I have to take pictures of my black kitten tonight since I am having a portrait of my cats drawn. She will not hold still for anything and I need pictures with her awake. Any tips?
-
Too many ads? Join our community of cat lovers now to reduce ads by 90%! Click here to join for free!
Any tips for Taking Kitten Pictures?
- Thread starter NewYork1303
- Start Date
A black kitty looks fabulous on deep red if possible.
If you have something that makes a very unique sound I would try that in your hand, but snap pics fast! I know how hard getting kittens pics are, that's why I go through lots of pics, maybe 100 before I finally have a few that are perfect.
If you have something that makes a very unique sound I would try that in your hand, but snap pics fast! I know how hard getting kittens pics are, that's why I go through lots of pics, maybe 100 before I finally have a few that are perfect.
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #3
Thank you! I'll definitely try that.
- Joined
- Aug 20, 2015
- Messages
- 2,205
- Purraise
- 740
Taking pictures of kittens is not an easy feat! Getting them to hold still long enough to capture a picture can be tricky, but it CAN be done.
Some of it depends on your camera. Lighting and shutter speed, as well as being able to take continuous pictures all help in getting that one good picture. As Catwoman707 said, you might have to take 100 pics to get the right one.
Take ALL the pics you have of your kitten with you. You and the artist can review them and choose which will be the best to work from. Even if there is one you might not particularly like, it could be just the right one to give the artist a better view of coloring, shading and markings; especially since your kitten is black.
Some of it depends on your subject matter. You have to take pics on the kittens time schedule, and about the only way to get a decent photo of them is to wait until they're good and ready. LOL
So, you have to be prepared because your kitten won't wait around for you to get a decent shot and they SURE won't repeat any behavior just for your benefit. Once the moment's lost, it's gone forever.
You don't want your kitten to be totally zonked out, but you don't want him bouncing off the walls either. You want a happy medium so the best time for pictures is usually after some playtime when he is still alert but not as energetic.
A few additional tips:
1. Get down on her level. You'll be able to get a head-on shot and she is more apt to look directly at the camera. Also, she will most likely go toward the camera to sniff on it and those can turn out to be pretty neat shots. Get some 1/2 and 3/4 profiles and some of her looking up. This might require a 'helper' holding a toy overhead so she does look up or even reach for the object.
2. You'll want to use two auto-focus techniques to capture the right moment:
a. Press down halfway on the shutter release button to pre-focus -- this way, the camera won't have to focus when you're ready to take a photo.
b. Make sure you focus on the cat's eyes, especially if your camera has a multi-point auto-focus -- out of focus eyes can ruin an otherwise nice cat portrait.
Grab several shots of her eyes so the artist has details of their coloring, et cetra. You might get one great pic that you want the portrait done from, but the eyes are reflecting light. If there are other 'not so good' pics that show the color of her eyes, you have it made!
3. As we know, light reflects off the retina so try not to have the kitten looking directly into a bright light source to avoid "demon eyes".
Regarding the flash... if possible, try to take your pics during day time so you can take advantage of the natural light. However, you might want to leave your flash 'on' because turning it off will slow the shutter speed and result in blurred pics.
Taking pics in low light might result in 'dark' pics, but don't worry... they can be lightened up with Adobe, Gimp, or any Photoshop program and whoever is doing the portrait should certainly be able to scan your picture and adjust the brightness and contrast.
Increase the ISO setting on your camera, open the lens aperture wide and shoot with available light.
4. For photography purposes, you might want to try different contasting backdrops such as blankets or sheets draped over the couch. But if you are having an artist do a portrait of her the background doesn't really matter - they will fill in whatever background you decide on together.
Most of all, have fun with it! And remember, you don't need 'one absolutely perfect photograph' if it is being used to create a portrait. The artist should be able to work with several pictures to capture all the qualities of your kitten and bring it all together in one final product.
I hope this helped.
Some of it depends on your camera. Lighting and shutter speed, as well as being able to take continuous pictures all help in getting that one good picture. As Catwoman707 said, you might have to take 100 pics to get the right one.
Take ALL the pics you have of your kitten with you. You and the artist can review them and choose which will be the best to work from. Even if there is one you might not particularly like, it could be just the right one to give the artist a better view of coloring, shading and markings; especially since your kitten is black.
