Capture Cool Cat Poses

Taking a photo of your cat can be a challenge, as they can be notoriously stubborn and uncooperative. However, with a few tricks up your sleeve, you can capture the perfect pose. As a cat lover and experienced cat herder, I have a few essential tricks to share. With just a little bit of patience and your camera, you can create cute and memorable photos. So, let’s get started!

You can get a cat to pose for close-ups, or any other shots you want to take at home. Don’t give up.

A professional cat photographer will have a great camera, lots of lenses, and a tripod for cat photoshoots. You, as a beginner photographer, will have less equipment but you have one big advantage over the pros. You know your cat’s quirks and habits and the kind of pose it adopts regularly.

You and your camera travel light, so use your intimate cat savvy to work out what kind of pictures you want. Get ready to take a cat photo cute pose!

Remember portraits can be fun or crazy

• Does your cat have a quirky walk, or look over its shoulder at you?
• Does your cat love to pose or have a unique mannerism?
• Does it adopt a cute pounce pose?
• Is it a champion cute napper?

Use their quirks to make unique posed photos.

If your idea doesn’t work the first time, keep trying.

All of these can make a fun photoshoot for cats!

TIP: Before you dive in, check your camera manual for settings that might help you. Check close-up mode, burst or sport mode for activity, and exposure so your pictures aren’t too dark or light.

My first cat portrait photo tip is important. I know it works for me and has allowed me to capture some of my best images. It is worth spending time with this before you undertake a bigger project.

Get Your Cat Comfortable to Being Photographed

When I first got my DSLR camera the cats looked at me as if I had lost my mind. Why was I pointing that weird, noisy, clicky ‘thing’ at them? But, I persisted in taking photographs. Lots, and lots, and lots of photographs.

Over time the cats began to ignore me and I began to get ‘cat posing’ action. My crazy behaviour was no longer a cause for concern, nothing ever happened when I pointed the noisy camera, and they often got extra (healthy) treats, so they began to cooperate.

Remember one thing. At the start, you are not always taking pictures to keep. You are getting your cat (or cat family) used to the camera and building a rapport so that they feel comfortable. If some of the pictures come out that’s a win, but your aim is pointing and shooting, maybe clicking or buzzing – and you are encouraging your cat to enjoy a photo session as something positive and fun.

Be Patient

Getting your cat posing for a photo shoot, or working to get a photograph you need for your blog requires one vital skill.

• Patience, from you.

You need to put in the work to build trust with your cat. Don’t hassle them, grumble, and never lose your temper. Once you have your cat’s confidence and trust all but the most super stubborn pets (see below) will know a photoshoot is not a threat, it might include treats and will increase your chances of success.

Let your pet sniff the camera. It can help them get used to the photo shoot process faster.

Beth, Daily Dog Tag

Decide When You Will Photograph Your Cat

Only you know what time of day your cat is rested, up for a portrait, or ready to chase a wand toy for fun action shots. Knowing that your cat is more likely to behave, or be ready for some fun will help you prepare with the right settings, for the shots you want.

If you do a sponsored product shoot with your cat and you want them to pose gracefully. Plan your shoot for when you know they will be calm. If you do want an action shot or show a cat playing with a sponsor’s cool toy, aim for a time when your pet is most active and ready for play.

Use Burst or Continuous Shooting Mode

Find it on your camera and use it. You will capture a series of photographs of your cat in motion and may catch your cat in the one moment of pause and suspense between a kitty pounce and a crazy tumble. Taking a whole fist full of snaps means you are much more likely to grab a successful shot.

Only have your smartphone? Keep your finger of the screen for a burst of rapid shots.

Choose Where You Photograph Your Cool Cat

A cat is most likely to behave properly in an environment they trust or feel relaxed in. Wherever it is, try to make sure there are few distractions for both you. Noise will distract your cat and clutter risks making your hard work unusable. Find a tidy place, and use natural light as much as you can. Inside light is often too yellow and makes your cat look different.

