Hi Everyone,

I just found this site yesterday and have been so excited it is hard to contain myself.

A little about me... I have been doing rescue for over 15 years. About 5 years ago I started rescuing from high kill shelters around the country. I spend 7 days a week and on average 18 hours a day working on saving kitties from being gassed or killed by lethal injection. During kitten season (which is just starting) I basically run an ICU and Maternity Ward here in addition to doing adoptions.

Unfortunately, so often the life of the animal depends on a good photo. Get me a ?great photo? and I WILL find a great home for that animal and its life will be saved.

For the past several years I have tried and tried to learn what it takes to get that ?great photo? and have made minimal progress. I have figured out the basics like using a solid background, shooting nothing but the cat, being level with the subject, not to use a camera flash, etc, but in my experience it all comes down to the lighting and that is not something I have been able to master at this point.

Below is a (typical) photo one of the shelters sent of a Death Row kitty in a cage. I posted her and no one was interested.





It was very upsetting because I knew if I could get (what the shelters now know as a) ?Barbra Photo? I could find this cat a home and save her life. I decided to pull her from the shelter and get a ?Barbra Photo.? When I posted this photo I literally had people fighting over her!



Needless to say it was the picture that saved her life!


I need YOUR help! I have scanned the forums and posts and see there is a lot of unbelievable talent on here and quite a few have even been involved with helping shelter animals (thank you)! Please see if together we can build a set-up that will work for me. You need to keep in mind I am a newbie and not using the photos to make money, but rather to save a life. Money is always tight in rescue.

The best article of information I have found thus far towards reaching my goal is:
http://cat-chitchat.pictures-of-cats.org/2008/11/cat-photography-with-ken-and-helmi.html

If someone can explain to me in very basic terms what I need to get (and from where) that would be great! It appears to me that the light used behind the cat, pointing towards the background makes a tremendous difference in the photos.

Up to this point I have been using a cardboard box (with two sides cut off) and then I throw a background over the box and add the kitty.










There is a large window in the room, so depending on the day and sunshine determines the shot. I also bought two lights on tripods (with umbrellas ? one of them silver), but that didn?t resolve the problem either.

I don?t have too much difficulty with the cats and posing them or catching a good shot. My trouble is all with my make shift studio. I have been able to get some decent photos (for my purpose), but need to set up a little studio where the conditions will ALWAYS be right.









Any help anyone can offer will be so appreciated and WILL save lives!!!

Hugs and purrs?..
Barbra and the paws