fandomhigh | Pet Photography; Monday, Second Period [07/22].

"Last week," Prompto said, this time sitting on the counter at the shelter as he grinned a little at the students as they came in, "we did a little puppy photography, so it just stands to reason that, this week, we're moving onto the cats. Now, cats are interesting as photography subject, because they're notoriously less inclined to training than dogs are, and, in fact, seem to always have a habit of doing the exact opposite of what they want you to. There's a reason most of the pictures of my own cat are taken when she's sleeping or just tired. Because any other time, it seems, whenever I try to get a shot of her doing something really cute or engaging, she manages to move her head or shift or turn away at just the moment I snap the pic!" He chuckled a little, fondly and shaking his head. "Very different kinds of models, these guys.

"But that doesn't mean it all has to be a crapshoot, either!" he continued, grinning faintly at what he thought was a pretty subtle and clever pun there, as he hop down from the counter. "Today, we're going to talk a little about how to get a feline to fee-line a little more picture perfect!"

With lots and lots of examples as he goes through the tips, as well!

"Really, though, what it boils down to is a lot of patience, a lot of being willing to hit some awkward positions, and a lot of love. Let's break it down a little, and then you guy'll have a chance to try and snag your own cat photos that'll have all the social media platforms going nuts for these adorable little furballs!"

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Feeling catty!

Stewart

Arden Finch

Stark

A lot of the advice does, in fact, seem to boil down to some really particular basics: being patient, getting down to the cat's level, being ready to snap a pic at any moment, or just taking lots and lots of pictures and hoping one turns out like you want it! Getting the cat's attention with toys and treats are an option, and so is just lowering your expectations and accepting that a picture of a sleeping cat is better than a picture of no cat at all!

(Especially since you just know they're going to do something adorable as soon as you set that camera down!)

Arden was here and not at all distracted by anybody else in the store! She was laser focused on the lecture, thank you.

Laser. Focused

The cats have pretty much full range of the shelter like they own the place, so you don't have to go far to find a subject for your photos! The trick is in getting the actual photo! Oh, and having fun, too!

Fortunately, Arden had actually brought her own model, so she was less worried about waiting for a cat to do something photogenic. She had BD to do that, though she was trying to respect the spirit of the project by getting pics of BD and cats.

And not at all getting distracted by anyo--er, anything else.

Stark was neither laser-focused nor distracted. Well, possibly distracted by adorable cats but that was to be expected. He was a man in search of toe beans to photograph!

While also hoping spending time with other cats wouldn't upset Pancakes.

Fair warning, asking about pictures of his cat will open a door that might not be able to be closed.

The thing about having class in the shelter was it meant random people could drop in. Cal was a little uncertain about dropping in during class time, but Arden ~~(who was presumably here)~~ had said it would be okay, and he figured cooing at the animals wouldn't be too much of a distraction while people were taking their photos.

What might have been a distraction was the way he looked like a child in a candy store. There were so many animals in need of petting and he only had two hands. Tragic!

"Hi. Is it okay if I look around while class is happening?" he asked.

"Oh, hey, man." Prompto glanced over at Cal coming in and grinned; he recognized that look very well, and he had to chuckle a little. "Yeah,no problem, come on in! The more, the merrier. Just be careful not to disturb the talent; they are very hard at work."

Thank you, cat currently stretched out out on the floor at his feet, for that very timely yawn for emphasis on that fact.

"Oh, of course, they look like they're taking their job very seriously. I trust you're going to give them compensation for their time?" he said. "Or is the extra attention their payment?"

"Over the table?" Prompto nodded, swept a hand as if to brush aside any suggestion of ill-gotten gains on behalf of the cats. "Free lodging and health care, thr best food we have to offer, the chance to reach ultimate international kitty fame? Not too shabby for a class period's amount of work! Plus?"

He quirked an eyebrow at Cal and leaned in with a conspiratorial whisper. "Soooooo much catnip."

Cal laughed and nodded along. "Ah, you've got the good stuff, I see." He glanced around a little at all the roaming cats. "I don't suppose you have any cats who didn't want to participate? Maybe one that's a little shy or unfriendly?"

Liliana had made him realize how much he liked fixing things, so he was going to lean into it. Maybe he'd just find a temporary friend who needed cuddling, or maybe he'd find a cat who needed a home, but he figured this counted as doing something totally selfish either way.

"Oh, sure," said Prompto, who was also nodding along now, too, as he rubbed his chin a little bit to think of all the different cats around the shelter. "Some of them definitely are hiding right now; they usually do when there's a lot of people in here, and use taking all these pictures probably doesn't help, either. Might have to look a bit for them. Or...oh!" He spotted a calico over by one of the shelves, peering out from behind it with skittish curiosity. "There's Patches."

Naming animals was never Prompto's strong suit, shhhh.

Either way, some sudden noise from another cat made Patches flinch and shrink back again; Prompto nudged Cal a little to get his attention diverted toward her with a lift of his chin, just as she timidly peered back around. "Seems like she's interested, but a little nervous about the whole thing. She could probably use a little encouragement....or at least a friend."

Yep, that was the sound of Cal's heart growing three sizes as he watched the cat flinch back behind the shelves. "Aww, that's exactly the sort of friend I was looking for," he said, approaching Patches carefully. He kept his hands to himself as he got closer, but when he crouched down by the shelf, he held his hand out gently and tried to connect to her through the Force, giving off safe, kind vibes.

"I know, there's so many people here, and big noises and flashy lights. But it's okay, I just want to give you scritches, if you want them." He could not be held responsible for the noise that came out of him when she tentatively bumped his hand with her cheek and he got to pet her, right?

Pet Photography; Monday, Second Period [07/22].

Sign In - Photography, 07/22.

Re: Sign In - Photography, 07/22.

Re: Sign In - Photography, 07/22.

Re: Sign In - Photography, 07/22.

Listen to the Lecture - Photography, 07/22.

Re: Listen to the Lecture - Photography, 07/22.

Class Activity: Cat Photography! - Photography, 07/22.

Re: Class Activity: Cat Photography! - Photography, 07/22.

Re: Class Activity: Cat Photography! - Photography, 07/22.

Talk to the Teacher - Photography, 07/22.

Re: Talk to the Teacher - Photography, 07/22.

Re: Talk to the Teacher - Photography, 07/22.

Re: Talk to the Teacher - Photography, 07/22.

Re: Talk to the Teacher - Photography, 07/22.

Re: Talk to the Teacher - Photography, 07/22.

Re: Talk to the Teacher - Photography, 07/22.

Re: Talk to the Teacher - Photography, 07/22.

OOC - Photography, 07/22.