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.

Five years ago I returned to the world of photography after a 20 year absence. Then I was a ‘struggling-professional’ photographer. I gave a face to the following type jokes:

Question – What’s the difference between a professional photographer and a McDonald’s family-pack happy meal?

Answer – The happy meal can feed a family of four.

I started in photography for the love of it. Eventually, I decided that all I had to do to become a professional photographer was to pass out my business cards and wait for the telephone to ring. I confused my love of photography with success as a ‘professional photographer.’

For me, being a ‘professional photographer’ dampened all of the joy that photography had given me over the years. I took on jobs that weren’t challenging or profitable. I didn’t take the time to figure out what type of photography offered the most profit for the effort, resources and time investment. I didn’t pay attention to where my best potential customers were or how to ‘over deliver’ on my services to them. Although I went about operating my ‘professional photography’ business with all the best of intentions, plans, enthusiasm, and commitment, I had doomed myself to predictable failure. Of course, I recognized this ‘after’ I ran out of money, enthusiasm and hope. Hindsight is often 20/20.

Now I have returned and my excitement and enthusiasm is even more intense than twenty years ago. The world of photography is exploding in growth and changing almost just as fast. Since I am older now, I should be more mature and better able to make well thought-out and researched business decisions. Well, sometimes I act my age. Other times…. Here are some of my lessons learned.

The greatest aspect of current photography, for me, is technology. I prefer digital over film. Digital allows me to shoot and practice more than I could with film. Also, I can manipulate the photo to get the best image possible. Technology helps me to find information to help me make business decisions. Technology now helps me to target my potential customers and market specifically to them. Its not a hit and miss marketing exercise.

I found photography books that helped me to focus on a profitable photography niche. Prior to finding the books I had absolutely no concept of what a photography niche was or how important it is to being a successful photographer. There are many very good books about successful photography business. For me, one of the best (after my 20 year absence) was “The Business of Studio Photography” by Edward R. Lilley. His book kept me from repeating my costly mistakes of the past.

Twenty years ago I had never heard of stock photography. Now, stock photography is where I put most of my scheduled time when I am shooting for business purposes (versus shooting for my love of photography). There are a lot of books about stock photography. “Sell and Re-Sell Your Photos” and “Sellphotos.com” both by Rohn Engh, have been two of the best investments that I have ever made. I have a clearer understanding of the business of stock photography and where I fit. Stock photography is experiencing a great deal of change. Some long time stock photographers simply don’t like what is happening. Other long time stock photographers welcome the changes and adjust accordingly. Since I am relatively new to stock photography, the changes have little meaning or consequences to me. Author Michal Heron’s books “How to Shoot Stock Photos That Sell” and “Pricing Photography” were very valuable in broadening my understanding of the stock photography business. The latter book also offers pricing information for assignment photography.

There are many different types of photography. You can take pictures of anything and there is someone out there somewhere who would like to see the pictures that you take. So, photography is a great field to get into.

What is landscape photography?

Landscape photography is a great field of photography, especially if you love nature and if you love to travel. You can travel the world taking pictures of beautiful scenes across many countries. Of course, this is landscape photography on a big scale. Not many people are lucky enough to start off traveling the world.

But you can find beautiful landscapes right where you live. That’s the great thing about nature, it’s everywhere, and landscapes are everywhere. And that same sunset behind the mountain that you’ve seen everyday since you were a kid may look pretty amazing to someone who has never been to the mountains. Seeing the sun rise up out of the oceanfront may be absolutely astonishing to someone who has never been to the beach. It’s all relative.

What you may see every day is someone else’s treasure. If you can open your eyes to the beauty and see it, then other people can see it in your photography. It can be simple and everyday or it can be vast and amazing. It’s all about the great pictures you take. You may see a night city skyline, a series of lightening bolts or an interesting cloud; it’s how you take the picture that makes it beautiful to someone else.

How to Learn Landscape Photography

If you are serious about landscape photography, you should take a course. You may have already had a course in photography but you will want to take one specifically for landscape photography so you can learn how to get the best pictures possible. You will want to learn what film to use and how to work with the sunlight or other natural light. You will also learn about achieving a sense of balance and scale, how to photograph running water and similar issues that a landscape photographer might face.

If you can’t find any appropriate classes in your area, you can find them on the internet. You can also find many groups and message boards designed for landscape photographers to meet, share photos and tips and ideas. You can get tips and advice for your questions if you join these groups. You can also view the work of others, some that may be much more experienced than you. You can learn from them and their photos.

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