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 been told that pet photography is very difficult . It's hard to think that taking photos of sweet little kittens could be very difficult. What is so hard about this kind of photography? It is the identical thing that makes other types photography difficult; quick movement. Let's discuss methods to overcome some of these familiar difficulties.
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 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 entertaining playful photo then it might be at a lovely idea to let your kitten play. You can take some wonderfully natural and fun photos this way. You can take a photo of your kitten stretching up and trying to reach for a toy with toy. You can also take a shot of your kitten being very interested in something. These spontaneous and honest shots work very well as an choice to the standard pet portrait photo. I have taken many spontaneous pictures using this method.
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 understand more than the camera does. I appreciate what will work. I need to have complete control over my aperture because I want to be in charge of my own depth of field. If you let the camera dictate your f-stop then you are enabling the camera to dictate your depth of field. Your camera does not know how to create a good shot, it simply knows that it needs to expose for light and capture depth of field. It does not know how to get sharp photos of moving kittens.
I typically place myself about a meter away from my kittens. As the focal point shifts all the time I use auto focus. (Due to the motion of the kittens). Making use of manual focus can take too long for your kitten to move into the plane or focus, if at all. I pursue the kitten about with my finger on the button, constantly focusing and refocusing. To assist me to get clarity of the kittens eyes I am careful and precise about what aperture range to use. I tend to use an f-stop somewhere between F5 .6 and F8. This allows me to have a reasonably short depth of field without focus difficulties.
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 find sharpness eludes you. This might be due to the fact your kitten has jumped out of the focal range and the image is no longer sharp. However, if you use a slightly smaller aperture you might find you usually do not undergo this predicament. Aperture and depth of field are intimately related. It is vital that you get the true f-stop for the distance away from your kitten. In other words the bigger the aperture the closer 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 key to photographing kittens is light and motion. It is preferable to get as much light on the scene as possible. Window light is good but you also want to illuminate the scene from the opposite side. You may want to use reflectors but it may distract the kittens. Alternatively you may like to bounce the flash off the ceiling as I did. (Before my flash stopped working.)
Bounced flash is best. It is also effective to have a white card on top of your flash. This white card assists in leading the light from the roof downwards onto your subject. It is not good to blast your kitten with front light from the flash. The direct flash may harm their eyes and frightened 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 involves practical skill and good light. It also demands the photographer to be calm and happy. Some days are more productive than others. Now and then your kittens are not scared of the camera. They will look at the camera with curiosity and even move toward you start sniffing the camera. This is a wonderful photograph if you can capture it. If you are working with frightened kittens then be incredibly 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.
You might have been told that pet photography is very difficult . It's hard to think that taking photos of sweet little kittens could be very difficult. What is so hard about this kind of photography? It is the identical thing that makes other types photography difficult; quick movement. Let's discuss methods to overcome some of these familiar difficulties.
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 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 entertaining playful photo then it might be at a lovely idea to let your kitten play. You can take some wonderfully natural and fun photos this way. You can take a photo of your kitten stretching up and trying to reach for a toy with toy. You can also take a shot of your kitten being very interested in something. These spontaneous and honest shots work very well as an choice to the standard pet portrait photo. I have taken many spontaneous pictures using this method.
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 understand more than the camera does. I appreciate what will work. I need to have complete control over my aperture because I want to be in charge of my own depth of field. If you let the camera dictate your f-stop then you are enabling the camera to dictate your depth of field. Your camera does not know how to create a good shot, it simply knows that it needs to expose for light and capture depth of field. It does not know how to get sharp photos of moving kittens.
I typically place myself about a meter away from my kittens. As the focal point shifts all the time I use auto focus. (Due to the motion of the kittens). Making use of manual focus can take too long for your kitten to move into the plane or focus, if at all. I pursue the kitten about with my finger on the button, constantly focusing and refocusing. To assist me to get clarity of the kittens eyes I am careful and precise about what aperture range to use. I tend to use an f-stop somewhere between F5 .6 and F8. This allows me to have a reasonably short depth of field without focus difficulties.
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 find sharpness eludes you. This might be due to the fact your kitten has jumped out of the focal range and the image is no longer sharp. However, if you use a slightly smaller aperture you might find you usually do not undergo this predicament. Aperture and depth of field are intimately related. It is vital that you get the true f-stop for the distance away from your kitten. In other words the bigger the aperture the closer 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 key to photographing kittens is light and motion. It is preferable to get as much light on the scene as possible. Window light is good but you also want to illuminate the scene from the opposite side. You may want to use reflectors but it may distract the kittens. Alternatively you may like to bounce the flash off the ceiling as I did. (Before my flash stopped working.)
Bounced flash is best. It is also effective to have a white card on top of your flash. This white card assists in leading the light from the roof downwards onto your subject. It is not good to blast your kitten with front light from the flash. The direct flash may harm their eyes and frightened 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 involves practical skill and good light. It also demands the photographer to be calm and happy. Some days are more productive than others. Now and then your kittens are not scared of the camera. They will look at the camera with curiosity and even move toward you start sniffing the camera. This is a wonderful photograph if you can capture it. If you are working with frightened kittens then be incredibly 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.
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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