Photography Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for professional, enthusiast and amateur photographers. It only takes a minute to sign up.
Sign up to join this community
I have cats, but I imagine it's the same with dogs too... They never want to sit still, they get distracted easily, and when they do look at the camera they usually try to rub against it or grab it!
What can I do to help calm them down or get them to be more photo-friendly?
I have found that the biggest problem with cats is getting them used to the camera. If the camera is something new they will be fascinated by it which is why they rub up against it. Also never use flash with a cat. It annoys them and they will disappear next time they see the camera.
When you want to take shots of your cat you have to be patient and wait for the cat to do things that are worth shooting rather than trying to get them to perform using toys. Toys just get them excited and all you will tend to get are blurred shots of the back end of a cat disappearing out of shot. Best thing to do is leave the camera out where the cats can see it for a few days then snap shots when the cats are at ease, that way you will end up with nice natural shots. Once they are used to the sight and sound of the camera they just ignore it.
Also try using a long lens, something like a 70-200, which will allow you to get closup shots from the other side of a room. The cats won't know your photographing them and will just carry on doing cat stuff while you shoot away.
You could try clicker training your cat. It's a technique commonly used on dogs, and I've used it on horses, but it should work on cats too. You'll need a clicker (ask from your local pet shop).
The basic idea is that you give a clear signal, and if the cat starts doing what you asked for, you immediately click the clicker and the cat gets a treat. The click becomes a cue for the cat to help understanding what exactly you liked. After a few times, it should be pretty clear for the cat how to make you give out treat; now you can raise your expectations by clicking only when the exercise is performed somewhat closer to your final intent. The cat will try various things when the old way does not work any more and very probably will stumble upon the correct thing to do.
You should start with very simple expectations, and move slowly to more complex ones. You want to be sure the cat is able to stumble on trying the next step. For example, when training your cat to sit, you give signal and click+treat when the cat stops moving (if that's too hard for your cat, you might have to start at "slows down"). When signalling stops the cat reliably, prolong the time cat has to stay put before clicking. When that works, click+treat only when the cat lowers its rear body. Next, only sitting down.
It's up to your imagination on what tricks you want to teach; for photography, you'll probably prefer tricks that involve staying still in a certain pose. Figure out the steps for cat how to get to that pose and start training.
When the cat has learned a trick, you can stop clicking (there's nothing more to learn) and just praise the cat in a usual way. Try to keep the lesson fun for the cat, and stop the before the cat gets bored. It will take several sessions to get to the end, but you will have a trained cat. Isn't that cool?
If you want them to lay somewhere specific, consider putting a heating pad there and setting them on top of it. They make heating pads tailored specifically to pets.
Cats are very beautiful animals. I have two cats myself, and I tend to take many pictures of them. My cats are generally pretty calm for the picture. The key to getting the perfect picture of a cat is to take the picture when they are comfortable. Bring the cat/cats into a room and let them walk around and find a place to lay. Once they look like their comfortable, take the picture. Cats can be quite lazy, especially when they are comfortable. Also when taking the pictures, make sure the lighting is proper. When a cats fur is in proper lighting, it's almost looks golden.
