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 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 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 begin to fatigue then you will have a better chance of gaining the photographs you want. You can ask someone to tinkle a toy or blow a whistle over your shoulder so that the kitten stares in the direction of your camera. You can also give them a little bit of kitten food and the minute they raise their head up following eating, take the shot. Strive to get them to look at your camera if doable. This can be hard if they are still in play mode. This is why I say it's more intersting to take pictures of them when they are starting to calm.
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 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 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 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 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 then began to fail. Thankfully I was shooting with continuous studio lighting. I made the decision to take my flash off the camera. I then produced my photos at 6400 ISO, 200th of a second and F 7.1. I shot with a very high ISO to compensate for the soft lighting. 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 utilise a quick 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 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 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 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 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.