[Paleo Pete]

My problem is my little monster (you'd have to know her) (and I have the scars to prove it) is usually too close for the lens I have on, and soon as I turn to look at her she walks toward me...no chance...then she's too far away for the 50mm...I eventually got a couple of shots but it wasn't easy. In this one she came over and decided to lay down in front of me while I was trying to get some mushroom shots...you can see those in the background...I had to back up a little, she was too close for even the 50mm to focus...but she actually sat there for a minute and let me get a picture.



For this shot I had the Makinon 135mm on and she decided (for once) to lay out in the yard a few feet away and was rolling around in the grass, I tried about a dozen shots and this is the only one that was decent. Usually if she decides to sit in a decent location she's facing away and refuses to look in my direction...Now that I think of it, this might have been the Lentar 135mm...

As mentioned above, I prefer daylight and manual focus. Forget about flash, it results in bright green reflections. Not good...Same as red eye but bright green...



When I tried to get film shots of her as a kitten it was almost impossible. Moved too fast, almost never got decent focus. Best time to try is when kittens decide it's naptime.

[Na Horuk]

On the other hand, most people photographing cats have the other problem. Its hard for the cat to focus on you!

[dansamy]

On the other hand, most people photographing cats have the other problem. Its hard for the cat to focus on you!

What we have here is a failure to communicate!

[magkelly]

Okay, more serious stuff. Cat treats can work wonders. On the job when I don't have as much time to dally with my subject I've been known to use tuna or bacon to get a cat's attention. Someone else working a cat toy while I shoot also good. Catnip parties beforehand helps too. Getting a cat thoroughly stoned is sometimes a very good thing. A little nip can loosen up a tense cat a lot unless it's one of those cats that nip makes hyper then it's counterproductive. I usually just give a cat a few toys to play with. Something interesting to do, and I work around that.

[waterfall]

Bacon! You are in the wrong thread. See "Why I won't buy a k3".

[starjedi]

I found that it is crazy hard for taking pictures for a wild cat... I met one in a very cold day. And it apparently wanted to find something warmer so it kept close to me at every momentum I want to take the picture. I had to very quick...


Flickr 上 starjedi 的 Another miserable wild cat


Flickr 上 starjedi 的 Miserable cat (IV)

[magkelly]

When I was first learning to do photography properly I spent many an hour out back of my apt complex stalking ferals with my lens. It was good practice and I got some lovely cat pics. If you can learn to photograph cats well you'll end up being able to photograph anything. It's particularly great for when it comes to increasing your portrait practice skills. You have to learn to have an eye and you have to learn to be quick. That and photographing dolls I think has been the most useful way for me to practice my portraiture whenever I lacked enough human subjects.

[JimJohnson]

My daughter's 3 month old kitten. K-30 & K-A 28mm f/2.8. She is a laid-back social cat that was just curious about that weird thing I was holding in front of my face.
This is the untouched jpg (other than file shrinking). Handheld exposure - sure glad I had SR on.

[Steve.Ledger]

Some kittens just freak out at the sight of a K-01

[keithlester]

Black cats (and dogs) are ninja. We have one of each but they can only be found at mealtimes. So difficult to photograph, especially close.

[Solbom]

I too am learning to photograph cats. It is difficult to photograph them as they see the camera immediately run away. Do not like to be photographed. More and autofocus may not exactly lock on focus. Acquired lens A / 1.7 will try to shoot in manual mode.

[JimJohnson]

I guess I've been lucky. But the factors that come to mind are: #1- working distance (the closer you are the more nervous a cat will be), #2- available light (flash can startle some cats - use reflectors to increase or modify natural light), and for some cats #3- not holding something in front of your face (it is like hiding behind foliage; something cats do when hunting)

[Steve.Ledger]

Just keep doing it, being cats they will get used to having a camera pointed at them quickly.
Set the camera down and let them investigate it and smell it.. Give them a few tasty cat biscuits to crunch on while you shoot, they'll soon associate that 'thing' with being relaxed and having a treat. My 14 yr old Siamese sighs heavily when a new camera arrives and I swear I see him roll his eyes when he sees me coming with one in my hand

Sometimes they just like to pose..
Here's a young female tabby with her only surviving son sitting just right for a quick family portrait. I shot this with the MX-1

[Solbom]

Thank you very much. Cats are really scared of the flash. They see the camera did not take a beautiful view.'ll Learn to shoot without the flash over the lens "A" series 50/1.7. manual focus.

[narual]

Set the camera up on a tripod with a wide-ish lens zone focused for your target location, then set up the intervalometer so it keeps snapping while you attempt to chase the cat into position?

We don't have a black cat, but you can see the hate in his eyes: