Asides

I have written before about the thrill of taking a good black cat photo and how to achieve it. But, I am sure some readers are not convinced they can take a good black cat snapshot; especially with their smartphones.

Let me show you this lovely black cat portrait of our neighbour cat Taz taken with just a ‘phone and natural light and tell you that, yes you can take a fantastic black cat shot like this.

The photograph was a completely spontaneous lift of the smartphone. It took a hand full of attempts to get Taz to turn towards the camera but, as you can see, he takes a great snapshot. The key moment was when I got him to look across at me.

If you look at Taz’s photo, the black fur is well lit with enough shadows to give him shape and depth. I did not touch up the photograph as he is handsome as he is. The light on his fur shows how important ambient light and a few clouds can be. Strong sunshine would have made him look very flat and shown brown lowlights in his fur.

To show that not every photograph comes out nicely, here are two of my Taz photos that didn’t work. He is not looking at the camera and there isn’t enough light. I needed to change my position and get Taz to look up.

Today I am showcasing a black cat study with dodge and burn and also trying a different ‘compliance’ plugin as this may help with reader’s commenting issues. (The compliance indicator should appear on the side of this post). This short post emphasises how a gentle touch works much better than relying on something like A.I.

For a full How-To of Dodge & Burn check my post here.

Black Cat Portrait of Taz

This portrait is one I really love. You have met our neighbour Taz (now adopted by us) before and I could not resist adding this picture as it shows the magical effects of a little bit of dodging and burning.

Why use this and not the clever AI (Artificial Intelligence) in so many apps you can use? In a word subtlety. Using light strokes you can highlight and darken with a delicate touch. You can adjust the effects of the tool from feather lightness to sledgehammer heaviness depending on the effect you need.

If you spend a moment or two looking at the lower photo you will see has an unfinished look. It is a bit lacking in sharpness and with overexposed fur. To top it all the background looks too light. I love this photo so I took some time to adjust it so he looks perfect.

Look in these adjusted areas:

• The background has been darkened just a bit so it compliments his eyes.
• The fur highlights have been ‘burned’ so the portrait has more depth to it. The light areas look a bit smaller.
• A touch of sharpening was added when the portrait was still in it’s RAW state. You might have a sharpener that does the job, just use a light touch.

I hope you give dodging and burning a try sometime, I know it made a difference to one black cat’s portrait.

If you want to take action shots of moving cats or speedy football players you need to take fast photos so your images have the sharpness you need. This quick post shows the kind of settings you will need using your DSLR or Mirrorless camera as well as some quick smartphone tips to help you.

Estimated reading time: 4 minutes

Use the Right Camera Settings

Taking fast photos on a DSLR/Mirrorless starts with the right camera settings. For quick movement shots, set your shutter speed to around 1/500th of a second and reduce the ISO to prevent grain. This setting will capture movement while keeping the picture clear.

I am assuming that you can already navigate around the menu on the back or top of your DSLR camera to alter your shutter speed. I take a lot of photos around a speed of 1/250 – 1/400 and am slowly venturing into faster territory!

1. For really fast shutter speeds like 1/1000+ you need what is called a wide aperture. f2.8 to f5.6 is a good place to start. It is where a lot of my photos end up. Wide can be confusing because the numbers are small, something I still get confused by sometimes.
2. Shutter speed needs to be fast. To freeze action 1/1000 and above, depending on your camera, and to capture motion 1/250. I began by using 1/250 until I gained confidence and got used to my camera then I began pushing my speed up a bit.
3. Use good light and set your ISO 100 or 200. These are great for getting nice cat photos.
4. If you feel lost, use Aperture Priority AV (A on Nikon) especially if you don’t have a lot of experience. You set this one thing, the aperture, and the camera works out your shutter speed. For active cats this works, I use it most of the time following my cats while I build my manual skills.
5. Experiment with ‘Sport‘ mode too (a running athlete icon).

Don’t Forget Burst Mode

For Smartphone and DSLR your device has a way to activate a rapid series (or burst) of shots. Compact users check your camera, burst mode is often included here too. Your burst of shots can be reviewed later and you can select the shot that perfectly captures the moment. Ths mode works in Aperture (Nikon A) and TV (Nikon S)and may be all you need fr a quick series of shots.

