Aubzie Arts And Photography

Have you been disappointed with your photos of your cat? If I asked you to articulate what distinguishes good photos from bad, can you tell me?

You don’t need a whiz-bang camera. If you learn and practise these basic techniques, you’ll see your photos improve measurably. And don’t be afraid to take lots of photos to get a few good ones. The professionals do.

Prepare your cat

Take a little time to plan your photography sessions. How do you want to capture your cat’s personality? Is she smoochy, lazy, active, playful?

Help your cat relax around the camera. Let her sniff it first. Remove any collar and wipe her over with a damp cloth if he looks a bit scruffy. You might want to control how far your cat can roam during the photo session. This could be as simple as closing a door or putting up a barrier.

If your cat is very active, wait for a quieter time, like after a meal when he may be sleepy. Or tire him out first. A good way to get your cat to hold still is to let him play quietly and once you have everything ready, call him. This will catch his attention, giving you a few seconds to capture an alert posture.

If you have a predominantly outside cat, she may be flirty when just let into the house. A chance for great photos of her rubbing against a chair.

If you want your cat to look at the camera, hold some food above or alongside the camera. You’ll want to take these shots before feeding her.

For shots of your cat playing, it will be easier with an assistant. Have some teasers, like feathers or string. Use a box or paper bag, but not all at once! You want uncluttered photos.

Lighting

Inadequate light ruins a lot of photos. Outside light is best, ideally at dawn and dusk. Remember not to shoot into the sun. Inside shots are best near a large window. Otherwise you will need good artificial lighting. There are a few problems with using the camera flash. It can cause red or green eyes when the light hits the back of the eyes. Red eye reduction is not helpful as it uses a second flash by which time your cat will have moved. The flash also tends to scare cats. If you must use it, you want the flash as far from the camera lens as possible. If possible, turn the flash away so it’s not pointing at your cat. If you can’t do this, cover the flash with tissue paper to soften the effect.

Movement

If your cat is on the move, a fast shutter speed is helpful. Most digital cameras have a sports mode designed for moving action. If your cat is a fast mover, a fast shutter speed allows you to take a quick series of shots.

To avoid blurred shots, steady the camera by bracing the it gently against your forehead, pushing your elbows into your ribs and holding a shallow breath just before you take your photos.

Close-ups

Get up close, at cat or even mouse level – this will give intimacy to your shots, and put you in your cat’s world. You may need to get on your stomach or knees. The cat should take up most of the space in your shot.

Cats look different from different angles. Take facial close-ups, full body shots, three-quarter body shots and action shots.

Background

Avoid distractions and clutter in your photos – use simple settings like a large patch of grass or a well-lit room with pale walls and plain carpet. Avoid couches, televisions, tables, lamps, wall hangings and such in the background.

If your cat is light-colored, try to have a dark background, and vice-versa. If necessary, hang a cloth as a backdrop. Be careful of background objects that appear to stick out of your cat’s head (or rear-end). Only include background objects if they add to the photo.

Now I strongly suggest you spend time looking at good and bad photos. Articulate why the poor ones don’t look so good. Is the object of the photo too small and far away? Is there too much background distraction? Is the lighting poor? Then look at some of your good photos or from my website. Why do you like them? Put it into words and you can start to transform your photographs.

It’s springtime in Tuscany, early May. Arriving at Pisa airport the air smells different, dryer, lighter, brighter with the alluring waft of some flower scent, even amid the concrete hustle and bustle common to airports everywhere. I’m travelling light, or as light as you can get when your camera bag is your hand luggage and you couldn’t quite leave the tripod behind. Not when the mission is a whistle-stop orchid extravaganza, to try and photograph as many different sorts of orchid as we can find, in under a week.

Heading off in a hire car, we leave Pisa behind and take to the hills, a winding, twisting, and convoluted back road towards Siena. The air is fresher and the hint of flowers strengthens until we are overwhelmed by the honeyed scent of broom, pouring in through the car windows. Every which way you look there is a picture postcard scene, comprising the essential props of a Tuscan photo – cypress trees, warm brick farmhouse and stone church, with gently curving green hills behind. Is it possible to take a bad photograph in Tuscany? Well yes it is. If I give in to temptation and snap every tempting vista, I’m going to find the bright midday light turns everything to dull monochrome, flattens the colours and wastes all my film before I’ve even started on the orchids. I’ll have to note the best views and try to come back in early morning or evening light, when it all magically turns golden and lucid.