• Relaxing in a catio or garden environment.
• The great outdoors like adventurecats Kitty Cat Chronicles
• A cat that loves to confidently take walks with you.

Many cats will be unhappy and unsettled in a strange place to keep to the environments they know. Some cats are very confident and amaze with their ability to put down their paws and just go, others like to know where home is! Plush from Life and Cats is a show cat who walks outside with confidence and Kylo Ren and the Kitty Cat Go team are seasoned hikers with their family.

For a Profile Shot

Get down at cat level! Sorry but pet level is the only place to be, although no one says the cat needs to be the right way up. It usually works best upright and facing either left or right, I couldn’t explain that to Toulouse so I just went with the flow.

How Do I Get My Cat’s Attention?

Voices and short attention grabbing sounds are useful and can be used tactically to grab your cat’s attention:

• A squeaky toy
• A clicker
• A whistle
• A laser pointer
• Treats ( #briberywins)
• Your own voice making funny sounds.

TOP TIP: Don’t repeat a noise endlessly as this will drive you and your cat nuts and spoil any sense of fun. Set up a shot, be as ready as you can be – then deploy your noise of choice and take lots of pictures calmly and quickly.

Remember one thing. You have to work with your cat’s attention span. Nothing in the world will change that so be patient and work with your cat’s limits. This may mean covering the photographs you want over a couple of photoshoots.

Wipe Your Cat’s Nose, Eyes and Fur (if you can)

OK this can be a bit of a challenge for cat owners, but finding a stray bit of hair or fluff in your photo can be maddening. If you get a chance, use an affectionate stroke to brush away stray hairs. This will save you a bit of time when you edit your photos, but if it’s too late I can recommend the clone tool in your photo editor!

The Stubborn Pet

There is always one, the uncool cat, and you need to be devious and persistent in your pursuit of the image you want from the stubborn cat who will not look at you. The element of surprise works for the super stubborn pet – use it well!

If a cat always looks away, then you may need someone to stand further back from you and make the loud noise you know will cause your cat to turn and look. Start taking pictures before they start moving. Use sport or burst mode and keep shooting. You will have a narrow window to take as many photos as you can.

• Want to play really dirty? Have two people taking photos, one from either side.

Cat Posing 101 for Beginners

If you don’t know where to start taking photos, let me suggest how you can kickstart your imagination.

If your cat is happy to sit still and pose in one place, you can try for a more formal portrait. This works especially well if you have a show cat that is used to being handled and posed. You need to have your camera ready nearby and take lots of pictures from every angle. If you can have a length of fabric that contrasts with your cat grab it.

• TIP 1: Your cat will look fantastic with a plain background.
• TIP 2: Eliminating distractions really improves your photos. Try to reduce or remove clutter.

If your cat does definitely does not want to pose like a movie star, you need to capture your feline doing ‘cat stuff’. This more informal portrait style shows your cat relaxing, yawning, playing with a toy, leaping, or walking. These are genuine portraits and your informal pictures can be the best you ever take.

If you have a friend who can act as an assistant, see if they bribe your cat with strokes (and treats) and maybe gently hold your cat in place for still portraits. If you want a playful post then your assistant can wave a wand toy while you, of course, will be ready to tke every last photo you can before your cat changes position!

Persistence and Practice

Don’t give up. Yes, it’s easy to say and not so easy to do. Getting your cat to sit still or pose is something you work on as a team. It takes trust from you and your cat, learning from each other, and working together, to create the shots you need.

Have fun, and along the way, take wonderful pictures when your cat does strokes a pose or by some miracle sits still!

Informal portraits capture a memory that is as important as the quality of your image. They can be precious not perfect, like this image of Dot Kitten.

Resources

Drop Shot: When a cat (or dog) is laid down with its front paws and head looking like an Egyptian Sphynx statue. Your cat will look alert but confident.