Pets magazine: August 2014

Choupette, the private life of a high-flying fashion cat

August 2014

Pets in motion: photography tips

by David Fairman

MRSA IN DOGS: One News & views, expert woman’s fight advice + top product picks!

How to photograph moving targets In our continuing focus on pet and animal photography, top photographer and film director David Fairman exclusively shares his insider tips for capturing moving targets.

1. Decide what you want to capture. This includes all sport, dance, motoring and performance photography. You could be shooting a fast moving ballet, a football match or a lively rock band. Whatever the subject matter work out the kind of feeling or narrative you are after.

2. Find your best position.This is the first and most important decision once you arrive on your set, as you might not be able to move later. Seek out a position that is good for the light. In daylight, will the light be good for the whole session, or would another position be better? What is the best position to capture the event in the best way?

3. Look for interesting angles. While you are choosing this position check that it offers the very best angle. Would it be better to be much higher? How could you get yourself in a higher shooting position? Would it be more interesting to shoot even lower, perhaps say through the grass at a polo match?

4. Long lenses are a must: Without a long lens, moving targets are often difficult to shoot, as you are usually some distance from your subject and a long lens can give you some excellent focus differential. Try a 300mm – 400mm for sports and a 70mm – 200mm for dance or performance.

Photograph by/© David Fairman www.petsmag.co.uk

5. Using fast shutter speeds well: Most moving subjects need to have their action frozen. This is simply done by using a fast or short shutter speed, anything form 1/250 seconds to 1/1000 seconds. The chosen shutter speed required will depend on how fast the subject is moving across the camera plane.

A person at the same actual speed coming straight towards you will be travelling slower relative to your camera than it would be if it travelled straight across the frame. Try experimenting and check the results to find the best shutter speed to stop any movement. If in a hurry then use 1/1000th second to be safe.

You would now be shooting at F5.6 which will give you more depth of focus and enable you to keep your subject sharp.

7. Learn anticipation by getting it wrong: The best way to learn anticipation is to get it wrong. Say you are trying

8. Manual or auto focus?

Auto-focus can be useful, but for most moving pictures I would recommend a manual focus mode. This is because often you have to wait for your subject to enter the focused area of your frame. This makes shooting in auto focus mode very difficult. Use manual focus and set it at a point where you want to shoot your subject.

This will be a focused position in which the subject will often have to move in to.

9. Concentrating attention: In sports and action photography is often very effective to concentrate attention on your subject.

The easiest way to do this is Photograph by/Š David Fairman to ensure that the background is out of focus to shoot a horse jumping over a while your subject is sharp. Use 6. Prepare to up your ISO: fence in an arena. You keep a long focus lens of 100mm to trying to shoot it but keep With a very fast shutter speed 200 mm and an f stop from F2 missing.

Keep missing and keep and an ISO setting of say 200, to F4 and you will then have a shooting these missed shots you might find that your f stop nicely out of focus background until you train your is wide open at F2. But this will which will concentrate anticipation subconsciously. give you very little latitude of attention on your sharp subject. focus. In other words, at F2 Once mastered, your brain will 10. Blurring the your subject might not be still in focus as your subject moves tell you how to anticipate this background: A blurred action every time.

Do not ever in and out of focus. This is background is quite different to especially difficult in a moving be afraid to fail as you will learn an out-of-focus one. The best from all of these failures and target. The best strategy is to way to do this is to pan your produce that great shot that up your ISO or sensitivity of camera following your subject you have had the patience for. your camera. If you change using a much slower shutter your ISO to 800, this would speed than normal for an action give you an extra two stops. shot. www.petsmag.co.uk

Photograph by/Š David Fairman Try panning your camera with your subject at say 1/15 second for most speeds; this works best with subjects moving directly across your frame. A lens of shorter focal length can be used to pan. You will be surprised at how good these pictures can be.

11. Panning with a tripod: Though panning hand held can work well, it will be that much better if you employ a normal tripod with a good pan-and-tilt head. Your experimentation will be repeatable and the pan will be much smoother and straighter. With a good tripod and some smooth panning you could easily get some great pictures here.

12. Differential Blur: Blurring part of your subject or even your entire subject can create a great sense of movement. Say you are

shooting a group of military drummers marching towards you.

You have estimates that because they are moving towards the camera a shutter speed of 1/125th second should stop their body movements but their hands beating the drums are moving much faster. So you shoot the picture at 1/125th second. The result is a sharp picture of the drummers with their hands slightly blurred giving a wonderful sense of movement. These kinds of shots, where one part of the subject is moving faster than the other gives us the opportunity to shoot differential blur that can be so effective.

camera for the main light on action pictures. It will stop the action but will make your picture too flat. The only time you should use it is for a fill in light. If you have access to separate external flash lighting not built in to the camera, then you can really stop action very well in a tiny fraction of the second when the flash goes off. Then, light your subject in the same way you would any other subject.

