Most photographers dismiss cat photography as amateur hour, but they're missing a crucial training opportunity. Your feline subjects actually offer some of the most challenging and educational shooting scenarios you'll encounter.
Coming to you from Jason Row Photography, this practical video breaks down exactly why your cat might be the perfect photography instructor. Row explains how cats refuse to cooperate the moment you pick up a camera, which forces you to master action photography techniques like continuous focus and fast shutter speeds. When your subject won't sit still, you learn to shoot from awkward angles that would challenge any yoga instructor. The constant movement means you'll either nail your focus and timing or end up with motion blur, giving you immediate feedback on your technique. Row points out that this unpredictability actually mirrors many real-world shooting situations where you can't control your environment.
The video also covers how cats excel as portrait subjects, despite their complete lack of interest in posing. Row notes that cats sleep up to 20 hours daily, but somehow sense the exact moment you're ready to shoot and promptly wander off. This teaches you to prep your gear lightning-fast and dial in your settings before your subject disappears. You learn to set up lighting quickly and work with whatever natural light is available when your carefully planned setup falls apart. The fur texture also provides an excellent way to see exactly what's in focus and what isn't, making cats ideal for understanding depth of field at different apertures.
Beyond the technical skills, photographing cats prepares you for difficult human subjects who might have attitude problems. Row suggests that if you can handle a cat's sudden mood swings and unpredictable behavior, you'll be ready for challenging models or clients. The video extends this concept to street photography, where cats provide perfect practice for candid shots since they're too focused on their surroundings to notice you. This builds skills in telephoto compression, perspective, and capturing natural behavior without interfering with your subject.
What makes this approach particularly valuable is how it combines multiple photography disciplines into everyday practice sessions. You don't need expensive workshops or exotic locations to work on your skills. Row emphasizes that patience becomes your most important tool when working with cats, and this translates directly to professional situations where things don't go according to plan. The constant problem-solving required when your subject won't cooperate builds the kind of adaptability that separates competent photographers from great ones. Check out the video above for the full rundown from Row.
Satire of the day! Only the Brits could come up with something as comedic as the photographic answer to Monty Python.
Agreed
Your tortie, looks almost identical to ours named 'Macy'.
I find it extremely challenging to photograph my cat to the standards that I would like to see. Part of the problem is the lighting in my house does not afford good light or angles. When we took our cat to our parents house, I got a little better photos, but still not ones, I would call professional, or that would receive a '3' or more on fstoppers. Yes, I think you have a point, that it is challenging me to get better at it. For my own house, I could buy one of those cheap 'photo-mats'. Would the cat lay on it on command? lol. Of course not, but maybe if we put something she does like to lay on with it. haha.
The in-laws cat goes outside, and I photographed 'Bailey' with bokeh and doing some antics out in the yard with my big lens, some of those shots look pretty good. Would they get a '3' on fstoppers? hmm. I have not posted them. Like you said in your comments, I think many 'raters' would find 'cat' shots amateur hour, unless they are really really high quality.