Some of it depends on your subject matter. You have to take pics on the kittens time schedule, and about the only way to get a decent photo of them is to wait until they're good and ready. LOL
So, you have to be prepared because your kitten won't wait around for you to get a decent shot and they SURE won't repeat any behavior just for your benefit. Once the moment's lost, it's gone forever.
You don't want your kitten to be totally zonked out, but you don't want him bouncing off the walls either. You want a happy medium so the best time for pictures is usually after some playtime when he is still alert but not as energetic.
A few additional tips:
1. Get down on her level. You'll be able to get a head-on shot and she is more apt to look directly at the camera. Also, she will most likely go toward the camera to sniff on it and those can turn out to be pretty neat shots. Get some 1/2 and 3/4 profiles and some of her looking up. This might require a 'helper' holding a toy overhead so she does look up or even reach for the object.
2. You'll want to use two auto-focus techniques to capture the right moment:
a. Press down halfway on the shutter release button to pre-focus -- this way, the camera won't have to focus when you're ready to take a photo.
b. Make sure you focus on the cat's eyes, especially if your camera has a multi-point auto-focus -- out of focus eyes can ruin an otherwise nice cat portrait.
Grab several shots of her eyes so the artist has details of their coloring, et cetra. You might get one great pic that you want the portrait done from, but the eyes are reflecting light. If there are other 'not so good' pics that show the color of her eyes, you have it made!
3. As we know, light reflects off the retina so try not to have the kitten looking directly into a bright light source to avoid "demon eyes".
Regarding the flash... if possible, try to take your pics during day time so you can take advantage of the natural light. However, you might want to leave your flash 'on' because turning it off will slow the shutter speed and result in blurred pics.
Taking pics in low light might result in 'dark' pics, but don't worry... they can be lightened up with Adobe, Gimp, or any Photoshop program and whoever is doing the portrait should certainly be able to scan your picture and adjust the brightness and contrast.
Increase the ISO setting on your camera, open the lens aperture wide and shoot with available light.
4. For photography purposes, you might want to try different contasting backdrops such as blankets or sheets draped over the couch. But if you are having an artist do a portrait of her the background doesn't really matter - they will fill in whatever background you decide on together.
Most of all, have fun with it! And remember, you don't need 'one absolutely perfect photograph' if it is being used to create a portrait. The artist should be able to work with several pictures to capture all the qualities of your kitten and bring it all together in one final product.
I hope this helped.
Black cats are the most difficult to photograph. My advice (other than the sterling advice given above) is to take the photograph outside on a day that is cloudy. High, thin clouds are the best. That way the light is not so harsh and the shadows are not so deep. I try to avoid flash at all costs.
That is the only way I can get a good image of BK (below), otherwise he is a black blob with eyes.This was taken outside on a day of high cirrus cloud cover.
That is the only way I can get a good image of BK (below), otherwise he is a black blob with eyes.This was taken outside on a day of high cirrus cloud cover.
Personally I've found camera/tablet phones to be almost useless, and I wish I had known that when my Bud was a kitten. First off, if they're doing something amusing or cute, you're never gonna get the phone, unlock it, and line up the camera in time to capture that moment.
Second, you can't adjust the camera the way you can with a "real" camera, which is really what you need to take action shots that aren't blurry, or low-light shots that are clear. My suggestion is to have the camera with you at all times in your house, even when you're lounging on the couch, curled up with a book, at the computer, etc. Getting a good shot is completely random, so you have to be prepared.
Likewise, even if it's not an action shot, you still need to be prepped. If your cat is sleeping and looks particularly cute the way he/she is snoozing away, you'll probably wake her up if you get up to go find the camera.
Good luck
Second, you can't adjust the camera the way you can with a "real" camera, which is really what you need to take action shots that aren't blurry, or low-light shots that are clear. My suggestion is to have the camera with you at all times in your house, even when you're lounging on the couch, curled up with a book, at the computer, etc. Getting a good shot is completely random, so you have to be prepared.
Likewise, even if it's not an action shot, you still need to be prepped. If your cat is sleeping and looks particularly cute the way he/she is snoozing away, you'll probably wake her up if you get up to go find the camera.
Good luck
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #7
I've managed to get good ones of her by adjusting the brightness on my camera. Of course I still need a better camera, but at least it isn't a cellphone.
This is the completed portrait.
This is the completed portrait.
Here's a couple favorites I have of Kona, I think I just got lucky with these though lol
that's a beautiful portrait!!
- Joined
- May 22, 2015
- Messages
- 10,074
- Purraise
- 10,267
Love this photo!
