Cattitude - Episode 272 Fur-tography 101: How to Snap Your Cat Like a Pro

<v Speaker 1>Love.
<v Speaker 2>This is pet Life Radio. Let's Talk Pets.
<v Speaker 3>Hello, cat levers, Welcome to counta Tude. I'm your show
<v Speaker 3>host Michelle Fern. Today's show is a lot of fun.
<v Speaker 3>So we love cats, right and we love to take
<v Speaker 3>pictures of them.
<v Speaker 4>But why is it so hard?
<v Speaker 3>My guest today she is a cat photographer. She photographs
<v Speaker 3>other pets, but you know cats. We're going to focus
<v Speaker 3>on cats and she has some great advice for us
<v Speaker 3>and some tips. So stay tuned. We'll be right back.
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<v Speaker 1>Let's Talk pets.
<v Speaker 6>On Petlifradio dot com.
<v Speaker 3>Welcome back, everyone. I'd like to welcome Karen Hogland. She
<v Speaker 3>is the cat photographer. She also photographs dogs and horses,
<v Speaker 3>and I'm like to welcome you to Catache. So much
<v Speaker 3>for coming on.
<v Speaker 4>Thank you. It's an honor to be here.
<v Speaker 3>I'm honored to have you. So did I get it right? Cats?
<v Speaker 3>Dog horses?
<v Speaker 4>Yeah? Mostly cats and dogs?
<v Speaker 3>Cats and dogs? Okay, have you ever done like a
<v Speaker 3>ferret or lizard or anything like that?
<v Speaker 4>I have beared a dragon, guinea pigs. I have a
<v Speaker 4>whole exotic pet page.
<v Speaker 3>That must be wild. So what made you decide to
<v Speaker 3>go into photography, especially animals?
<v Speaker 4>Sure? Well, I had been a graphic designer for twenty
<v Speaker 4>some years, and when digital cameras came on the scene,
<v Speaker 4>photography sort of became part of the job. And then
<v Speaker 4>when I left the corporate jobs, I decided to go
<v Speaker 4>into photography. At first, I thought I would do family
<v Speaker 4>photography and like everything, and I just love the dogs
<v Speaker 4>and cats the most.
<v Speaker 3>I don't blame sometimes they're the best.
<v Speaker 4>Yeah, I just was naturally best at capturing them. So
<v Speaker 4>I just started doing more and more that started promoting it,
<v Speaker 4>and then maybe only a couple of years in unniched way,
<v Speaker 4>down just to the pets only.
<v Speaker 3>So cats are difficult, They're notoriously difficult to photograph, and
<v Speaker 3>you know, they're different, they're so different than dogs. There's
<v Speaker 3>this saying that you probably have heard so many times.
<v Speaker 3>Cats are not like little dogs. Cats are cats, dogs
<v Speaker 3>are dogs. So why did you decide to specialize especially
<v Speaker 3>in cats, because they must be one of the toughest
<v Speaker 3>furbabes to photograph.
<v Speaker 4>Well, people assume they can't be photographed. I don't think
<v Speaker 4>that's true. They're different species, of course than the dog, obviously,
<v Speaker 4>so they're a little more skittish, they're a little more
<v Speaker 4>set in their ways. But it's kind of the same
<v Speaker 4>skill set where I'm observing, you know, like the same
<v Speaker 4>way I'll notice if a dog's ears are back, I'll
<v Speaker 4>notice if a cat is flicking its tail and ready
<v Speaker 4>to get out of there. It's totally possible. It's just
<v Speaker 4>a different set of skills.
<v Speaker 3>I haven't heard that it's not possible to photograph cats.
<v Speaker 3>I've heard that it's hard to photograph black cats and
<v Speaker 3>black dogs, and that's one reason why they don't get
<v Speaker 3>as adopted as much. I have a tuxedo cat. Both
<v Speaker 3>my dogs that are in doggy heaven. Now we're black
<v Speaker 3>with markings. But have you heard that it's a thing, right?
