This week one great tip to help boost your success rate when you capture cat photos. Don’t look down at your cat!
It is often tempting to take a quick shot of your cat looking down at their cute face and raised paw but you can take a great cat shot without too much effort by looking upwards or at eye level.
Indoors Tips
As you can see in my photos sometimes I lie on the ground to get an eye level shot! It worked for this cute kitten from Feral Nation (FB). Try setting your DSLR/Mirrorless camera on the ground and risking a few shots. This can get you a cool surprise shot. You aren’t wasting film, just a cat photo you might just love!
Not everyone can or even wants to kneel or sit on the ground or carper but here’s a great tip from our friends Dori, Jesse and Herman at Adorapurr.
- Turn your smartphone upside down so you don’t have to bend or kneel too far.
This is a genius idea and so helpful if you are sat down and can’t get up, or stood up and the ground is too wet to kneel on (eeew).
Alternatively, look ahead, get a shot of your cat at your eye level. This kitty shot of a snoozing ginger dude in a window bed is perfectly located for a close up to warm the heart. Wouldn’t we all love to nap so peacefully?
- Beside you on a sofa or sat on a table gives you a chance to try cat photography without much effort!
Outdoor Tips
You have more opportunities to take fun and unique cat photos out in a garden or on a catio.
You can look upwards and get a real sense of space and drama, like this shot of Teddy, or my lucky black cat shot of Taz.
The contrast of black fur beside the bright green variegated foliage is rather special and something you might miss if you are staring at your cat on the ground. Don’t look down but try to lift your sights a little higher from time to time and view the bckground as part of your capture.
Eye level outside can be a fence, a shelf, or a banister railing like this one that Taz is using to relax. Check the confident head tilt and the sharp eye. Not an expensive DLSR/Mirrorless but a simple smartphone shot.
Nest time you want to change things up a little bit, look at your cats another way. Take fun, silly and unlikely shots and they might surprise you. Sure they might not all work but even the professionals sometimes admit that most of their shots are not perfect.
Great tips again and lovely photos!
Thank you Athena!
Thanks for another post full of wonderful tops, Marjorie. I do usually try to get on the cats’ level, which does entail me getting on the floor at PAWS quite a bit. 🙂
Your photos are a delight and you always give me things to think about when next I’m taking photos.
Good tips! I usually try to get down to the level of the cat for photos.
You are doing superbly with Murphy. Such gorgeous photographs!
Great idea. Trouble is if I get down to their level, I may not get back up. 🙂
Mee-yow what grate foto tipss Miss Marjorie! Efurryone lookin so fine. TAZ you lookin xtra fine,,,,yore furry hansum!
***nose rubss*** BellaDharma an (((hugss))) BellaSita Mum
Oh, MY! Yes, I try that getting down and close sometimes…but for some reason I prefer the eye level shots…LOL!!! I can get up and down OK, just can’t stay there too long…esp if I am crouching.
Beautiful, as always!
It helps if I pick up my typos before I schedule but sometimes it doesn’t work out!
Great tips! And all lovely pictures! I’m especially fond of the black cat with green foliage pics of Taz.
These are all beautiful shots. We will try them out later in the day.
It isn’t the getting down on the ground that’s the problem – it’s the getting up again!
Great ideas all. We do try different angles, twists ‘n’ turns. Usually with the camera. Me, can’t get up if’n I get down (ah, old age/old bones!!). PS, Marjorie: need reply to my email to you please … thanks … Ann
Lovely photos of all the cats. It reminds me of the time I was laid down in one of our fields taking photos of Flynn. He came over and started sniffing around which was very unusual for him because he was so good at sitting nicely. I suddenly realised I was about 6 inches from a large ant nest. I got up quickly and avoided the invasion!
Excellent ideas! And superb photographs to demonstrate them.
Have a great week
ERin