# Shooting Cats?



## Britanica (Jul 30, 2014)

I adore cats and would love to shoot them better. 
I am a complete noob. I love fierce, fun, sometimes funny, and cute shots of cats.
Any tips for this?


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## Ysarex (Jul 30, 2014)

12 gauge. I'd love to shoot them better too.

Joe


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## keyseddie (Jul 30, 2014)

Yes, don't put blue sunglasses on them. 

And... cat people, where's the outrage??  :waiting::taped sh:


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## Ysarex (Jul 30, 2014)

keyseddie said:


> And... cat people, where's the outrage??



I've got enough of that over here. I live in a neighborhood that's overrun with feral cats. It's becoming a costly problem.

I do have a cat photo that I took in my neighbor's yard:


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## g.a.williams (Jul 30, 2014)

I'm a cat lover, too, Britainaca, and over they years have taken literally thousands of shots of those who were part of our lives. Get them used to the camera (and the flash) so they are not spooked by them. Make sure you have adequate light so their eyes are not dilated (otherwise you get the 'evil death ray eyes'!). One thing works well for me is to set up a table covered by velour & something similar, entice the cats onto the table with their favorite treats, and then to have my wife wave a large feather or Mylar toy. They come to attention, and there are great shots possible. Another, using the same table setup, is to let and pamper them until they relax...maybe with a couple more treats...and then move in for some closeups.


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## g.a.williams (Jul 30, 2014)

Here's another one.


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## SnappingShark (Jul 30, 2014)

If we're posting pictures of our pussies - here's mine.



Greta

wantes to add: my cat is very easy going and isn't easily startled. I think it's worth leaving your camera around your cat and letting them get used to it. Then as you pick it up, they won't be afraid or curious of it


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## robbins.photo (Jul 30, 2014)

Ysarex said:


> 12 gauge. I'd love to shoot them better too.
> 
> Joe



12 gauge? Seriously?  I'm stunned.  Flabbergasted.  Taken Aback.


Man even with bird shot your not going to have much left over that's edible.  410, tops.. lol


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## robbins.photo (Jul 30, 2014)

Britanica said:


> I adore cats and would love to shoot them better.
> I am a complete noob. I love fierce, fun, sometimes funny, and cute shots of cats.
> Any tips for this?



Ok, well with most critters, just like humans, focal point should be the eyes if at all possible.  If you need to use a flash, best to move it off camera and if at all possible bounce it rather than having it flash directly (or somewhat indirectly) at them.

For shutter speed I usually recommend 1/200 or maybe 1/320 as a good starting point - critters move and it will help you avoid motion blur as well as give you a nice sharp image under most conditions.


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## Ysarex (Jul 30, 2014)

robbins.photo said:


> Ysarex said:
> 
> 
> > 12 gauge. I'd love to shoot them better too.
> ...




Yeah, that was over the top. I admit I said it for effect. Truth is the old sack full of rocks and, I live next to a very big river, is all I got. But now that's not an insult; that's a plan. You're cat's so dumb it would wander into Dr. Schrodinger's yard -- that's an insult.

Joe


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## robbins.photo (Jul 30, 2014)

Ysarex said:


> robbins.photo said:
> 
> 
> > Ysarex said:
> ...



Ok, which raises an interesting question, I mean technically they can't charge you with animal cruelty as long as the bag remains closed, right?

Science!

Lol


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## snerd (Jul 30, 2014)

Ysarex said:


> ............ You're cat's so dumb it would wander into Dr. Schrodinger's yard -- that's an insult.
> 
> Joe



If we're judging smarts by grammar, my cat is way smarter than you.   


ldman:


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## limr (Jul 30, 2014)

keyseddie said:


> Yes, don't put blue sunglasses on them.
> 
> And... cat people, where's the outrage??  :waiting::taped sh:



Don't know about anyone else, but I'm going to try practicing some of the Buddhist teachings I've been reading lately that says to feel compassion for others. Someone who would actually take pleasure in killing must be suffering from something bad, so I should have compassion for that person. And if they're just joking about killing cats in a thread started by a cat-lover, then they are just being jackasses and aren't worth the energy it takes to be outraged. 

