I’ve been told a time or two that photographing animals is my superpower. It’s never easy to get perfect photos of moving subjects that are not always cooperative, but over the years I’ve learned a lot of tricks that help me capture images of pets that truly showcase their quirky personalities. With the use of my toolbox of tricks during photoshoots and post processing and editing skills I’ve learned to create composites, my Photography of pets has earned high praise and I have been awarded multiple silver awards with many international photography competitions, becoming the fifth photographer worldwide to earn the title of Fellow Photographer with The Portrait Masters, and winning many silver awards with WPE and WPPI, to name just a few.
When I was commissioned recently to photograph a nine year old girl and her adorable cat “Skittles” I was up for the challenge. I will call it a challenge, because when working with animals there are always unexpected things that pop up. Cats are known to be difficult subjects. They don’t like to pose or sit for the camera, and are not usually motivated by food or treats. Most cat’s don’t enjoy traveling to unknown places. When anxious they often run and hide under the closest piece of furniture, or squeeze into a tight space where it might be hard to retrieve them. Knowing this could be the potential scenario, I prepared my clients for the worst case scenario.
With pets, the number of photos we show to clients at their reveal can vary depending on the cooperation of the pet. At Franklin Studios, I tell clients I will have 10-30 images to present them with, depending on how things go. Skittles did a great job, with only a small detour to hide under the dresser for a few minutes when we first started shooting. Because of this I was able to provide my client with a gallery of over 40 images of her daughter and cat to choose from!
It is certainly easier to photograph a cat if they are posed with a trusted and familiar companion, and the bond this little girl had with her kitty cat was a special one to see and to capture with my camera.
Below are SOME of the images that my clients loved.
Purrfectly Delightful Cat Portraits