<v Speaker 4>Oh yeah, definitely, especially with your cell phone because the
<v Speaker 4>auto exposure just can't handle it sometimes, or it's just
<v Speaker 4>that you have them in a dark corner. They're doing
<v Speaker 4>something adorable, but they're you know, underneath the coffee table,
<v Speaker 4>so it's really dark down there, so of course you
<v Speaker 4>know there's not enough light. There's a couple of different
<v Speaker 4>things you can do about that. You can put them
<v Speaker 4>by the window, you know, lure them off there with
<v Speaker 4>a toy or a feather, even a treat with your
<v Speaker 4>own cat. You know, you just try to get them
<v Speaker 4>when they're in better light. Photography is all about light,
<v Speaker 4>so that's more apparent with a black cat or dog.
<v Speaker 3>Okay, you do dogs as well. Would you say what
<v Speaker 3>the difference is when you're photographing cats versus photographing dogs,
<v Speaker 3>And how in the world did you get the most
<v Speaker 3>adorable picture on your website, which we'll share at the
<v Speaker 3>end of a sphinx cat and this little I don't
<v Speaker 3>can't tell the breed. It's a black and gray dog.
<v Speaker 4>Yeah, mixed breed, mixed breed.
<v Speaker 3>Much of my favorite so I don't know how you
<v Speaker 3>got them together, but what are some of the differences
<v Speaker 3>between them, as far as you know, nuances that can
<v Speaker 3>make us better Because a lot of us have photographed
<v Speaker 3>our dogs, we can get them to stay still. Cats
<v Speaker 3>not so much.
<v Speaker 4>Sure, Well, a lot of people when they're doing their
<v Speaker 4>dogs photo they use a treat that doesn't look as cute.
<v Speaker 4>With a cat, they kind of hunt over to look
<v Speaker 4>like a wild lion. You know, they're just and then
<v Speaker 4>they're all the run off with it. With dogs, you
<v Speaker 4>can use squeaky toys like I use so many little
<v Speaker 4>like a quill call, duck call, like the squeaky from
<v Speaker 4>inside a toy that would freak a cat out. So
<v Speaker 4>I do not do that with cats. So in some ways,
<v Speaker 4>I guess you could say dogs are easier because you
<v Speaker 4>can use like the sounds and the treats. But some
<v Speaker 4>dogs are scared. They're kind of timid anyway, and like
<v Speaker 4>they might get a little afraid, So you're going to
<v Speaker 4>kind of treat them like each animal's individual. So the
<v Speaker 4>most shy dog might be similar to a very friendly cat.
<v Speaker 4>But in general, with cats, I'm going to be quieter,
<v Speaker 4>I'm going to kind of lure them over, so if
<v Speaker 4>they think it's their idea, and curiosity is a huge thing.
<v Speaker 3>Curiosity okay, and this leads into my next question. It
<v Speaker 3>sounds like a lot of taking pictures of cats has
<v Speaker 3>to do with preparing yourself because too often I think
<v Speaker 3>as humans are impatient and we want them to wait
<v Speaker 3>take the picture, or we want them to do what
<v Speaker 3>they want to do. And while dogs are a little
<v Speaker 3>bit more open to that, cat or not, they do it.
<v Speaker 3>They want, when they want, how they want for the
<v Speaker 3>most part. So what do we have to do to
<v Speaker 3>prepare ourselves so sure so that we're going to be
<v Speaker 3>successful taking the pictures of our cat? I can tell
<v Speaker 3>one it must be be patient. That's not one of
<v Speaker 3>my strong suits. Sotent is a must.
<v Speaker 4>Well, you're not just being patient like I'm going to
<v Speaker 4>watch my cat take a nap and then wait for
<v Speaker 4>him to get up. It's more of reading their body language.
<v Speaker 4>So you're kind of being slow and quiet, Like for me,
<v Speaker 4>I'm going into someone's house, So the first ten minutes,
<v Speaker 4>I'm going to be like a fly on the wall,
<v Speaker 4>lay low, hold back. I Am not going to try
<v Speaker 4>to get the photo in the first five to ten minutes.
<v Speaker 4>If it's your own cat, it's different because they're used
<v Speaker 4>to you. But you need to know when to be
<v Speaker 4>quiet and just let them be comfortable, and when to
<v Speaker 4>pull out a toy, maybe a piece of yarn feathers.
