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Description
When it comes to Mikey’s photographs the questions I get the most are usually about his eyes and how round and big they are. They want to know how I do it….
Well I don’t really do it, his eyes do their own thing but I have learned that there are a few conditions that will always make them stand out…

Low light, Low light, Low light!

I know, to most photographers low light is not so fun and it’s really not too fun for me either unless I have this little white furry guy starring back at me. LOL

Low light will make all cats eyes dilate so this is the trick, now making it work is another story entirely.
I shoot Mikey in these conditions at a pretty high ISO, usually 400 compared to the 100 I usually shoot at. I very rarely use a flash. Once you get the light right, it’s time to play because when a cat is trying to stalk something in low light areas, the eyes get huge.
If you have an assistant with some sort of toy in hand, this is the easiest way to get the shot. If no assistant is available then you must learn to multitask. LOL I go to great lengths to get some of the shots I get, most people think I am nuts.

If multitasking is not in the cards for you then I suggest you invest in the FroliCat Bolt [link] If you are an animal photographer, this toy is a must have, it’s fully automatic, leaving your hands free for getting those amazing shots. It is a laser light for those of you who may not have heard of it and with one simple push of a button it does all the work for you.
The best part is the price, it is under $20 bucks. Aside from the great shots you can get, you will laugh so much watching the cats go after this thing. My dog loves it too.

So back to my subject here…once you get the shot in Low light it will take a program like Photoshop or Lightroom which I prefer for these shots, to lighten things up. Lightroom’s Auto color is fabulous. And then I am usually back to Photoshop for the added touches. The only downside to these shots is the noise; shooting at a 400 ISO is bound to produce it so if you have a noisware program that helps too but I can usually handle it with the blur tool in Photoshop set between 10 and 20.

So needless to say…when Mikey asks to play and he looks like this, we play…I just have to figure out how to refrain from kissing him between shots, seems to distract him a little. LOL

Description
When it comes to Mikey’s photographs the questions I get the most are usually about his eyes and how round and big they are. They want to know how I do it….
Well I don’t really do it, his eyes do their own thing but I have learned that there are a few conditions that will always make them stand out…

Low light, Low light, Low light!

I know, to most photographers low light is not so fun and it’s really not too fun for me either unless I have this little white furry guy starring back at me. LOL

Low light will make all cats eyes dilate so this is the trick, now making it work is another story entirely.
I shoot Mikey in these conditions at a pretty high ISO, usually 400 compared to the 100 I usually shoot at. I very rarely use a flash. Once you get the light right, it’s time to play because when a cat is trying to stalk something in low light areas, the eyes get huge.
If you have an assistant with some sort of toy in hand, this is the easiest way to get the shot. If no assistant is available then you must learn to multitask. LOL I go to great lengths to get some of the shots I get, most people think I am nuts.

If multitasking is not in the cards for you then I suggest you invest in the FroliCat Bolt [link] If you are an animal photographer, this toy is a must have, it’s fully automatic, leaving your hands free for getting those amazing shots. It is a laser light for those of you who may not have heard of it and with one simple push of a button it does all the work for you.
The best part is the price, it is under $20 bucks. Aside from the great shots you can get, you will laugh so much watching the cats go after this thing. My dog loves it too.

So back to my subject here…once you get the shot in Low light it will take a program like Photoshop or Lightroom which I prefer for these shots, to lighten things up. Lightroom’s Auto color is fabulous. And then I am usually back to Photoshop for the added touches. The only downside to these shots is the noise; shooting at a 400 ISO is bound to produce it so if you have a noisware program that helps too but I can usually handle it with the blur tool in Photoshop set between 10 and 20.

So needless to say…when Mikey asks to play and he looks like this, we play…I just have to figure out how to refrain from kissing him between shots, seems to distract him a little. LOL