Do you like to take photos of your cat? When a pet becomes part of your life it’s nice to capture images of them as cherished memories. Cats are domestic animals that have their own particular way of behaving. They are very cute with their soft fur and magnetic eyes with intense shape and colors. Taking pictures of your cat can be a lot of fun!
With patience, you will find different looks of your cat to take photos of. Cats are very graceful and elegant and it’s possible to capture photos of their habits and expressions. You can post photos of your cat on your social media profile. Another thing you can do is take up a very popular hobby, which is creating a social media profile where you upload the best photos of your cat, as if your cat “owned” the social media profile.
Now you will discover how to take beautiful photos of your cat and how to choose the best moments to capture amazing pictures of your feline pet in your daily life!
Let’s get started!
Prepare the photo scene
If you are looking to create a social media profile for your cat or post your pictures of your cat on your personal social media, it’s good to look for a good scene for taking photos. The ideal is to use spaces at your home, such as gardens or environments that have few elements. Taking photos of cats in their pet house is very positive because it’s an environment that they’re used to.
The color of your cat’s fur is very important to create a contrast with the colors of the photo scene. For example, a cat with black fur should be put in a photo scene with a clear background composed of soft colors, while a cat with white fur should be put in a photo scene with a darker background composed of warmer colors.
Photos in green environments. If cats like to walk, take them to a place with green areas to take photos, such as grown grass, bushes, plants and trees because usually those places add more depth to photos.
You can spend a few days with your cat in the place of the photo section before you actually take any photos because cats can feel more comfortable in a place that they’ve been to a few times. Also, observe if the place is too crowded and if there are other animals around because usually cats get scared or stressed in places with too many people or with other animals.
Another technique used for helping cats to get used to a new place is to take some of their objects to the new place (such as toys) and let them play around until they feel comfortable. Felines are suspicious and that is why they behave better when they know the place.
Take photos of your cat in motion
The first thing you need to remember is that you can never feed cats before taking photos of them in motion (jumping or running) because they usually become lazy and sleepy after eating.
You can get very good photos with your smartphone if the cat isn’t moving, but for photos of cats in motion, you will need a Professional Camera, and it’s best to the camera in use manual mode for capturing still pictures, but if you want to take photos of a cats running or jumping, use the camera’s automatic mode.
Cats love to climb trees, walls and roofs. Those moments of feline activity are great for getting good photos. Shooting with a 105mm f/2.8 lens is one of the best settings of professional cameras. If the cat feels comfortable around you and lets you move closer, setting your camera to 35mm f/1.8 or 50mm f/1.8 lenses can be very useful.
Natural light or camera flash?
Using natural light for taking photos of cats will help to make the photo scene more harmonious. The best time for perfect lighting is when the sun is low, so you can have a warm and soft light, with no shadows on the cat’s face or fur.
Using the camera flash usually distracts cats, and sometimes scares them. If you have to use your camera’s flash, place your camera at a higher angle, far from the cat. You can also use a soft box instead of the camera flash.
Also, take advantage of natural light and take pictures during the day. Natural light enhances the photos and makes the cat more comfortable without the need of the camera’s flash.
Take photos of your cat sleeping
Cats like quiet places to sleep because any noise wakes them up. Cats sleep about 12 to 16 hours a day. The good thing about this habit is that cats constantly change their position during sleep, which can become countless photos!
Observe the places where your cat likes to sleep to get photos during the nap time with different backgrounds. Be careful when taking pictures of your kitten sleeping because sudden movements easily wake cats up.
If you want to take a picture of cats yawning, stay tuned to when they wake up because cats usually yawn many times after waking up.
Catch your cat’s attention to take photos
Cats have their own personality. They react differently in similar situations due to their unstable temper. Study the habits of your cat, know the moments of the day that they behave in a certain way that would become a nice photo.
Holding a cat’s attention can be a difficult task, but they are naturally curious. So here’s what you can do to catch a cat’s attention to the camera:
- Use the cat’s curiosity to your advantage to take cool photos.
- Don’t give snacks to cats to catch their attention because they can understand that it’s actually time to eat and you’ll lose their attention.
- Snapping your fingers, crumpling papers and throwing ball toys to cats are great ways to get their attention.
- Place the toys in the place where you want to take the photos to catch your cat’s attention.
- Be patient, try not to force your cat to pose for the camera, just wait until they’re ready.
Try different angles with the camera
Try shooting from different angles, take the next photo differently from the previous one, look for interesting moments and get ready to slide on the ground, roll on the grass and climb trees to take photos of cats! Do your best to get the photo you want.
It may be necessary to lie on the floor or crouch to capture that moment when the cat is walking on top of something, this can guarantee very unique and original photos!
Stand at the same height as your cat is, which is the best way to position the camera at the cat’s eye level. Cat’s usually don’t notice that they’ve been photographed, but staying on the same level as them helps to make the photos more engaging and make the cat the focus in the photo. Avoid taking photos from above when the cat is not at the same level of the camera because those photos usually give the wrong idea that the cat is either lonely or helpless.
Cats sleep during the day and have nightly habits, so you can try to take photos of your cat at night. Many cats love to get up and run around in the late hours.
You can also use the macro mode of a Professional Camera (usually identified by an icon picture of a flower) to take pictures of your cat’s eyes, the results can really surprise you!
Conclusion
Awesome! You know how to prepare the photo scene for taking photos of your cat, how to take photos of your cat when they’re moving, how to choose between natural light and camera flash, how to take photos of cats while they sleep, how to catch your cat’s attention and try different angles with the camera to take photos. So don’t hesitate to put what you’ve learned into practice!
You can also share your thoughts in the comments below!