<v Speaker 4>I have great luck with peacock feathers because they're long
<v Speaker 4>and you can kind of almost use it like you're
<v Speaker 4>hypnotizing them, and then you know, you kind of hold
<v Speaker 4>it over the camera and it looks like they're looking
<v Speaker 4>at the camera but glacially slow. Like I think that's
<v Speaker 4>the number one thing I see people doing, is they
<v Speaker 4>they move that one toy around and they're like, oh crazy,
<v Speaker 4>and it's not playtime. You don't want them to look
<v Speaker 4>like they just saw ghost or they're like gonna kill
<v Speaker 4>their toy. They're not hunting. What you want is that curiosity.
<v Speaker 3>Okay, so nice and slow? All right? What about bringing
<v Speaker 3>out the true nature of your cat? Would it be
<v Speaker 3>they're toys? Would you just I don't know, have them
<v Speaker 3>if they're into water, have them near their fountain where
<v Speaker 3>they play, or what are some things we could do
<v Speaker 3>to just really, you know, show their sweet side if
<v Speaker 3>they're really sweet cat or they're kind of I guess
<v Speaker 3>crazy side. They're like into Zuomi's and such.
<v Speaker 4>Right, well, yeah, most animals have both. So whatever makes
<v Speaker 4>you smile, I always say so, Like, if it just
<v Speaker 4>makes you smile when your cat jumps up in a
<v Speaker 4>certain spot to get its chin scratched, maybe that's that's.
<v Speaker 4>You know, there's like a certain spot in my kitchen
<v Speaker 4>that my cat always goes. I definitely want photos of
<v Speaker 4>that because that just makes me happy. That's where he
<v Speaker 4>goes when he wants love. So you kind of think
<v Speaker 4>of that place in your house if that's it. If
<v Speaker 4>it's a faucet, like you said, maybe make it a
<v Speaker 4>little more interesting, like arrange some houseplants around the faucet,
<v Speaker 4>like simplify the scene, but also make it look a
<v Speaker 4>little more elevated, a little different than normal maybe. But
<v Speaker 4>yet you're still capturing the cat drinking out of the
<v Speaker 4>water out of the sink. What else, Like, what does
<v Speaker 4>your cat do? What would you want to capture?
<v Speaker 3>So my cats they're lazy, they don't jump around much.
<v Speaker 3>They have water fountains, they have three, so I've heard,
<v Speaker 3>So they don't really go for faucets, but those are
<v Speaker 3>adorable pictures. I've also heard with cats that it's good
<v Speaker 3>to get down on their level because they're small, so
<v Speaker 3>they're by you know, they're utlow to the ground. Of course,
<v Speaker 3>say you want to get down on the ground to
<v Speaker 3>take pictures of.
<v Speaker 4>Them, correct, that's very good advice. Yeah, a lot of people.
<v Speaker 4>I think people are getting smarter than this, but especially
<v Speaker 4>when cell phones first game, they would be standing up,
<v Speaker 4>take the photo at like waste level, and then yeah,
<v Speaker 4>the cat doesn't look that exciting. I would suggest trying
<v Speaker 4>different angles. I mean, that's the awesome thing about like
<v Speaker 4>digital photos and cell phones is you know, go a
<v Speaker 4>little left, little the right, little up, little down, back forward.
<v Speaker 4>I mean, don't take ten thousand, but just look at
<v Speaker 4>what's happening, and it kind of gets your cat curious
<v Speaker 4>about it too. You can't lose. Just be creative.
<v Speaker 3>On my art days, I remember that the contrast of
<v Speaker 3>light and dark is always, you know, popular for any
<v Speaker 3>kind of picture and for art in general. Same for photography.
<v Speaker 3>I'm sure right, oh absolutely, yeah.
<v Speaker 4>I love shadows like winter, when you get those really
<v Speaker 4>dramatic shadows at the late afternoon, that's my favorite.
<v Speaker 3>What can we do to create those shadows in our homes.
<v Speaker 3>I'm in South Florida, we don't have winter. We have cold,
<v Speaker 3>so for a time change maybe yeah, shadows, but not
<v Speaker 3>so much so. Although the snow pictures I see of cats,
<v Speaker 3>which I didn't think cats like the cold that much,
<v Speaker 3>are amazing.
