Take Great Photos and Videos of Your Cat: 12 Tips for Beginners

When you have a cat you love, photos and videos will help you enjoy memories of them throughout your life.  Do you have a new kitten? Do NOT let their fun-filled first months go by without capturing them on camera or video! 

 

We here at Mewla.Young.com are amateur photographers, but that doesn’t stop us from creating great memories of the cats.  Here are eight tips that we’ve learned over the years for making sure you take fantastic photos and videos of your fuzzy feline.

1. Set the Lighting

Natural light is the best lighting for photos and videos, but not always available. Ideally, the sun should be off to one side or behind the camera to avoid a glare. When using natural light is not possible, turn on lights from behind you and from the sides. Lighting from three sides of the room will help highlight your subject, especially if she is a dark cat.

 

2. Pay Attention to Background 

Consider the backdrop for your photo or video. If possible, keep the background neutral without patches of dark shadows or bright light. A light colored backdrop will make your darker cats stand out, and vice versa. For example, when black cat Kwazi is our subject, we will change our position so a light-colored wall is in the background.

 

3. Consider Angle

The best photo and video angles are often from the cat’s head or body level. Set the camera on the ground and capture your cat from a close angle.

 

4. Consider Distance

Don’t forget to get close-ups of the cat’s full body and face. If you plan to edit the photo or video, back up. Make sure the frame is wide enough to capture your entire subject. You can always crop your work later.

 

5. Prevent Shaking

This is a tip we wish we learned earlier! To keep the video stream steady, place the phone on or against something sturdy to keep your video from shaking. For example, set the phone on the ground, lean it on a piece of furniture, or hold the phone against your body as you video.

 

6. Keep the Length of Videos Short

Has the action stopped? Stop and start the video every 20-60 seconds (if nothing is happening), then restart. Do this, for example, if your cat is playing but takes a long pause mid-play (cats like to get their bearings from time-to-time). Long video streams can be boring. Streams over one minute cannot upload to some video-sharing sites. Also, this way, you can delete streams that aren’t good, saving storage space for the great clips.

 

7. Use Your Phone’s Editing Feature

The functions on your phone or software program will allow you to adjust your photos and videos. Is your work dark? I often increase both  ‘exposure’ and ‘contrast’ of photos and videos, especially those of black cat Kwazi.

The best photos and videos will balance the image of your cat within the photo’s frame. For photos, choose “edit” and use the cropping function on your phone to frame your cat.

8. Consider Editing Software 

This article presumes that you’ve used your phone’s photo and video functions in the past to make a home movie. If not, you can learn to use a video software program. For example, iMovie comes pre-installed on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac computer. (If not, Apple users can install it for free. Just open the App Store app and search for iMovie). iMovie will allow you to create either a “Movie” or a “Trailer”. To get started, tap the “Projects” tab and then tap the “Create Project” button.

 

Not an iPhone user? Three great, free software programs similar to iMovie are Video Show: Video Editor & Maker, and VidTrim AndroVid Video Editor.

Check out specialized websites to learn how to combine videos, photos, and music to create your own project.

9. Add Music to Videos

Want to add a soundtrack? If you upload your video to Youtube, you can find license-free music in their Audio Library. Anyone with a Gmail account can upload from this vast music resource.

10. Don’t Forget You!

Don’t forget to take pictures of you with your cat! If no one is available to take a photo, the phone’s time-delay feature will give you a few seconds to get into place. For example, the iPhone camera timer is located in the camera app and allows you to choose either a 3- or 10-second delay before taking a photo.

Just prop phone on a sturdy surface and note the area that is inside camera lens’ frame. The 10-second delay will allow you enough time to pick up your feline and get in place.

11. Post Your Masterpiece

Share your photos and videos so others can enjoy! Uploading a video can be done on a variety of sites, including Youtube, Tik Tok, Instagram and the Twitter app.

12. Keep Your Phone Within Reach

Have you phone ready. We’ve missed many cute cuddles and silly moments, so we now try to have the phone nearby. You never know when your cat will look extra adorable or do something amazing.  

Did we miss anything?

This are just some suggestions that can help make great photos and videos. Please share your thoughts and suggestions below!