The 365 Project: Week 35

Sasha

This week on Picaboo was all about getting great shots of your pet(s).  I was also included in Picaboo's best of the week with the photo above of Sasha!  We have four cats at home, Sasha, a sassy tail-less Russian Blue/Grey Tabby mix; Gizmo, a tan and grey torti; our big hairy lover boy, Jasper, who's a black and white Maine Coon mix; and our "baby", Zoe, a rambunctious and petite (she's only 4.5 lbs) long hair grey tabby.

Gizzy

Jasper

If you have pets chances are you have oodles of photos of them just like they were your own kid.  Lets face it, they basically are kids, just hairier and they probably drool more.  Yet we love them all the same :)  Photographing them is a lot like photographing small children.  You want to get down on their level and you need to take lots and lots of shots in order to get that great one.  Patience is key.

Zoe has the prettiest lime green eyes!

Zoe, unamused by the camera in her face

Focus on their pretty peppers.  This gets your camera to focus on the details of their face with a crisp image (great time to use macro, the tulip button on your point and shoot camera).  It also helps put light in their eyes, especially if they're really dark like most dog's are.  Try to keep your flash off if possible to avoid green reflections in cats and to avoid red eye in dogs (although you can get away with your flash on for dogs if your red-eye reduction is on).

Sasha is always sitting like a person! Can you tell she has an attitude?

Zoe playing behind my daughter's cubbies

Try to capture them just being themselves.  Wait for a quieter time of the day and capture them snoozing, sitting pretty, or chasing a toy.  To get them to look at your camera hold a toy just behind your camera.  This trick worked well with my cats when they were uninterested in being in front of my camera.  If they're outside and running around try to put your camera in action mode to get crisp shots or else you'll end up with blurry photos.

Yes, I am aware that I'm a few cats short of being a crazy cat lady.  I'm working on it ;)