<v Speaker 4>Well, I don't think they like to go outside, but
<v Speaker 4>if it's a nice cozy spot by the window, they'll
<v Speaker 4>look outside for sure.
<v Speaker 3>So you have to keep like dark in mind. You
<v Speaker 3>have to keep the coloring in mind, because you don't
<v Speaker 3>want your cat to blend in right right, and you
<v Speaker 3>don't want to freeze see colors, so you don't want
<v Speaker 3>something like I don't know, maybe like a gross yellow
<v Speaker 3>behind you know, a ginger cat right right color in
<v Speaker 3>mind too, So all of those What about movement?
<v Speaker 4>I love movement. I mean I was trying to think
<v Speaker 4>of how to get the sunbeams for you guys in Florida.
<v Speaker 3>How lots of sudden but they just don't have the
<v Speaker 3>winter sunlights in that.
<v Speaker 4>Yeah, yeah, that's what I was swimming to brainstorm, Like, come,
<v Speaker 4>I never thought about that. I've always lived up north.
<v Speaker 4>There's always a sunbeam that comes in. You can always
<v Speaker 4>close all the windows in the room except for one,
<v Speaker 4>so that the light is directional and coming like from
<v Speaker 4>one direction. But back to your question about action. You
<v Speaker 4>know what I do with my cat as I just
<v Speaker 4>throw a treat and he goes curry. He's very food motivated.
<v Speaker 4>If they're hunters and you're doing it in the backyard,
<v Speaker 4>you know, you can tell when they're gonna jump, They
<v Speaker 4>wiggle their butt. They're totally predictable.
<v Speaker 2>You know.
<v Speaker 4>I've gotten cats midair, you know, after they you know,
<v Speaker 4>trying to catch the squirrel in the backyard. My cat's
<v Speaker 4>on the indoor. But you know, you can kind of
<v Speaker 4>tell when they're gonna do action that you can toss
<v Speaker 4>one of their little toys like a spring or felt ball.
<v Speaker 4>I have felt balls on a string that works great
<v Speaker 4>because you can hold it, just slowly move it and
<v Speaker 4>then if it is in the photo, it's not ugly.
<v Speaker 3>Those are some great ideas. We're gonna take a short
<v Speaker 3>break and we'll be right back. Molly, here's your dinner.
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<v Speaker 2>Let's talk past, Let's done Pets About Life Radio Headline Radio.
<v Speaker 8>Pet Live Radio dot com.
<v Speaker 3>Welcome back everyone. We're talking to Karen Hogeland and she's
<v Speaker 3>a photographer and we're talking about cat photography. So let's
<v Speaker 3>talk about props. And I have a funny story. So
<v Speaker 3>a long time ago for my other show, Best Bets
<v Speaker 3>for Pets, it's product show, and I had sample sent
<v Speaker 3>to me for of sweaters. So this person made theirs
<v Speaker 3>for your pets and I had three. So that time
<v Speaker 3>I had mister zeus Nicki and Dennis, and my cat
<v Speaker 3>crew was small, just Dennis, and so they actually the
<v Speaker 3>smallest sweater did not fit Dennis. It fit NICKI. So
<v Speaker 3>Dennis got the second largest, then Zeus was the largest.
<v Speaker 3>Nicky's was have an ease. Zeus my like forty five pounds.
<v Speaker 3>And Dennis is part Maine coon but he's not giant.
<v Speaker 3>So by some miracle and because he is part Maine coon,
<v Speaker 3>I got Dennis in the sweater without getting clawed up.
<v Speaker 4>Wow, I'm impressed.
<v Speaker 3>He was always constantly he was moonwalking to get out
<v Speaker 3>of it. But I do have a picture of them
<v Speaker 3>in their sweaters, which was a feed. Keeping them all
<v Speaker 3>together was tough. Yeah, Dennis was really easy. I would
<v Speaker 3>not try that with Molly. I would be clawed. She
<v Speaker 3>would not like that, and Charlotte is a very frayed cat,
<v Speaker 3>so she would not go for that as well. So
<v Speaker 3>here's my question. I got lucky one time with Dennis
<v Speaker 3>and I could probably get a prop on him, but
<v Speaker 3>forget the other cats. So how do we use props
<v Speaker 3>that are on cats? Like how do some people have
<v Speaker 3>pictures of cats with glasses on and hats on and clothes.