And if it's robbins, well then he's just being robbins and we don't even notice that anymore


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## Ysarex (Jul 30, 2014)

robbins.photo said:


> Ysarex said:
> 
> 
> > robbins.photo said:
> ...



And on a more serious note: U.S. Faces Growing Feral Cat Problem

All kidding aside, I'm not actually looking forward to drowning a bunch of cats. I may wind up there however. There's at least 3 ferals now living under my next door neighbor's shed (vacant house for sale). The city can't deal with them and the folks who let their cats run loose in the neighborhood and caused the problem aren't spending their weekends collecting them up and taking care of them.

And yes, I probably would have done something by now except every time I bring it up my wife says, "if so and so sees you in the yard with traps she'll call and complain."

When I was about 7 years old we had a stray dog pack problem in the neighborhood. The neighborhood was suburban to semi-rural unlike my current city neighborhood. My Dad was afraid the dogs would attack the children who played there and so he took matters into his own hands. He was an archer. He took 1/2 a dozen arrows and cut the points off. Then he got our tinker toy set and took the round wooden wheels and glued them onto the shafts. I imagine they'd raise quite a welt but they weren't lethal. A few days of that and the dogs found someplace else to spend their time. Today he'd be arrested for that.

Back to kidding -- I say we do like the Taiwanese and open some restaurants.

Joe


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## limr (Jul 30, 2014)

As for advice for shooting _photographs_ of cats, beyond all the good ideas already mentioned, I would suggest trying a few when they're all drunk and lolling in the afternoon light. That when they seem to be too comfy and mellow to bother running away from the camera   Plus, interesting light and a chance for some high-contrast shots.




Glaring Mrs Parker by limrodrigues, on Flickr




Wistful Zelda by limrodrigues, on Flickr


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## Ysarex (Jul 30, 2014)

snerd said:


> Ysarex said:
> 
> 
> > ............ You're cat's so dumb it would wander into Dr. Schrodinger's yard -- that's an insult.
> ...



But you know what they say about people who point out typos on web forums? You do know, right?


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## snerd (Jul 30, 2014)

Ysarex said:


> ......... But you know what they say about people who point out typos on web forums? You do know, right?



I've heard a few. Which one are you thinking of?


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## robbins.photo (Jul 31, 2014)

snerd said:


> Ysarex said:
> 
> 
> > ............ You're cat's so dumb it would wander into Dr. Schrodinger's yard -- that's an insult.
> ...



Your cat diagrams sentences?  Wow.. that must be just loads of fun at parties.. lol


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## robbins.photo (Jul 31, 2014)

limr said:


> And if it's robbins, well then he's just being robbins and we don't even notice that anymore



Wooohoo!  And my Dad said I'd never amount to anything.. rotfl


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## snerd (Jul 31, 2014)

robbins.photo said:


> Your cat diagrams sentences?  Wow.. that must be just loads of fun at parties.. lol



Dude, it's the cat's meow!!!


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## robbins.photo (Jul 31, 2014)

snerd said:


> robbins.photo said:
> 
> 
> > Your cat diagrams sentences?  Wow.. that must be just loads of fun at parties.. lol
> ...



And on this episode of Jeopardy, we welcome our contestants.  First, John Macnumara, professor of medieval history.  Kiki Tanaka, NASA engineer, and of course our returning champion, Snerd's Cat.

Lol


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## snerd (Jul 31, 2014)




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## g.a.williams (Jul 31, 2014)

Good looking cats! I really like the grey & white - but I'm partial to two-tone cats. We've had a lot of tuxedos, but I'd like to have a 'business suit' fellow, too! Great advice about the afternoon sun, too. I try not to leave me camera out, though. Back in the mid-1970's, I did that with a Minolta SRT-101 and one our cats threw up on it. Locked the shutter down tight! Expensive repair bill, and lesson learned!


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## snowbear (Jul 31, 2014)

Ysarex said:


> The city can't deal with them and the folks who let their cats run loose in the neighborhood and caused the problem aren't spending their weekends collecting them up and taking care of them.



Which means you ultimately have a people problem.


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## Raj_55555 (Jul 31, 2014)

snowbear said:


> Which means you ultimately have a people problem.


