A Few Tips For Taking
Wonderful Photographs
Your New Cat

By Teri Champigny

The very first day you bring your kitten home is a wonderful and exciting time, especially for your children.  Be sure to remember to have your camera ready so you can snap some very adorable pictures that your family can cherish forever.  And you should not just snap pictures on the very first day of arrival.  Instead, have plenty of film available so that you can take photos of your cat's progress over the next few months.  You'll be amazed at how much they grow and how fast they learn.

To help you take wonderful cat pictures, here are a few tips:

1. Create pleasant backgrounds.  It's best to take pictures when there is no clutter in the background.  You want to consider being in a neutral area, such as white walls, or single colored backgrounds.  If you are taking your first set of pictures in a room where there is lots of shelves, bookcases, and tables in the background, then the beauty of the snapshot might get lost.

2. Make sure your children are in as many of the shots as possible.  Children are incredibly photogenic and there is nothing more heartwarming than catching that magical moment of one of your kid's teasing and playing with the new kitten as if they were both rolling in ecstasy together.  Allow your children to play with some string with the cat and to play chase around the room.  These are the perfect times to take pictures.  Both your cat and your children are participating in a natural fun that can get lost in its innocence.

3. Take pictures outdoors.  There is no better light than natural light when it comes to taking beautiful photographs.  Try to get the early morning sun if at all possible.  This natural light will also prevent the all-too-familiar “red eye” that sometimes occurs when taking pictures.  Also, taking snapshots of your new kitten in the outdoors will give your cat a much more of a natural look.  Of course, you should always make sure that your kitten is in a safe area outside where he will not be pounced on by other animals or a neighborhood dog.

4. Be sure to get many close-up shots.  Some of the most adorable photographs that I have on my wall of our cats are the super close-up snapshots that I took.  To see a kitten's happy and natural expression up close and personal is something that words cannot describe.