Animal Welfare Professionals

I've had a very fun year learning to get  effective photos to find my foster kittens homes.  Would love to hear any tips others have.  Here are a few of the basics I've found work pretty well:

1)  put the camera down at their level.  It really makes them connect with it and people viewing the photographs feel like the kitten is looking right into their own eyes.   Make sure the flash is always turned off.

2)  I photograph throughout the kittens' stay with me but also try and do a dedicated session.  I've found that usually it takes between 30-60 min of playing before they settle enough that I start to get the really good shots.  Although I photograph the entire time, I've found it takes about 30-60 min for the kittens to wear off just enough energy and become less interested in the camera (aka my iPhone) that then I start to get the really good shots.  Even if I shoot in burst mode, there're more blurry shots than not from the first part of our time together.  (ps kittens seem to love doing photo shoots.  I usually do a casual one right when they arrive and then another one right before they leave.  It's become a ritual that helps me say goodbye to them as I know those photos help them get to their homes.)

3)  For photography sessions, I usually have a bright colored, attractive toy that the kitten hasn't seen before.  The brightness of the toy catches the eye as people are scrolling through photos and playing brings out the kitten's personality even more.

4) Besides my iPhone, the piece of equipment I got that's been really helpful is a ShiftCam ProGrip.  It lets me shoot with only one hand so I have the other free for directing the kitten's attention with a rattly or squeaky bit of something or even just by snapping my fingers or waggling them.  I usually don't have anyone around at the times I photograph so being able to have a hand free is super helpful.

5) I once found what a shelter in Texas asks its fosters to provide & that's been helpful:  1 closeup of the face, 1 full body shot, 1 "personality shot" (ex. ferociously biting a toy, yawning adorably etc.)

6) find out what size the shelter posts in and either set your phone/camera to shoot in that size or just be aware photos will need to be cropped to that which you can do in editing or the shelter will do.  I used to shoot in the standard rectangular 4:3 but then realized my shelter posts in the square format so now I shoot with that in mind.  On an iPhone, you can adjust the format you're shooting in by opening the camera, tapping on the arrow that's at the top in the middle.  It will open a menu at the bottom - size formats are the 3rd option from the right

7) if you're having fun experimenting, there are super cheap light boxes available on amazon and elsewhere ($25-45) that are used mostly for people photographing objects to sell on Etsy or wherever.  If the kittens are small enough still, the light boxes make a great "professional" studio that helps you fake like you know what you're doing.  It's also easy to take the lights out and hang them elsewhere to light bigger kittens.

8) even just overhead light at night can give you great shots with a cellphone camera.  Again, putting the camera down at their level does a lot

9) kittens sometimes aren't sure at first about the thing pointing at them.  that's why I start photographing them early on as we're playing and getting to know each other.   If they're especially wary, sometimes I don't photograph but just casually hold the camera down on their level so they get used to it being there.  they get used to it fairly quickly if exposed to it.  You can turn the clicking sound off but I tend to like to have it on so I know the photo's been taken even if Im not looking directly into the finder because I want my eyes free to connect with the kitten