<v Speaker 3>I mean, I just think that's like so impossible unless
<v Speaker 3>they have this certain personality.
<v Speaker 4>Sure, I mean it's like if they're used to it,
<v Speaker 4>like they're harness trained, and they know that that little
<v Speaker 4>pressure around their body means they're gonna be the harness
<v Speaker 4>go outside. They're excited. Maybe, I don't know. Personally, I
<v Speaker 4>feel like a collar with a bow is pushing my
<v Speaker 4>limits as much as I can. Most of my clients
<v Speaker 4>we don't do that.
<v Speaker 3>You brought up a grade point though. You brought up
<v Speaker 3>the point about pressure around their body, and I just
<v Speaker 3>hadn't thought of that. You know, as humans, we put
<v Speaker 3>on clothes all the time and all that, and people
<v Speaker 3>have different, you know, things that they're comfortable wearing, but
<v Speaker 3>you don't think about pressure around the body for a
<v Speaker 3>cat or for dog. Dogs are more comfortable with that,
<v Speaker 3>but for cats you don't think of that. And they're
<v Speaker 3>actually super sensitive I've learned, especially on their back and
<v Speaker 3>their bellies.
<v Speaker 4>Yeah, I don't think they would like a swimmer. No,
<v Speaker 4>I do.
<v Speaker 3>Don't recommend it, really, Jill, So I would never try
<v Speaker 3>that again. And the pressure around their body, but there
<v Speaker 3>is I think some truth to that from what I've
<v Speaker 3>learned with cats, they're very sensitive on their back at
<v Speaker 3>least I know where Molly is. So you would say
<v Speaker 3>keep the clothes away, Yeah.
<v Speaker 4>I mean they may be used to a collar now
<v Speaker 4>and then you know, like if they're going to the
<v Speaker 4>vet or if they are allowed outside. But I really
<v Speaker 4>wouldn't push it. I mean, you want them to look happy.
<v Speaker 4>You don't want airplaneiers. I think it's more important for
<v Speaker 4>them to look comfortable.
<v Speaker 3>Okay, thank you for that information and feedback. Let's talk
<v Speaker 3>about some special times to take pics. So you know,
<v Speaker 3>always when they're little babies, little kittens, that's adorable. And
<v Speaker 3>you know if you have a mom a kitten, then
<v Speaker 3>they have babies, that's a wonderful time to take pictures.
<v Speaker 3>What about end of life pictures? I mean, nobody likes
<v Speaker 3>to think about that, but it happens.
<v Speaker 4>I have done a bunch of those. They're often a
<v Speaker 4>good way for the family to get closure. It helps
<v Speaker 4>them feel like that bucket list thing is checked off.
<v Speaker 4>It can be difficult. I can tell if it's making
<v Speaker 4>the people upset.
<v Speaker 3>Let's backtrack for a sec and I say end of life.
<v Speaker 3>So would that be when someone has their cats like
<v Speaker 3>older they know that the cat might be getting sick
<v Speaker 3>soon or is the cat okay, the days are numbered,
<v Speaker 3>we need to take pictures right now.
<v Speaker 4>Well, there's all variations of that I've done, like the
<v Speaker 4>older cat, and they can be fine. I mean, if
<v Speaker 4>they're in good health then they're not feeling any pain
<v Speaker 4>or you know, they can hear and see me enough
<v Speaker 4>for they look happy that just being old isn't a problem.
<v Speaker 4>If they're really sick and they really do have their
<v Speaker 4>days our number, like maybe they got really bad news
<v Speaker 4>of the vet and let's say the vet said it's weeks,
<v Speaker 4>you know, weeks to months or something like that, and
<v Speaker 4>they call me. That's easier frankly for dogs because they
<v Speaker 4>tend to like rally and look good when guests come over.