We know where we are heading – south of Siena some friends have been walking through veritable meadows filled with orchids. The challenge will be to find those places by car, along the strada bianca (dirt roads) that crisscross the countryside. The other challenge is reaching our destination, when every few yards we spot a flower spike on the roadside and have to screech to a halt to identify it. Fresh from England any orchid at all is a rarity, but after an hour we are already blasé and we no longer stop for ‘just another spotted orchid’.

The next day we are up bright and early at our first spot on the lower slopes of Monte Amiata. There is an open clearing surrounded by stunted oak trees and bingo – a lavish sprinkling of bee orchids, my favourites, with their furry lip that looks just like a bumble bee. Now the advantage of early morning light and sparkling dewdrops is offset by the fact that I’ll have to lie down in the damp grass to get a good angle. Remember to bring a waterproof next time. I should use a tripod, but first I’m looking through the camera to choose the finest specimens and best setting. Some I need to trim the grass around, either with nail scissors or by gentle flattening down. A wide aperture will take care of the background but I don’t want any blurring of grass waving in the foreground. Sort out tripod, get light reading and bracket, bracket, bracket.

One question that commonly pops up is “Do you really need a picture for a blog?” The answer is no. Imagery is there to enhance your content. Above all the purpose of including an image with your blog should not be to make up for weak content.

Pictures are also more appropriate for certain types of blogs rather than others. For instance a blog about modern art or architecture might require pictures more than a blog about the latest computer chip would.

However there is no reason why the occasional picture can’t be used to augment your writing even if you are using a blog to sell a very dry product such as computer software. The true purpose of an illustration or photograph is to enhance your blog, not detract from it. If the image enhances the point you want to make or is even a well-attuned metaphor for what you are trying to say, then by all means use it.

One problem is that some blog templates are not that friendly when it comes to uploading pictures. In this case it is possible to have the image open in a separate web page so it does not interfere with the layout of your blog. This also gives your reader the choice of whether they want to bother looking at the image or not.

One design rule regarding images is to keep them all the same size. There is nothing that messes up the look of a well designed blog more than having differently sized photographs scattered all over the page. Another problem that you may likely encounter when uploading images onto a blog template is the issue of having to fit the image into a predetermined size. This can mean the image is squished, elongated or stretched laterally. If this is a problem, then don’t bother uploading an image at all.

It is so sad when you look back, see the footprint of your child, and realize that she or he is turning twenty. However, it is so great to have a keepsake to remind you that your child was once so little. With the picture of a baby footprint, you can prove to them as they grow how small they once were, but then grew into a strong, independent young adult.

When it comes to the picture of the baby’s footprint you can get that from the hospital. Usually, at birth, the hospital will take a printing of a foot or both with the hands of the child. Many hospitals do this keepsake. However, you can do it to if you would like to. All you have to do is purchase some finger paint and smear it on their little feet and toes and then standing them up on a piece of paper or press a piece of paper into their paint covered foot.

However, you don’t just have to do a footprint. Many people want their memories marked in stone. Meaning, you can purchase kits that will allow you to make cement, which easily washes off, and then make an impression with their foot. You don’t just have to do their foot, but you can also do their hands too.

They are great keepsakes to share with their children and to remind you of how the good times that you have witnessed. Many jokes and sentiments will come to mind when you look back, but it’s okay because you can reflect and enjoy their youth for a couple more minutes.

The pictures are also usually done for children who are stillborns or whatnot. You don’t have to keep the pictures, but you may want to place them in a box until you are able to come back and reflect without all the pain. It’s hard to loose a child, especially, one that you have just carried under your heart for past months. However, sometimes it’s okay to remember. It takes years to get over the pain, and you never fully get over it. However, with the keepsake you can hang it in your sewing room or private room and keep them close your heart.

It the hospital gives you an ink picture of the baby’s foot or hand, you will want to frame it or place it in their baby book. A wonderful keepsake fits perfectly in a baby book or photo album. However, some people will get it framed and place it in the family room as if it is a portrait. To preserve the ink picture you will want to frame it and keep it out of the sun or you will want to place it in a baby book so that the sun doesn’t ruin your keepsake.