14. Sports mode on your camera: Some cameras have a sports mode on them. It can be useful to set up your camera in this way. Alternatively, you could put your camera on shutter priority to stop movement or for panning.

Be careful that you have enough f stops to cope with the exposure. Your camera should tell you if you are about to be under-exposed. If it does tell you, then increase the ISO or sensitivity levels. Be careful and check your results. Beware of the camera taking too many decisions for itself.

These strategies are taken from David Fairman’s best selling book Take Great 13. Will built in flash work? Digital Pictures in 24 I never like to say no but this is Hours. Available from an absolute no-go. Do not use Amazon. any built in flash on your www.petsmag.co.uk

Choupette, The Private Life of a High-Flying Fashion Cat

Photograph by/Š Karl Lagerfeld

Choupette the fashionata: with top model

Laetitia Casta Choupette is a beautiful book about a beautiful cat. The photography is by owner Karl Lagerfeld and the compilation is by Patrick Mauriès and JeanChristophe Napias.

As celebrities go, Choupette is lovely. She is a beautiful Birman cat, a breed known for their affection and loyalty. The blueness of her eyes has been incorporated in much of Lagerfeld`s recent design and indeed Choupette’s face has been the inspiration for clothing, accessories and advertising icons.

In all of this, Choupette is a globetrotting feline with a minder and cordon bleu tastes.

Sophisticated menus of food are prepared for her and feature in the book. In later sections, the obsession with Choupette gives way to gently philosophical musings on the nature of cats and there is a particularly fascinating gallery of cats with their either celebrity owners or appearing in iconic contexts such as “Cat” in Breakfast at Tiffany’s with Audrey Hepburn.

Photograph by/© Karl Lagerfeld extraordinary with her fabulous looks and famous owner…

The book has within it a tacit nature of our acceptance of cat habits and the nature of the unconditionality that they generate in us. It is this very feature that redeems it from being otherwise the whim of a well to do internationally known designer and businessman displaying his obsession to the world.

Actually, cats make most of us display our neurosis publically.

Anybody who known me and As the book quotes, my relationship with Lola, the Collette :“there is no such thing Indeed Karl Lagerfeld produced small “half price” moggie that as an ordinary cat”, nor would a whole range of designs came to us for sanctuary and Choupette ever feature as being around “Choupette blue”. anything other than www.petsmag.co.uk

never left four years ago will know that a fair old few quaint behaviours have developed in me as a result!

Cats connect with us in a way that perhaps other animals do not.

They are loving, attention-seeking, playful and dependant yet at the same time are their own selves, sometimes aloof, distant, with their own internal process.

Just as the ancient Choupette with Madame Horn Egyptians saw © Karl Lagerfeld cats touching the spirit, it becomes beauty, but the truth is so are very obvious that Choupette all cats and they touch our has touched something very hearts in ways that we often fundamental in Mr Lagerfeld in want to make large. the very way that cats connect I completely relate to Karl with us all. The manifestation Lagerfeld’s and the however is a glory of fabulous photographs and musings that contributors’ attempts to bring to public awareness the sheer make any cat lover smile and joy of having a cat companion connect rather than question in your life, a pleasure which the particular attachment that many people deny themselves one cat owner has manifested and all the human and made public. idiosyncrasies they trigger as a One gains the impression that result of their species common Mr Lagerfeld wanted to share traits yet nonetheless unique Choupette with the world personalities. rather than profit from the publication of the book. She is a

This is not a cheap book and it’s an indulgence, much the same as sitting in a restaurant pondering though an expensive sweet menu deciding to pick one for luxuries sake alone. For me, I'm up for second helpings.

One slight cautionary note, when one overcomes the reconciliation of different lifestyles and thinks of Choupette sidling up to the pilot of Largerfeld’s private plane, perhaps the Civil Aviation Authority should also read this publication!

‘Choupette The Private Life of a High-Flying Fashion Cat’ By Patrick Mauriès and Jean-Christophe Napias Photographs by Karl Lagerfeld is published by Thames & Hudson on September 22 2014 & priced at £12.95.

Review by David Cliff, MD of Gedanken.

www.petsmag.co.uk

MRSA in dogs: Fighting for dogs like Bella

By Jill Moss, The Bella Moss Foundation Last month, the long-running topic of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) made national headlines when David Cameron announced a review of the UK antibiotics market.

While the news was broadly welcomed by those working in human and animal medicine, many were also keen to point out the bigger picture on AMR, how bacteria will constantly evolve to be resistant and how the real solution lay in a joint fightback by all healthcare professionals – whatever species they treat.

Yet only one pet-centric organisation dared to raise this point in the national media – my charity, The Bella Moss Foundation.

The origins of BMF The death of a cherished pet is often an occasion of sadness, but in my case it was a catalyst for action. My ten-year-old Samoyed Bella died in August 2004 of a misdiagnosed MRSA infection.

