Camera Shy!

**Russian Blue** · 12-06-2006, 09:16 AM

I totally agree with Catlady.

I have never used the flash when taking Nakita pics. Also, if you're always using your flash, the cat could become fearful of the flash/camera and slink away when they see you take it out. Turn on all the lights in the room instead or use natural light.

I usually have a toy or treat with me as well. Easier to direct the cat's focus and it gives the cat a positive experience with the camera, rather than a negative one.

Experiment with different angles and practice, practice, practice. That's the great thing about the digitial age. You can practice, and not pay for it!

Originally Posted by Catlady711

**Use natural lighting whenever possible. Use your flash as little as possible. Lighting can make or break even the best pose with the most expensive camera on the planet or the cheapest.

**Get down on your pets level rather than shoot the pix looking down on him/her. Sometimes that requires laying on your belly on the floor. lol

**Simple backgrounds with a color that contrasts your pet is best.

**Use a toy or noise to direct the pets vision to anywhere but directly into the camera. (if you look closely at my example pix above, none of the cats are looking directly at the camera, but very slightly to the side or above it.)

**Catlady711** · 12-07-2006, 08:58 PM

Yesterday I found out that sometimes 'pet eye' can have some really neat results!!!!

**emilysgk** · 12-08-2006, 05:34 PM

Hmm... I will have to give it a try. My kids are gone for the weekend

So maybe I will try sometime. I have different subjects to work with. lol Not all in one place though... I just have Snow. But I would love to be able to get a pic of the two siamese kittys im with all the time and actually see that they have BLUE eyes.. not red, white or flourecent yellow... lol

**Catlady711** · 12-15-2006, 05:26 PM

Originally Posted by emilysgk

I would love to be able to get a pic of the two siamese kittys im with all the time and actually see that they have BLUE eyes.. not red, white or flourecent yellow... lol

I know what you mean. Pooky has blue eyes also, and I love it when I get a good natural lighting picture that showes them off.