:lmao: :lmao:

BTW Where's braineack? I thought he was our in-house kitty expert 

Nothing as grandoise as the others have posted, but this will have to do for now; all of them taken with my trusty Point & Shoot.


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## ceeboy14 (Jul 31, 2014)

Here, Kitty-Kitty


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## robbins.photo (Jul 31, 2014)

snowbear said:


> Ysarex said:
> 
> 
> > The city can't deal with them and the folks who let their cats run loose in the neighborhood and caused the problem aren't spending their weekends collecting them up and taking care of them.
> ...


Which of course leads to the next logical conclusion, you'll need larger sacks.


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## robbins.photo (Jul 31, 2014)

Raj_55555 said:


> BTW Where's braineack? I thought he was our in-house kitty expert



Last I saw him he was helping snerds cat with his algebra.


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## gsgary (Jul 31, 2014)

Ysarex said:


> I've got enough of that over here. I live in a neighborhood that's overrun with feral cats. It's becoming a costly problem.
> 
> I do have a cat photo that I took in my neighbor's yard:
> 
> <img src="http://www.thephotoforum.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=80800"/>



You need to borrow my terriers, you would never have another cat in your garden you might have to pick up a few bits off the grass after the first one, I'm not saying I don't like cats because I love *****


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## manaheim (Jul 31, 2014)

Ysarex said:


> robbins.photo said:
> 
> 
> > Ysarex said:
> ...



There have been studies that show that killing them doesn't work.  The others expand to take over the abandoned territory. Catch, neuter/spay, release. That's the only way that has been shown to improve the problem. Look around. There are groups that do this and you could get involved. My friend did it for several years and quite enjoyed it.


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## Braineack (Jul 31, 2014)

Ysarex said:


> 12 gauge. I'd love to shoot them better too.
> 
> Joe



If you posted this on my forum you'd have been banned for feline disrespect.


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## Braineack (Jul 31, 2014)

Raj_55555 said:


> snowbear said:
> 
> 
> > Which means you ultimately have a people problem.
> ...



My friends in El Cerrito, CA also have this issue.  They have idiot neighbors who don't spay/neuter their OUTDOOR cats and then wonder why their neighborhood is overrun by ferals.

My friends have caught and fixed over 10 strays now; they found a local vet who would do the service for free, the vet even provided them with the traps.


this is one of them enjoying a nice free dinner while recovering from a good ol ball snippin:




Feral Cat - El Cerrito, CA by The Braineack, on Flickr


I'd much rather have a feral cat problem than a feral chicken problem like they do in Miami.


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## Braineack (Jul 31, 2014)

and one more of the ferals, just because:


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## Raj_55555 (Jul 31, 2014)

manaheim said:


> There have been studies that show that killing them doesn't work.


Most people here will stop walking if a cat crosses the road in front of them, they'll just wait for someone else to walk over the imaginary line created by the kitty first, to avoid bringing bad luck. 
In India, it is strongly believed that killing a cat brings very *very *bad luck; and I remember hearing stories in my childhood that you were supposed to donate gold to a purohit (holy man) weighing the same as the dead cat if you had killed a cat and want to evade bad luck. :meh:


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## robbins.photo (Jul 31, 2014)

Raj_55555 said:


> manaheim said:
> 
> 
> > There have been studies that show that killing them doesn't work.
> ...


So how much gold would it cost if you offed one of those feral chickens?

Lol


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## manaheim (Jul 31, 2014)

Raj_55555 said:


> manaheim said:
> 
> 
> > There have been studies that show that killing them doesn't work.
> ...



huh. That's very cool.


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## Ysarex (Jul 31, 2014)

snowbear said:


> Ysarex said:
> 
> 
> > The city can't deal with them and the folks who let their cats run loose in the neighborhood and caused the problem aren't spending their weekends collecting them up and taking care of them.
> ...



Absolutely. Irresponsible, ill mannered, selfish cat owners who cause the problem and won't correct their bad behavior.

Joe


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## Braineack (Jul 31, 2014)

Ysarex said:


> Irresponsible, ill mannered, selfish [INSERT EVERY PROBLEM EVER] who cause the problem and won't correct their bad behavior.
> 
> Joe




FTFY.


