Photographing Cats

'I'm ready for my close-up'!

I love taking photos of our two cats. They have to be two of the most photographed felines in existence! I always have the digital camera handy and ready to go in case a photo opportunity presents itself :)

I'm not showing favouritism here, but Poppy happens to be particularly photogenic! She loves the camera and it loves her!! She enjoys posing I think. Oliver on the other hand, has been there done that and has the t-shirt with his photo printed on it!! So he is not as enthusiastic a model. More often than not he tends to glare at me when I try to photograph him.

I recently bought a new digital camera with loads of nice little settings to play with so I've been having fun with that. The two photos in my previous post were taken with the new camera.
I am sure every other cat owner out there also loves to take kitty pics, so I've compiled a list of tips and tricks to capture the purrfect pose!

*When taking a photo of your cat, always do so in good light. Try and avoid using a flash if possible. If you have to use a flash take the photo from a slight angle, to avoid the flash going off directly in the cats eye.
Also taking photos in bright light means the cats irises will contract and you will capture more of the cats eye colour.

*Take the photo while holding the camera at the cats eye level, being careful not to cut off ears, legs or tail.

*Having some kind of back drop makes the photo look more professional. Throwing a piece of coloured fabric over the sofa works well, pick a colour that contrasts with your cats colouring.

*Clear clutter out of shot. If indoors, a nice photo could be spoiled by the sight of mugs and plates on the dinner table in the background! Same goes for photos taken outside. Try and take from an angle that does not include anything too distracting.

*Use something like a toy to get the cats attention. I usually dangle one of their toy mice neat the camera to make them look my way. Taking photos of the cat looking away is nice too.

*Get in close and fill as much of the frame as you can with the cat. This can make for great photos.

*Take lots and lots of photographs! Professional photographers often take a hundred shots to get one great photo.

*Always have the camera nearby. It's often when you are not planning to photograph your cat that they pose best! Be ready to capture the moment!

Here are some lovely photos I found online to inspire you :)