Sphynx Cat Photography

The first thing that strikes anyone looking at pictures of a Sphynx cats are the looks. Pretty obvious really! But capturing those striking looks is sometimes a challenge for Sphynx cat or Sphynx kitten owners. With the release of my new Sphynx Cats eBook I have been complimented several times on the photography within it (of Luna and Pierre), and often in forums and picture groups too. I am no professional but here are some of the things I use to take great pictures of our Sphynx Cats.

I Am No Expert

Yep I don’t know much about arty photography, but I know what I like. So I take pictures of that. I love the silhouette of the Sphynx, so very unique. I like seeing their skin in dappled light, and I like seeing their gorgeous wrinkles defined by light.

You might like their eyes, or the wrinkly toe skin, or that inquisitive look when they turn to ask you a question (meow?).  Whatever it is, that’s the place to start trying to grab a good picture of.

Get Down

How many “great” pictures of cats have you seen are taken from human eye height down to ground level…that’s right, probably none. Taking pictures from cat level or lower brings “more” to the picture in adding interest and a different perspective. Why are we fascinated by those pictures of furred cats we have seen on glass coffee tables ? Because they reveal secrets in a normal activity, and we all love secrets, they fascinate us.

So change angle, lay on the ground if you have to, but get used to being active in your stance.

Work With Me Darling

Digital cameras have opened up the world of photography to us all by allowing us to take as many pictures as a model photographer does, without the pain and expense of having to pay to have them developed. Still many people are in that “one shot” mode…break that habit now!

The more pictures you take, the more you will learn, and the more chance you will have of getting that “great” shot. I have thousands of pictures of Luna and Pierre, most of them are ho-hum, but there are always diamonds in the rough. Do not think that every picture has to be outstanding; if that was the case, why would those model photographers take hundreds of pictures? Up your shutter speed and see if your camera has multi-shot (sometimes called sports) mode.

My Camera Is No Good

My digital camera is about four years old (practically ancient in the world of digital cameras) but it was the top of the line in its day. If you can’t afford the top of the line now, buy a second hand top of the line that is a few years old. Digital cameras are at the stage where the incremental improvements are not as great as they were when they were a new technology. A good camera from a few years ago is still a good camera now.

Cheating

Digital images mean you can also remove a multitude of sins. You can crop images so they appear more balanced, you can increase or decrease light levels. You can do all sorts of things if you are really into making your picture look awesome.

I admit I cheat with some of my sphynx cat pictures by *gasp* PhotSshopping (actually I use GIMP but most people know what Photoshop is) out the ear wax! It’s not hard and then that great picture that is marred by a small blemish can be fixed in a jiffy.

I call it cheating but it’s up to the individual really what they think of enhancing their pictures. Some think that removing the red-eye from a picture is reprehensible, and some believe stretching a model to super human lengths is OK. I am somewhere in the middle.

Bright Light, Bright Light!

When you have eyes that are set up for seeing better in the dark than in the light (cats’ eyes are) then getting a camera flash in your face is going to annoy you no end.  An annoyed cat is not going to be a good subject for a picture.

If you are in a dark area then up the ISO and cross your fingers, or change the angle of the flash so it is not straight on.

Sphynxes look amazing in natural light. I am not sure if it is because we don’t see them outside that often and it is a curiosity, or if it’s because they just look great in natural light. I try to get those out doors in natural light pictures when ever I can (without getting them sunburned of course!).

Well that’s a start… we still need to talk about getting attention, backgrounds and backdrops, black and white, macro but they can wait for another post.