A cat is a cat is a cat...
This was taken with a Canon PowerShot S3 IS.
This was taken with a Canon PowerShot S1.
Or is it? Does a good domestic cat photographer (lucrative business as it is) make a good lion photographer? Probably not. Domestic cats are more fun than lions.
They’re also small enough to pick up and adjust at your leisure. Dare to do the same to a lion, even a half-awake one, and it might lead to blood, guts and 500 stitches (or a brief obituary that ends with“…and he loved animals”).
Let’s take a look at these kitty photos to see whether there is common ground.
Photo 1: Megakitten
KIRSTIN SAYS: “I got this camera for my 13th birthday. I am crazy about photography! I had been using the family’s camera, an Olympus C-350. I asked for one with a bigger zoom for my birthday, so I could take nicer animal photos.
“This is one of the first pictures I took with my new camera. For my birthday party, I went to a small game reserve with some friends.We got really close to lions and this is my favourite picture.”
TOAST SAYS: It almost looks as if the lion is looking up at the people, wondering whether they taste like chicken or beef…
As with the photo of the kitten in the mulberry tree, the light in the eyes gives the lion’s otherwise dull Jacques-Kallis-looking-at-the-scoreboard-working-out-his-average facial expression some life.
Parts of Kirstin’s background are very bright and burnt out, but luckily the slightly dappled sunlight doesn’t really detract from the face of the main subject – the lion in the foreground.
There are similarities between taking pet pictures and taking wildlife pics: Try to get the “triangle” (created by the eyes and nose/mouth area) in the shot; try to get a bit of catchlight (reflection) in the eyes; and always make sure the animal’s head isn’t obscured by anything (unless it’s the point of your shot, in other words, showing the lion peeking out from tall grass). Also try to get your subject’s outline to be uncluttered by the potentially confusing outline of another animal in the background.
At home, you can easily restage a shot with good old Socks. Out there in the bush, you need a whole lot more luck and patience.
Photo 2: Cat in mulberry tree
ELLEN WRITES: “My cat climbed into the mulberry tree on our farm. I saw that it could make a good photo, so I ran and fetched my camera.
“Our farm is called Osfontein; It’s between Carnarvon and Loxton. We farm with dorper sheep and we also have a corbelled house on the property. Sorry for only replying to your e-mail now, but I go to school in Oudtshoorn and haven’t been home for five weeks.”
TOAST SAYS: I know the feeling, Ellen. Sometimes I went home for out-weekend and the dogs would bark at me because they hadn’t seen me for so long.
This photo hints at the characteristic playfulness of a young cat, especially the paws “hugging” the tree. The light in the cat’s eyes is great; it really draws you in. Most animals don’t have very photogenic snouts or mouths, but, because of the whiskers, cats have some extra charisma in this area.
Just like Clive Rice did.
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