• On the iPhone you drag the shutter button sideways.
• On your DSLR/Mirrorless you choose the setting ‘Continuous Shooting‘ (continuous drive or similar).

Smartphone users, check how many photos your camera can take in one burst. Some older cameras may have limits.

Don’t forget you also have a ‘Sport’ mode setting on most cameras including compacts. This does a lot of the thinking for you and is perfect if you just have time to turn the dial and lift your camera.

Photo Lenses

I use both my Canon 50 mm nifty fifty lens and my 55-250mm zoom which are both great for the photos I shoot; portraits and action shots of cats. They form the backbone of my photo kit.

This might be a bit of a stretch for beginners but, you might be able to borrow a zoom lens. Look for one that is at least 200mm. Mine is a Canon 55-250mm f2.8 which lets me take fast photos and create a nice background blur. This helps me focus on my cat subjects a lot more easily. If you don’t have something like this try your camera’s trusty kit lens to see what you can do. It is how I started and it is still one of my lightest and most portable lenses.

Glossary of photo jargon:

1. Shutter Speed: “Shutter speed is the length of time the camera shutter is open, exposing light onto the camera sensor.” Photography Life
2. What is a FAST lens – “A fast lens refers to a lens with a wide maximum aperture [f/1.4, f/1.8, and f/2.8]. The larger the maximum aperture, the faster the lens”. Digital Photography School NOTE: A fast lens can be bulky and is can be very expensive.

I came across a small project online that aimed to use some of the guiding thoughts of mindfulness to encourage photography practice. It sounded like a restful concept in these stressful and difficult times, so I took a look and thought you might like to try this relaxing idea. Photography and mindfulness is a new concept to explore.

Estimated reading time: 4 minutes

What is Mindfulness?

Although some people are quick to dismiss mindfulness as ‘woo woo’ or unhelpful. It forms one part of the meditation practice of millions of people worldwide.

At its most simple, mindfulness is bringing your attention to the present moment; such as noticing sounds or feelings, without labelling them with words like good or wrong. If you meditate this might mean feeling your breath moving in and out of your body. I have not seen a mindfulness photography course but I have seen a couple of books online.

Mindfulness is the practice of deliberately bringing your attention to something in the present moment.

Health Navigator NZ

What Has Mindfulness to do with Photography?

The aim with mindful photography is to create an image that has a calming effect on the viewer. So, grab your camera and head out, or across the room with no agenda and no ideas about what you might photograph, although I am sure there will be a cat in the way somewhere!

The aim is to crate an image that feels serene and calm, and make your viewer feel the same.

How do I take a Mindful Photograph?

Here are some helpful prompts for a mindful photo:

1. Think of adjectives, describing words that mean calm to you; like softness, fur, relaxed, smooth. Try for quietness and a peaceful state of mind and incorporate these feelings into your photographs.
2. Look for a light smooth range of tones nothing too strong or sudden. The range of tones in tabby fur or ginger is a great place to start.
3. Set aside time for your project. An hour, a quiet morning, whenever you can find some time. Try not to worry about the other distractions in your day and carry over the calm you are nurturing into your photos.
4. Don’t rush. Slow down and focus on you and your camera working together. Just take photos without expectation. The colour of a cat’s fur, or the contrast in texture between a cat’s paw and a wooden floor.
5. Unlike last week’s secret iPhone menu post, don’t worry about camera settings this time. Go with your smartphone’s default settings or ‘Auto’ or Av/A on your DSLR. Maybe even try black and white.
6. Above all, enjoy a relaxed time. If you even take just one photo that says ‘peaceful’ to you, your mindful photography exploration will be a success.

Even if you are not skilled in meditation this is a useful exercise that will absorb a lot of thought and maybe relax you. If you do want to look at meditation then check out one of the free Daily Calm meditations on You Tube.

Have you ever tried an exercise like this? Did you like it, or do you think you might try it?

Mindful Photography Resources

• How Photography Can Help Cultivate Mindfulness Greatergood.Berkeley.edu
• Mindfulness Ideas from Health Navigator