Sunday 19 April 2009

Something more difficult than herding cats?

Taking a portrait photo of a cat is something I'm starting to learn is one of the hardest things in photography. I'm trying to cram my brain full of technical stuff: What aperture to use? Should I overexpose? How exactly should I frame this shot? Where's the light coming from? How do you clean seawater off a lense?

You think the cat is posing perfectly and then just as you take the shot she puts her paw in front of her face. Don't ask me what she's doing with her leg but her eyes have spotted something.

Then, just as she removes the paw and you think you can take a decent photo, she dives down because something has taken her interest, and why was my camera almost jerked out of my hands?

Oh, that'll be it. The photo is out of focus because Bubbles has decided to attack the camera strap. Having someone tug on your camera makes it a little difficult to get the framing and focus just right.

The solution, some might say, is to step away and then zoom the camera in from a distance, but this doesn't work because she'll just jump down from the desk and follow me, especially with a camera strap to play with.

Finally, after all the fun, it's the "what, you wanted me to pose?" look. "I would have done this earlier if you told me".

Jeeze. Eddie is even harder to photograph.

1 comment:

Keera Ann Fox said...

It seems to me that the trick to herding cats is to use a camera strap. Can't help you with how to photograph said herd, though. I only ever got good pictures of sleeping cats.