<v Speaker 4>Cats are just I don't really recommend it. I mean,
<v Speaker 4>it has its place, but that's probably not going to
<v Speaker 4>be the best photo of your cat that you have
<v Speaker 4>of its whole life. I mean, we can do it,
<v Speaker 4>but I definitely take tons of breaks. I make sure
<v Speaker 4>the cat's comfortable. I will come back if the cat
<v Speaker 4>is not comfortable or the people need a break. It's
<v Speaker 4>definitely has its challenges, but at the same time, it's
<v Speaker 4>kind of can be bittersweet because it's, like, like I said,
<v Speaker 4>a bucket list type of thing, and you can get
<v Speaker 4>those like cuddally shots and the cat, you know, looking
<v Speaker 4>at you, it can be sweet.
<v Speaker 3>Okay, thanks for sharing that. What other tips do you
<v Speaker 3>have for us in general for taking pictures forever cats?
<v Speaker 3>What are some just five good rules that we should
<v Speaker 3>stick with when we're trying to take pictures of our cats.
<v Speaker 4>Sure, well, for starters, take tons of pictures when they're young,
<v Speaker 4>because they're so curious and playful and nutty, and they're
<v Speaker 4>oh my gosh, don't think you'll you'll get around to
<v Speaker 4>it lighter when they're young, they're just so fun. I mean,
<v Speaker 4>I adopted my cat when he was three and I
<v Speaker 4>was plenty young. He's crazy. But in general, for all cats,
<v Speaker 4>for all photos, I would say the simplifying the background.
<v Speaker 4>So take the laundry basket out of the background, don't
<v Speaker 4>have TV remotes, magazines out, you know, like newspaper mail pile.
<v Speaker 4>Just keep it simple. Maybe get some interesting textures with
<v Speaker 4>blankets that contrast with the cat. So like I have
<v Speaker 4>an orange cat, so blues look nice against him, or
<v Speaker 4>even purples greens. Just think of like what makes him
<v Speaker 4>look nice. Like I said before, change your angles around,
<v Speaker 4>be creative. I could go on and on. You said
<v Speaker 4>five things. I probably gave you five.
<v Speaker 3>Yeah, those are great, great tips. I think that's the
<v Speaker 3>biggest thing is to be patient with your cat and
<v Speaker 3>patient with yourself.
<v Speaker 4>Definitely, And I think that cats have a big ability
<v Speaker 4>to model. It's possible. I think you just have to
<v Speaker 4>go about it a different way, like a little bit slower,
<v Speaker 4>not force full, try to capture their personality. If there's
<v Speaker 4>like a certain toy they like, maybe you want to
<v Speaker 4>picture with that toy. Yeah, there's a lot of fun
<v Speaker 4>things you can do. And I think just be more intentional,
<v Speaker 4>you know, just like, don't just like pick up the
<v Speaker 4>camera and like snap and not clean up the background.
<v Speaker 3>Yes, have a tidy background. This is I think very
<v Speaker 3>important for a lot of our listeners. What would you
<v Speaker 3>recommend if someone is hiring a professional cat photographer Because
<v Speaker 3>you're not global yet, so you're located in the western
<v Speaker 3>part of the US, Say, you're not global where you're
<v Speaker 3>flying to different locations all the time. So what if
<v Speaker 3>somebody wanted to hire someone, what are some things they
<v Speaker 3>need to keep in mind to look out for, Because
<v Speaker 3>I mean, I've never hired a cat photographer, I wouldn't
<v Speaker 3>have a clue.
<v Speaker 4>Sure, Well, of course, everyone probably start with an online search,
<v Speaker 4>and that's fair. But beyond that, you could ask the
<v Speaker 4>local cat rescue, like if they have someone who volunteers
<v Speaker 4>with them, who's a photographer who's good, that might be
<v Speaker 4>a good spot. Or even your cat sitter if you
<v Speaker 4>have a really good cat setter. They've been in people's houses.
<v Speaker 4>They know if there's like professional artwork of the cat
<v Speaker 4>on the wall, or you know, like if they've heard
<v Speaker 4>of one, you know, like word of mouth. But if
<v Speaker 4>you're looking at an online search, you're going to want
<v Speaker 4>to look at the cat portfolio, you know, see if
<v Speaker 4>there's a variety of different looks and personalities. Does the
<v Speaker 4>person go to the house? I would say for most cats,
<v Speaker 4>that's a huge plus to be able to have a
<v Speaker 4>photographer come to your house instead of the studio.
