On Wednesday 24th of May 2017 Dusty left us. He was a challenge, a lovely cat and taught us all so much about patience, cheekiness and the treasured moments we discovered along the way. So, today the nearest day to his angelversary I celebrate our fine boy.
Dusty, we discovered adored car rides so we ended up creating a short series of videos for you to enjoy. I am including the first one here as it really is a lovely lift to the spirits, and shows you that a simple cat story can be captured on video.
For those who do not know our senior rescue let me point you at a couple of posts to read when you have time.
Dusty’s Drama Day was a worry but a good outcome and his seaside trip was a lovely experience for all three of us: Dusty, Paul and myself, so I hope you ca read one or two.
Dusty Portrait Gallery
A handful of lovely portraits of our lovely sweet and cheeky senior.
As May is National Photography Month I am exploring fun areas of photography. Not everything is as serious as my book review or my exploration of making your photographs shine with new angles. Today is all about capturing fun, candid storytelling with your photos.
Let me tell you what happened and why the quality of these photos is not quite as bright as you are used to from Dash Kitten blog. Below the slideshow you will see the story of how Thomas, our classical music cat, insisted on being part of our evening’s viewing. [Please give the slideshow a moment to start].
Just jumping up Dad!
Woah! Made it....
Further up than I thought....
Aren't the audience seated yet?
At last, New Zealand's finest orchestra
OK, OK, I can smile for the camera.
Quality Isn’t Essential, The Moment Is
You will find a funny moment, or something silly will not happen when the light is perfect, or bright, or sunn. The light might be dim, or fuzzy and you might be convinced that the photos will be terrible. But, wait. Have faith in your smartphone camera. In 2023 a smartphone produces excellent quality in low light and, remember, you can always brighten your photo in an app later, if you want to.
The lighting here was, as in a previous photograph of Toulouse, a single lamp. I am sat with dad Paul in his office where we were relaxing while we watched an online live concert from the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra (NZSO). This is why the light is not quite as strong as it could be, although the smartphone quality is enough to capture good photos.
1,2,3, JUMP!
The Dash Kitten family have joined the NZSO’s online subscription service NZSO+ as, due to my teaching commitments, we are not always able to get to the concert venue in Wellington. The online service means we will not miss a single concert and can also watch their growing archive of performances, which is fantastic. The NZSO were also a lively and committed orchestra online during the Pandemic making sure music still reached the community.
Telling A Story
I grabbed my smartphone and hoped I could get a few fun photographs that would capture Thomas’s determination to be in place for the start of the concert. I did not set out with the intention to make a story but I hope the slideshow works so you can see his antics.
* Phew Made it! *
Thomas had watched the last orchestral concert sat on Paul’s knee but this time he was a little bit impatient and leapt up on to Paul’s shoulders over the back of the office chair which is quite a height. He was eager to be in place before the concert started, of course.
Thankfully Paul is a patient cat dad and was ready for the jump (and the sharp claws).
OK Where is the rest of the audience?
However, we did not expect Thomas to sit up after he jumped. I think he does seem to be looking though he is waiting, impatiently, for the rest of the audience to be seated doesn’t he?
Thankfully, Thomas then jumped down on to the desk and was in position ready for the orchestra to tune and start their concert and, much to our relief, Paul was able to sit upright and enjoy the concert without a parrot cat perched on his shoulder.
In honour of National Photography Month, I want to recommend a must-have photo book for beginners that I personally found incredibly helpful. It is small, relatively inexpensive and worth every penny (or American cent). This book is a favourite among new photographers and it is so popular that a second edition is set to be released.
Dash Kitten is an Amazon/Luminar Neo affiliate. We may receive a small remuneration at no cost to you.
I am guessing it must be one of the best digital photography books of all time, especially for new camera users. Honest, well written and fun too.
The book is called “Read This If You Want To Take Great Photographs” by Henry Caroll, and despite its quirky title, it is an outstanding and easy to read resource for anyone looking to improve their cat photography skills and understand photography a little bit more without stress! It should be part of your essential photo supply kit – right now.
Why is this book so helpful?
For aspiring cat photographers it’s important to focus on developing your skills even if you only do so in small steps. Each idea, or concept or technical explanation in the book is clear and easy to understand and while they are not cat focused you can quickly see which will be useful as you practice your cat photography. I immediately felt so much better after reading the ‘Photography Yoga‘ section and I think every cat photograph will relate to this quote.
“Spotting the difference between a good photographer and a bad photographer is easy……… The good photographers are the ones hunching, squatting and bending over backwards”
Henry Carroll
A great digital photography book!
Sometimes a small step is all you have time for so Henry Caroll’s laser focus on areas where you can make a real difference to your images is perfect for busy learners.
In the book each two page spread includes a sample image by one of the world’s premiere photographers or an illustration, and an explanation that summarises many essential points cat lovers will appreciate. The technical explanations are simple and approachable and Henry Carroll’s recommendations on which ‘Modes’ will help you, and which are a waste of time, are priceless. Who else but this author could entitle a chapter ‘It’s OK to P in public” (Don’t worry, he is recommending a great basic beginner mode!)
The broad categories are:
Composition
Exposure
Light
Lenses
Seeing
Each of the sections listed is packed with knowledge bites and quotable gems like “..nothing kills an image more than keeping your distance” or “Don’t overthink things. Photograph what you feel”. You feel you are learning from a friend who will never get mad at you but who will gently repeat the information until you understand the point.
You can keep this book in your bag, or beside you on the sofa and soak up its wisdom and good sense anytime you have a spare moment. It’s fun, it’s helpful and may be the only beginner book you need to learn a lot about photography.
