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 foremost thing to realize is that you will be photographing an unpredictable subject. It is very unusual for a kitten to just sit down and look at the camera. You must use aids to lead your kitten with no intimidation or anxiety. It is imperative to keep the kitten as relaxed 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 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 settings to use for photographing kittens? Many who have not mastered manual mode suitably tend to shoot in semi-automatic settings. I do not believe you can get the right photo when the camera dictates the adjustments 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 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 around 200th of a second or higher. Your kitten can move about very fast and you want to be able to freeze the action without blur. If you are using the speedlite you will find that you do not need to fret about shutter speed. Flash will freeze the movement at around 250th of a second. This is really useful to work with due to the fact all you have to do then is set your aperture knowing the flash will manage the shutter speed, so to speak.
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 jumped 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 do not undergo this predicament. The cameras aperture and depth of field are very much linked. It is important that you get the correct aperture for the distance from your kitten. In other words the larger the aperture the closer to your subject you need to be. Deliberate 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 standard and candid, yet playful, photos. I made the decision to create a series of these photos in monochrome. I call this my "Black and White Kitten Series".There are lots of chances to capture some very inventive pictures of kittens. You might capture some intentional blur, side profile photos, extreme close up shots or even use aids such as 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 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 fun and challenging experience. Always treat your animals with utmost respect and love at all times. Kittens and perceptive little souls and need to be treated with respect.
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 foremost thing to realize is that you will be photographing an unpredictable subject. It is very unusual for a kitten to just sit down and look at the camera. You must use aids to lead your kitten with no intimidation or anxiety. It is imperative to keep the kitten as relaxed 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 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 settings to use for photographing kittens? Many who have not mastered manual mode suitably tend to shoot in semi-automatic settings. I do not believe you can get the right photo when the camera dictates the adjustments 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 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 around 200th of a second or higher. Your kitten can move about very fast and you want to be able to freeze the action without blur. If you are using the speedlite you will find that you do not need to fret about shutter speed. Flash will freeze the movement at around 250th of a second. This is really useful to work with due to the fact all you have to do then is set your aperture knowing the flash will manage the shutter speed, so to speak.
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 jumped 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 do not undergo this predicament. The cameras aperture and depth of field are very much linked. It is important that you get the correct aperture for the distance from your kitten. In other words the larger the aperture the closer to your subject you need to be. Deliberate 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 standard and candid, yet playful, photos. I made the decision to create a series of these photos in monochrome. I call this my "Black and White Kitten Series".There are lots of chances to capture some very inventive pictures of kittens. You might capture some intentional blur, side profile photos, extreme close up shots or even use aids such as 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 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 fun and challenging experience. Always treat your animals with utmost respect and love at all times. Kittens and perceptive little souls and need to be treated with respect.
About the Author:
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 learn photography the easy way.
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