When it comes to cat photography, who can forget his adorable behavior? This article explores ways to confirm the cat's eyes and his lively expressions, including the use of catch light.
EOS 5D Mark III / EF50mm f / 1.4 USM / FL: 50mm / Manual exposure (f / 5.6, 1/125 det.) / ISO 125 / WB: Manual
As an animal photographer, some of my work involves shooting a kitten in the house of the owner. Although the kitten may be familiar with the house, the presence of a stranger will make him uneasy, so the first thing to do is to create a comforting environment with all my preparations for the cat to feel comfortable. To highlight the expression and cuteness of the kitten, I chose the background as simple as possible.
During shooting I control the camera with one hand, and the other hand is used to attract the attention of the kitten. For this reason, I prefer to use a bright prime lens, which is light and easy to handle. However, if I aim at the maximum aperture, the kitten will become very opaque, and more difficult to focus on the moving kitten's eyes. Therefore, I would normally use a narrower aperture, around f / 4 to f / 5.6. I used the catch light to emphasize the eyes of a charming kitten and caught her lively expression at a low angle to accentuate her cuteness.
EOS 5D Mark III/ EF50mm f/1.4 USM/ FL: 50mm/ Manual exposure (f/5.6, 1/100 det.)/ ISO 125/ WB: 5.500K
Suggestion 1: Before shooting, be sure to always wipe around the child's eyes
catsThe eyes of kittens tend to easily shed tears, and the dirt or tears around the eyes of the kittens will be immediately visible in the photo. Check the area around the kitten's eye before you aim, and use wet wipes to wipe away any dirt or tears. You have to do it carefully, because kittens do not like it if you wipe it too hard. Cat with big eyes, especially an exotic type, easy to shed tears, so the feathers around her eyes tend to be damp. Check this many times as long as you shoot.
EOS 5D Mark III / EF50mm f / 1.4 USM / FL: 50mm / Manual exposure (f / 3.2, 1/125 det.) / ISO 125 / WB: Manual
Tears will cause the hair around the eyes to become tangled.
Suggestion 2: Create a hiding place to make the kitten feel good
In order to catch a kitten that shows the funniest mimic, it's important to create an environment that makes them feel good. Kittens do not like places that can make their claws slip, so I recommend putting things like a piece of cloth on a slippery surface, so kittens can grip it stronger. Moreover, if you prepare somewhere and the kitten can crawl into it, like a bag (or even, a towel, like below), the kitten can relax, because there is a place to hide.
EOS 5D Mark III / EF50mm f / 1.4 USM / FL: 50mm / Manual exposure (f / 5.6, 1/125 det.) / ISO 125 / WB: Manual
Towels are also effective to be a hiding place
The kittens are very good at hiding in dark and narrow places. Try photographing a kitten while still in hiding-which can often also create an adorable picture.
Suggestion 3: Use a catchment light to make her eyes shine
With the light of the catch in the kitten's eyes, it makes it look more alive, so I use a monoblock flash (flash monoblock) and reflect light from the umbrella in order to bring the light catch in the photo. Be careful not to shine light directly into a kitten. Always mingle the light.
Just an umbrella
Use in combination with soft boxes
As opposed to the round shape of the umbrella, blending light with the soft box will cause the shape of the catch light to be a quadrilateral. You can use them separately according to the atmosphere you want to convey.
Use the flash monoblock to provide stable lighting for smoother shooting
For lighting, I generally use a monoblock flash, which emits a stable light. Whenever possible, use a battery-type flash (eg Speedlite) that does not require cables, as kittens may play wires and tug at them.
BEST REGARDS STEEMIT
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Very good post