<v Speaker 3>That's a great pit.
<v Speaker 4>Yeah.
<v Speaker 3>Yeah, cats are not the easiest to travel with most right,
<v Speaker 3>not all, but most.
<v Speaker 4>You can ask people, you know, how they handle shy
<v Speaker 4>or unpredictable cats. I think that tells you a lot
<v Speaker 4>about their experience and patience level. You can just you know,
<v Speaker 4>see how they answer those questions. You know, if you
<v Speaker 4>know a thing about cat body language, you can see
<v Speaker 4>the photos that are on their website and see, you
<v Speaker 4>know if the cats look miserable or happy?
<v Speaker 3>Right, right, let's talk about your website because you have
<v Speaker 3>some beautiful pictures. It's Karen Hoagland photography dot com. There's
<v Speaker 3>just some gorgeous pictures. Like I said, there's one of
<v Speaker 3>a sphinx and a mixed breed about midway on your
<v Speaker 3>mobile site. Right now. There are a ton of other
<v Speaker 3>tips than from what we talked about, because we haven't
<v Speaker 3>even talked we're talking about just taking pictures of cats,
<v Speaker 3>But if you want to be in the picture with
<v Speaker 3>your cat, that's always an option too. But then of
<v Speaker 3>course you need to hire someone.
<v Speaker 4>Right, yes, and that can be done at home as well,
<v Speaker 4>and you can kind of use a simple background. One
<v Speaker 4>tip for that is to use a doorway, like maybe
<v Speaker 4>a doorway to the backyard, so it kind of fades
<v Speaker 4>off to black behind you and then you're just kind
<v Speaker 4>of sitting in the doorway there.
<v Speaker 3>Do you ever think sometimes with your pictures you just
<v Speaker 3>get lucky? This would be very, very lucky though, because
<v Speaker 3>these pictures are gorgeous, But in general, sometimes do you
<v Speaker 3>just get lucky in a pose?
<v Speaker 4>Well, you kind of set yourself up for success. I
<v Speaker 4>mean I try to talk with the owners and like
<v Speaker 4>figure out collaborate with a like get everyone on the
<v Speaker 4>same page, and then yes, it's up to the cat
<v Speaker 4>whether the cat's going to be into me or not.
<v Speaker 3>Isn't that funny how we talk about this and then say,
<v Speaker 3>but it's up to the cat. We can do we
<v Speaker 3>can photographer, get everything ready to do all this, but
<v Speaker 3>you know, if the cat's happen a bad day, I'll
<v Speaker 3>forget it. We're gone, We're done, you know.
<v Speaker 4>Yeah, but most of them, you know, I say that
<v Speaker 4>I'll come back if the cat's not in to me
<v Speaker 4>that day, or just you know, isn't in the mood,
<v Speaker 4>I'll come back. Got no extra cost. I've had to
<v Speaker 4>do that only once, and that was mostly because the
<v Speaker 4>people kind of weren't ready about the end of life,
<v Speaker 4>you know, feelings and emotions. You know. I have my ways,
<v Speaker 4>and most pet photographers do. We love pets, you know.
<v Speaker 4>I mean, like, if someone's a professional cat photographer, they
<v Speaker 4>love cats, right, so most likely I was like, yeah,
<v Speaker 4>so you know, there's something different things that we can
<v Speaker 4>do to ensure success other than just saying like, oh, well,
<v Speaker 4>you know, the cat's not gonna, you know, post today
<v Speaker 4>because I have a whole bag of stuff I bring
<v Speaker 4>with because you know, some cats like crinkle toys, some
<v Speaker 4>cats like yarn, some cats like feathers, you know, and
<v Speaker 4>I'll ask the people had to time what they like,
<v Speaker 4>but then they might be surprised because, like you know,
<v Speaker 4>novelty is like so interesting to cats. You know, like
<v Speaker 4>if you move something from one side of the room
<v Speaker 4>to the other, like all of a sudden, they were interesting.
<v Speaker 3>They're excited.
<v Speaker 4>Yeah, like it's like that simple. It's like move a
<v Speaker 4>house plant from one windowsill to the other.
