittens the initial issue to be aware of is that you will be working with an unpredictable subject. It is very exceptional for a kitten to just sit and look at the camera. You must use aids to lead your kitten with no intimidation or anxiety. It is imperative to encourage the kitten to be as calm as possible. A lively kitten is very hard to photograph. A relaxed kitten is ideal.
How can you relax a kitten? One of the ways that kittens unwind is by letting them expend as much energy as possible. Once they begin to fatigue then you will have a better opportunity of gaining the photographs you want. You can ask someone to jingle a toy or blow a whistle over your shoulder so that the kitten looks in the direction of your camera. You can also give them a little bit of food and the moment they raise their head up after eating, take the shot. Strive to get them to look at the camera if possible. This can be tough if they are still in play mode. This is why I say it's more intersting to photograph them when they are starting 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 shooting modes to use for kitten photography? People who have not understood manual mode suitably tend to take photos using semi-automatic shooting modes. I do not trust you can get the correct exposure when the camera dictates the controls for you. You are smarter than the digital camera. I always shoot 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 frequently place myself about a meter away from my kitties. As the focus point moves all the time I use auto focus. (Due to the movement of the kittens). Making use of manual focus can take too much time for your kitten to jump into the plane or focus, if at all. I pursue 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 specific 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 rather short depth of field without focus difficulties.
I use a shutter speed of around 200th of a second or more. Your kitten can move very fast and you want to be able to capture the movement without blur. If you are making use of the flash you will find that you do not need to worry about shutter speed. Flash will freeze the movement 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 understanding the flash will handle 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 photography sessions my flash then began to fail. Fortunately I was shooting with continuous lighting. I decided to take my flash off the camera. I then produced my shots at 6400 ISO, 200th of a second and F 7.1. I shot with a very high ISO to compensate for the soft light. I had to get as much light as I possibly could. I also wanted to use a high ISO so that I could use a fast shutter speed. Using an F stop of 7.1 allowed me to get some clear and tack sharp photos.
How to photograph kittens
I photographed a mixture of standard and candid, yet lighthearted, photos. I made the decision to create a series of these photos in black-and-white. I call this my "Black and White Kitten Series".There are many opportunites to produce some very resourceful pictures of kittens. You may create some intentional blur, side profile photos, intense macro pictures or even use aids like baskets or flowers.
Just remember the key 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 pleasant but you also need to illuminate the scene from the opposite side. You may need to make use of reflectors but it may distract the kittens. Otherwise you may like to bounce the flash off the ceiling as I did. (Before my flash stopped firing.)
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 need to be ready to be flexible and open minded when you photographing your kittens. Always position yourself on the ground and photograph from a low angle. This may help you to focus on the eyes. Be prepared to move around with your kitten. It is important to provide them praise as you go. After you photograph them offer them a small indulgence. Animals understand when they are valued.
Photographing kittens requires practical skill and good light. It also demands the photographer to be calm about the shoot and happy. Some days are more productive than others. Now and then 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 great image if you can get it. If you are working with scared kittens then be very gentle and very enduring.
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.
About the Author:
Amy Renfrey is a professional photography teacher. She shows you how to take stunning photos every single time, even if you have never used a digital camera before. Click here to discover/ how to take beautiful photos every time you press the shutter button.
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