I had the opportunity to take some photographs of our neighbour cat Honey. She is a small tabby with a fiery attitude as you might remember from this fierce cat post last year. I wanted to take some portraits that included spring type greenery and she paused behind the flowering vine on top of our fence so I grabbed my camera!
I had to stand very quietly, Honey may be a strong character but, like any cat, she will run if afraid. My favourite setting for cats if they might move is Aperture Priority (Av). If there was a risk of sudden movement Av (Nikon A) has always served me well.
You might prefer to try a manual setting. As long as you are still and able to judge your light and shutter speed you should be able to take a great photo in this type of situation.
Honey The Tabby Strikes a Pose
The first photo I took is this one of Honey looking up and away from me. The composition is really nice and I was able to hold my zoom lens steady and keep her eyes reasonably sharp. There is not too much foliage around her features and she is framed by the leaves not ‘hiding’ within them.
Honey Looking At The Trees
Honey stayed on her perch, and I thought it would be nice to show you the different types of photographs I was able to capture. You can decide which ones you think worked best.
I have given each a title so that you can look for them rather than me say ‘the one above’, or ‘the one below this paragraph’ which might make you go cross eyed. Each is interesting in its own way, I think.
Honey Looks Up Close-Up
As you can see, Honey was surrounded by leaves and it was a challenge to keep my focus point on her and not on dozens of leaves and flowers around her. If you have a DSLR or compact you will realise that the focus points might struggle to find Honey amongst the leaves and keep leaping for a white flower or a group of leaves instead.
Two Shots Close Together But Different
Honey’s Watchful Stare
‘Honey’s Watchful Stare‘ and ‘Watchful StareCloseup‘ were taken very close together. I just zoomed in a little bit for a more dramatic look at her intense eyes. You can see lots of out of focus leaves around the face but this allowed me to focus clearly on her fur and eyes. I am not sure the closeup photograph works really well but she has such an intense look I had to try and capture it. Do you think the leaves add to her portrait?
Watchful Stare Closeup
I was pleased to be able to show you a selection but want to finish with one smartphone photograph. Can you see the difference between the ‘phone colours and the DSLR? I did not make any colour adjustments, my only changes were a bit of sharpening in Affinity Photo RAW. The distant photo is useful because it shows you how high up Honey was!
This quick guide will unlock the secrets to taking stunning photos of your cats. Read this and you will be proud to share your portraits with friends and family or on social media.
Remember, the more you practice, the more confident your decisions about your photographs become.
You are not looking for perfection you are looking for ‘purrsonality plus’ pictures that mean something special to you.
No-one knows your cat as well as you, so look for cute and funny expressions, the ‘looks’ you know your cat adopts at certain moments (like when supper is late, or ‘who hid the catnip toy’?) This means you will need to be ready to snap a shot at the right moment but, you know what? The results will be worth the practice you put in.
What do you need for Cat Portrait Success?
1) The Eyes Matter Most
Toulouse closest eye in sharp focus.
With a DSLR or mirrorless camera select a focus point (these marks should appear on your viewfinder). Make sure your chosen focus point is on the eye of your cat so that your cat’s eye is sharp and clear.
This may take several shots so that you get it right which it can do when your cat moves suddenly. If one of your cat’s eyes is closer to the camera – focus on that one. Here’s a basic focus point layout.
This works for humans as well as your feline friends. Observe yourself when you next look at an image, in print or online. You will find that you always look at the eye of a person. Remember, people forgive you almost anything, except a blurry eye for cats and humans.
Check up on your own camera’s focus points. For speed of use, my Canon 1300D is set to the centre spot.
Sienna, well-lit closeup with sharp eyes
2) Portrait Light Get It Right
No cat (or human) will thank you for using harsh light when taking a photograph. The shadows will be unfriendly and unflattering.
If you look at a professional photographer who has a studio setup, they always have a couple of what are called ‘softboxes’. These are literally boxes on stands with a covered front that provides a diffused and friendly light which shows features without strong shadows.
For a DSLR keep your ISO low as you can, ISO 200 is a good setting to start with.
Shutter speeds of 1/50 to 1/350 are a good place to start.
Aperture Priority (Nikon A) works really well.
Your smartphone camera can take superb shots in different light conditions – explore it.
Even better, for those on a limited budget, grab a sheet of white card and direct it’s reflected brightness carefully towards your cat. This extra brightness might be the gentle touch you need and this is so easy to do.
Without a softbox, or piece of card, try for a shot near an indoor window. For exterior portraits, find gentle shade by a tree or shadow of a wall. These kind of locations gives you the same effect as a fancy softbox for free – bright, what I cann, ‘friendly’ light.
3) Tidy Your Background
Backgrounds can make or break a photo of your cat. An explosion of toys all over the floor from playtime, or magazines on the sofa may not be the cat portrait ambience want. Even with the bokeh effect of a DSLR people notice clutter.
A strong single subject stands out on a plain backtround
A perfect cat background outside?
A background of grass or foliage and trees gives your outdoor cat a fresh and natural look. If you have an interesting textured wall, or planter, these add visual interest that will compliment your cat’s fine fur too. This cat portrait (above) of Toulouse in his favourite tree has a lovely background of nice foliage.
A perfect cat background inside?
Drape a pale sheet or fabric, preferably one that co-ordinates with your cat, as a background. Or use a plain wall. If you can’t avoid background stuff – just make sure it’s tidy!
Contrast of Fur and Foliage Make a Cool Image
Now, what are you waiting for? Go take some cool cat portraits!
