How to take stunning photos of your pets
By Karen Lynch
4 Mar 2009
After countless images of out of focus faces or nose prints on my camera lens, I found a simple method of getting great shots of my cat Snowelle. It was a matter of a lot of patience, not to mention dozens of deleted shots.
I found it is best to wait until she is distracted and completely unaware I am nearby. Snowelle loves to look out windows at the birds and other animals, giving me an optimal setting for shooting her in spectacular natural light. Two windows in my home have cat perches, one on the East with soft morning light and one on the South with strong light all day.
My cat is a difficult subject because her fur is all white. Because I do not use a flash on her indoors, getting a good white balance requires very good light. I found natural sunlight in the brightest white range gives me the best results. (A flash blows all the detail out of her white fur. There is also nothing worse than "devil eyes" in a pet.)
I have also taken photos of Snowelle at night using a simple lamp to illuminate just her face. One of the most amazing shots I captured is a close up of her green-gold eyes. After purchasing my first DSLR camera I was trying to learn how to take low light, no flash photography for photojournalism (because my editor hates flash photos.) My cat jumped up on the couch behind me. I only had one lamp on in the house. Snowelle was watching what I was doing just outside the light source. I scratched the lampshade so she would turn her face towards the light. To my surprise I caught a reflection of the lamp shade in both pupils. Everyone loves that shot.
I also like taking photos of my cat reflected in the window glass while she is on one of her perches. When she is distracted by what is going on outdoors it gives me a good opportunity to catch her perfectly still and in good light. I can get in as close as I want. Because the room is back lit, I often get a black or nearly black background. The main photo shown was taken in the East living room window. Some background details were visible in the raw shot but a simple "curves" adjustment in Photoshop took the background to full black and popped the texture in her fur. The shot was made possible by the ample source of natural light.
Another method of capturing your pets is waiting for them to do what they most enjoy. Take your photos in their favorite place or with a special toy. Get them used to seeing and hearing the camera until they become bored with its presence. Practice patience! You will eventually get the shot you want.
I am always told what a beautiful cat she is. Capturing that beauty requires as much love and devotion as she gives me. Pets love us unconditionally, even when we may not be in a good mood. Pets can also get in a bad mood. Put away the camera for another time unless you want to capture that mood. The photo I have called "The Stare" shows a pet that grew tired of my attempts to capture just half her face. That look said our photo session was over but I did capture that brief moment.
Most of the time Snowelle is in a very loving mood and always seems to know just when I need "petted" also and I have enough pet hair on me to prove it!
5 responses
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jean-francois gave props (5 Mar 2009):
lovely cat and lovely shots, well done !
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Michele Ivy Davis gave props (7 Mar 2009):
Good informative article, and nice accompanying pictures!
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Gina B said (10 Mar 2009):
beautiful cat and great shots
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Rusty Katchmer said (18 Mar 2009):
Karen, thanks for sharing these tips on getting a great shot of your pet! Snowelle is a beauty and you have done an amazing job at capturing her lovely eyes and gorgeous fur.At this piont, I'm a point and shoot photo hobbyist. I don't know what photoshop is...but I'd like to know more.
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Karen Foto Fiddler gave props (29 Apr 2009):
I say yeah!
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