<v Speaker 3>Do you cats see some colors? In your opinion? Do
<v Speaker 3>you cats see some colors better than others?
<v Speaker 4>You know, I don't know.
<v Speaker 3>I have a white charging cord that whenever I plug
<v Speaker 3>that in, I have to make sure Molly doesn't bite it.
<v Speaker 3>The black ones. She doesn't care about the white one
<v Speaker 3>she wants to bite.
<v Speaker 4>That's you would probably know more about that than me.
<v Speaker 4>I'm not a scientist, but I find that they move,
<v Speaker 4>you know, get more interested in slow movement then fast.
<v Speaker 4>But color I have not noticed.
<v Speaker 3>I haven't read someplace they only see like black and
<v Speaker 3>white and yellow. But I'm sure someone will send me
<v Speaker 3>an email tell me I'm wrong. Yeah, I'm curious of
<v Speaker 3>an idea, which is great, But I was just wondering
<v Speaker 3>because it's funny how some things just it could be
<v Speaker 3>the exact item but a different color, and that one
<v Speaker 3>color will just set them off.
<v Speaker 4>Yeah. Maybe, who knows, Maybe that's why they like one
<v Speaker 4>thing over another exactly.
<v Speaker 3>And you bought up a great point when you said,
<v Speaker 3>when you visit someone to shoot the cats, you bring
<v Speaker 3>a bag of different things. It would probably be a
<v Speaker 3>good idea if we're planning to take pictures of our cat,
<v Speaker 3>to have some maybe fresh toys, right.
<v Speaker 4>Yeah, And honestly, it only works for just a little
<v Speaker 4>while and then they're like, eh, I'm tired of that. Yeah,
<v Speaker 4>you can rotate out toys, you know, hide a toy,
<v Speaker 4>hide their favorite toy for a month, and then they'll
<v Speaker 4>be all excited when it comes out for photo.
<v Speaker 3>That's good. What about catnip or they get too crazy
<v Speaker 3>or it just depends on the cat.
<v Speaker 4>Depends on the cat. I do bring catnip spray to
<v Speaker 4>put on things sometimes, I honestly haven't noticed it makes
<v Speaker 4>much of a difference for photos. They're generally a little
<v Speaker 4>more interested in the other things that I'm doing.
<v Speaker 3>Okay, great points. Where can people go to your side
<v Speaker 3>to find out more? I know I said it before,
<v Speaker 3>but why don't you share their website?
<v Speaker 4>Sure it's Karen Hoagland. That's Hoglundphotography dot com. And I'm
<v Speaker 4>also in Instagram Karen Hogland Photo, Facebook, Karen Hoagland Photography.
<v Speaker 3>Karen, thank you so much for coming on Altitude and
<v Speaker 3>sharing these great tips about how to take pictures of
<v Speaker 3>your cat and what to do when we're hiring a photographer.
<v Speaker 3>Thank you very much.
<v Speaker 4>Yeah, thanks for having me.
<v Speaker 3>I hope you all enjoyed this show. What fun talking
<v Speaker 3>to a cat photographer. It's also I think a lot
<v Speaker 3>of fun for you and a great way to engage
<v Speaker 3>with your cat and if you want just a great
<v Speaker 3>professional picture that we had some great tips on what
<v Speaker 3>to look for for a professional caut photographer. So thank
<v Speaker 3>you Karen for coming on Catitude. I want to thank
<v Speaker 3>my cat crew, Dennis, Charlotte and Molly for let me
<v Speaker 3>take pictures of them. Most of the time it's me
<v Speaker 3>who means the work, not them. I have to get better.
<v Speaker 3>Thank you to everyone listening in Catitude. I so appreciate
<v Speaker 3>you listening and being loyal. Thank you so much, and
<v Speaker 3>of course thank you to the magic my producer, Mark Winter.
<v Speaker 3>This show would not be the same without the magic
<v Speaker 3>he works on every single episode, So thank you so much, Mark,
<v Speaker 3>and hey, remember lose to attitude, have catitude.
<v Speaker 1>Let's talk bets every week on demand only on petlifradio
<v Speaker 1>dot com.
<v Speaker 3>A