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## keyseddie (Jul 31, 2014)

Cool aftermath of the snipping' Braineack.
Cats are really smart. Felix seems to know if you are in aperture priority. He likes to give a lesson so to speak. 1/100th isn't getting it, Eddie, he seems to say.





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## keyseddie (Jul 31, 2014)

He loves me but he does want to let me know who's in charge. "Hey Felix, come out and smile!" That usually brings him out of the jungle with his game face on.





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## g.a.williams (Jul 31, 2014)

Raj_55555, the markings on the third cat you bowed us are really, really striking!


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## keyseddie (Jul 31, 2014)

And then sometimes he just wants to say "Eddie you're boring the poop out of me."





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## lambertpix (Jul 31, 2014)

Back to cats.



Sunlight and shadow by lambertpix, on Flickr

Like any other portrait, get on the subject's level, focus on the eyes, and experiment with posing / composition.  Since cats don't take direction very well, your best bet is probably to let something else be more interesting to the cat than you are, and then shoot candids.

If you've got a macro lens, try a tight shot:



IMG_9932.jpg by lambertpix, on Flickr

This is obviously a missed-focus shot, but I kind of liked it:



IMG_9934.jpg by lambertpix, on Flickr


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## Braineack (Jul 31, 2014)

fwiw, cats make the worst models.


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## limr (Jul 31, 2014)

Love that last one, lambert! Reminds me of this one:




Day 88 - Blurry Zelda by limrodrigues, on Flickr

And yes, cats make terrible models. They'll be sitting all nice and pretty, not moving for ages, and then they wait until the second you're hitting the shutter to suddenly decide they feel like doing something else:




Day 313 - Mrs Parker 2 by limrodrigues, on Flickr


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## Braineack (Jul 31, 2014)

work with sleepy cats.


















or distract them with a box


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## lambertpix (Jul 31, 2014)

limr said:


> Love that last one, lambert! Reminds me of this one:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Nice!  I'm still trying to figure out how Zelda kept her whiskers still while everything else moved....


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## lambertpix (Jul 31, 2014)

Braineack said:


> work with sleepy cats.



Absolutely!



IMG_3414.jpg by lambertpix, on Flickr


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## limr (Jul 31, 2014)

She's magic! 

Sleepy is good. (This is turning into another cat thread!)




Day 88 - Brats by limrodrigues, on Flickr

But still instructional! Be careful when trying to focus on two cats at the same time.


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## ceeboy14 (Jul 31, 2014)

On a more serious note...well, as serious as I can muster up.


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## Braineack (Jul 31, 2014)

The best is when they cooperate for some "majestic" portraits with the lights.




Majestic Pookie by The Braineack, on Flickr




Pookie in Autumn Sun 5 by The Braineack, on Flickr


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## Braineack (Jul 31, 2014)

and two-thirds might actually cooperate with a planned shot:



Pookie Under Tree by The Braineack, on Flickr



Belle Under Tree by The Braineack, on Flickr


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## CAP (Jul 31, 2014)

I don't recommend shooting cats.

But if you really do not like like cats well get a dog.

That should solve your problem.

:mrgreen:


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## Pejacre (Jul 31, 2014)

They must be the most highly photographed subject in the world next to people. Well I guess it's the one wild animal that lives with us.

This is my disabled tom, Frog. He only has two working legs but they look like Schwarzenegger's arms.


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## limr (Jul 31, 2014)

Pejacre said:


> They must be the most highly photographed subject in the world next to people. Well I guess it's the one wild animal that lives with us.
> 
> This is my disabled tom, Frog. He only has two working legs but they look like Schwarzenegger's arms.
> 
> View attachment 80853



Aww, I had a tripod kittie before I had my girls. His name was Gomer Pyle:




Day 81 - Sombrero Gomer by limrodrigues, on Flickr

(I know the white balance on that one is all out of whack. It was taken a while ago on a crappy camera.)

Still miss him


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## lambertpix (Jul 31, 2014)

Most excellent xmas cats, Braineack.


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## keyseddie (Jul 31, 2014)

lambertpix said:


> Most excellent xmas cats, Braineack.


What he said.:thumbup:


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## g.a.williams (Jul 31, 2014)

Yep. Sleepy cats don't move much. And a box - otherwise known as a "no-kill cat trap" - is great, too!


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