Alright, so I got this idea in my head last week. Wanted to photograph two really different types of cats. Not like, breeds specifically, just… different vibes, you know? A chill one and maybe a more active, sleek one. Seemed simple enough.
Finding the Subjects
Finding the first cat was a piece of cake. My neighbor has this big, orange, fluffy thing. Seriously, mostly fluff. He just lays around on their porch all day. Let’s call him Garfield. Getting permission was easy, they just laughed and said good luck keeping him awake.
The second cat? That was tougher. I wanted something short-haired, maybe a bit more mysterious. I spent a couple of afternoons just wandering my neighborhood, keeping an eye out. Saw a few candidates, but they were too skittish or disappeared fast. Finally spotted this sleek black cat hanging out near the park. Looked like a little panther. Didn’t seem to belong to anyone right there, just doing its own thing.
The Actual Photo Taking Part
Okay, Garfield the Fluffy first.
I went over around mid-morning. Sun was nice. Found him exactly where I expected – sprawled out on a chair cushion. Getting him to pose? Forget it. He just blinked at me slowly. I tried:
- Making weird noises (he ignored me)
- Dangling a string (he watched it for like, two seconds, then closed his eyes)
- Moving around him quietly
Basically, I just took photos of him sleeping. And yawning. Got some decent shots of his massive fluffiness, the texture was kinda cool. But action? Zero. It was more like photographing a furry pillow. Patience was the main thing here. Lots of waiting for a slight turn of the head or a yawn.
Now, the Sleek Black Cat.
This was a whole different story. I went back to the park area the next day with my camera. Found the black cat again, stalking something in the grass. This one was all movement. Trying to get a non-blurry shot was tough.
My approach had to change completely:
- Used a faster shutter speed, obviously.
- Tried to anticipate where it might move next.
- Kept my distance more, didn’t want to spook it.
It was frustrating sometimes. Just as I focused, zip, it darted off. Got a lot of blurry photos, photos of its tail leaving the frame. But it was also more exciting? When I did manage to catch a sharp image, especially of its eyes or its focused hunting pose, it felt like a real win. Getting the lighting right on black fur was also tricky, had to watch out for losing all the detail.
So, What Happened?
Well, I got photos of two very different cats. One super chill, almost statue-like. The other a bundle of fast energy. Neither session went exactly like I pictured. Garfield was too chill, the black cat was maybe too active.
It really hammered home how you gotta adapt to the subject, especially with animals. You can’t really direct them. You just have to be ready and work with what they give you. Got some shots I like from both, but they definitely show the personality differences. It wasn’t easy, took more time than I thought. But yeah, good practice. Makes you appreciate how unpredictable shooting living things can be.