Happier times: Jill Moss with Bella.

treatment and often turn cases Today, the charity I set up in around. Its board of clinical her memory helps hundreds of advisors give up their time animals survive MRSA and freely to help fight the spread of other serious infections, thanks unwanted infections and to to better education and early educate on preventing the detection. transfer of diseases between humans and animals.

BMF asks pet owners whose pets are sick to get their vets to BMF is unique; we are the only contact our veterinary experts charity helping to bridge the who then intervene with gap between human and www.petsmag.co.uk

animal health with regards to resistant infections. Our message is clear: we see a world where AMR infections are a rarity, rather than grabbing headlines.

What we do Since its inception, the charity has worked tirelessly to support pet owners whose pets are at risk and to galvanize the vet profession to take Suffering: Cashew the dog has MRSA better precautions in preventing the spread of infections. BMF has hosted approach you, family members international conferences and and other pets may be at risk, educational seminars for hygiene in the home has to be doctors, vets and nurses all increased, and BMF advises over the world. people on caring for sick pets, The charity’s website hosts a variety of information and videos for reference and download, which browsing owners and industry professionals find useful.

However, people often get in touch with us over the phone or via email with immediate concerns about their pet’s health and cross infection risks in the home.

often when their own vets do not have the time to go into detail.

infections: - avoid long term antibiotics use; - ensure your chosen vet has good hygiene protocols in place, and; - keep pets healthy and away from long-term hospitalisation if possible.

Most importantly, we strive to educate owners and vets so that these infections are prevented Nobody gets paid at BMF; we in the first place. do this altruistically and rely on volunteers and donations to I am proud to say that Bella’s help others. Out biggest suffering was not in vain, as we challenge is to present quite have helped so many pets complicated scientific material survive. I have become a lay to people in a way they will authority on government understand. Currently, we try Every case is different and this committees and I represent the to reach pet owners through means we want to provide pet owner voice in the press. our educational events and at personal support for people animal shows and soon we will and their pets. Having a pet I am clear with every pet carer be developing e-learning with a resistant infection can be on the simple steps that can modules. isolating, people do not want to take to protect their pets from www.petsmag.co.uk

For vets and nurses we have a website where best practice is an example and we also produce free industryendorsed infection control guidelines for practice staff.

The role of vets With no enforceable standards of cleanliness for the veterinary profession, vets can choose whether to practice good infection control but there is no mandatory requirement for them to do so. Is your vet doing all they can to protect your pet from unwanted infections and how would you know if they're not?

A recent BMF pet owner survey revealed 84 per cent of pet owners do not question use of pet antibiotics and trust their vets – but we can’t be complacent. We must take responsibility for our pet’s health and just like we research other areas of our lives we must carefully choose our veterinary practice.

Beautiful Bella: In happier times

now having to constantly update and expand our resources, all with limited funds and a dedicated skeleton staff of volunteers.

way in such a short time but the fight against AMR continues.

To find out more about the BMF story and the charity's work, or to make I run the charity in my spare a donation, please visit our time and I will never give up website. Any donations or because every animal we save is support, however small, The fight goes on – will you a testimonial to Bella. will go towards saving help us? more pets in need.

In October BMF is hosting its BMF arose from a personal first-ever one health experience and was initially conference, aimed at vets, focused on MRSA. However, doctors, pet owners and with the development of so Government policy makers. many other resistant bugs – include e. coli and MRSP – it is The charity has come a long www.petsmag.co.uk

Product Picks

ROBERTS ROVER: His master’s voice gets a makeover The iconic Roberts Revival DAB radio gets a cute canine makeover courtesy of Clarke and Clarke's Rover design.

The Robert Revival has been decorated in many different ways in the past, but this retro dog and polka dot pattern really plays up on the 1950s look of the radio. It comes courtesy of textile designers Clarke and Clarke.

We can really recommend this wonderfully stylish and quirky radio - not only does it look great, but it sounds great too!

The radio has all the features you would expect - including rotary tuning and volume controls, station name display and a headphone socket.

The Roberts Rover is priced at £200. For stockist details please visit www.robertsradio.co.uk

The perfect travel guide for dog lovers We love Phileas Dogg’s Guide to Dog-Friendly Holidays in Britain. The travel guide is packed full of dog-friendly places to stay and stop off throughout the UK. It’s a great gift for anyone who really doesn’t want to leave their pooch at home or in kennels while they go off on holiday.

Writer Jane Common and her dog Attlee travelled the country to find the best dog-friendly digs for their book which has leapt to the top of the Amazon charts since its release.

Anyone thinking about taking their dog on holiday anytime soon should read this book first, and make sure to pack it in the suitcase. It’s wonderfully browsable too.

Priced at £12.99 and available from Amazon. www.petsmag.co.uk