How to take pictures that show black cats' sleek beauty

Posted November 10, 2021 10:00 pm

By Mary Hayashi The Buddy Beat

Black cats and kittens take a significantly longer time to adopt or rehome. Felines of color and patterns are adopted much more quickly. Coat color may just be a curse for these felines, but I like to call our sleek, black felines exotic gems.

The months of September and October are another bit of bad luck for our black buddies. They miss out on two months of possible adoptions.

Another possible miss is that they are more difficult to photograph than their colored counterparts. Even though you should focus on their wonderful eyes, the photo should not be all eyes and a black blur.

I would like to offer some practical tips for photographing the black feline. They need to be in enough light to properly set up a good shot. A room with extra sunlight is your best bet. Absent good sunlight, you may need to use a flash and set up artificial lighting.

Light will highlight all of the fur, showing an almost velvet-like quality. Extra light also will frame the feline's coat and eyes to make for a textured photograph.

When you focus on your feline's gaze, make sure their eyes are at camera level. Your feline may connect with the lens to create an interesting shot.

I like to also be somewhat aware of my background when I frame a shot. A busy background will distract from the beauty of the animal.

Once you like what you are seeing through the lens, snap multiples as quickly as possible. Remember the phrase "cattitude." Your feline will not pose all day, as it has better things to occupy its time. A spontaneous pose usually ends up being the best.

Remember, practice creates perfection in photography. You will build a rapport with your feline so that it tolerates what it thinks is rather stupid behavior on your part.

Today's fast SLRs favor your odds for success. If you have an older SLR that shoots film, try a faster speed film and you may eliminate the need for the flash.

Of course, all of this advice is useless if your feline is full of "cattitude."

• The Buddy Foundation, 65 W. Seegers Road, Arlington Heights, is an all-volunteer, nonprofit organization. Call (847) 290-5806 or visit www.thebuddyfoundation.org.

Mia is a very friendly, little black female, who was hit by a car in Naperville. Someone rescued her from the road and took her to the nearest vet. They checked her out and found she had a broken pelvis. She was transferred to Buddy and has fully recovered from her injuries. Mia gets along well with most of the cats in her room and with all of the volunteers. She is about 1½ years old. Courtesy of The Buddy Foundation

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