German photographer Elke Vogelsang is on a mission to capture all of the wonderfully silly and funny expressions that cats can make.
Her Instagram page has become a haven for those who love quirky and adorable cat portraits. Vogelsang, a professional portrait photographer with over twenty years of experience is based out of a photography studio in Hildesheim, Germany.
Getting the perfect shot
Despite owning her own professional studio, Vogelsang travels across Germany to the homes of her feline muses.
As she believes that photographing a cat within its own space creates a relaxed atmosphere that helps her capture the perfect shot.
Vogelsang also shared with the art website Colossal, that she comes to every photography session armed with string, feathers, treats, and even catnip in order to secure the industry-defining images that she has become famous for.
It all began with dogs
Elke Vogelsang’s first foray into pet photography actually started with dogs as her subject, with her three beloved rescue canines acting as her first models.
The quirky emotions that Vogelsang was able to capture in her dog portraits, gained her massive attention in the art world and beyond when she released them in 2020.
According to Vogelsang, her portraits of canines seemed to always capture unadulterated joy and happiness, the amiable nature of man’s best friend always shone through the lens.
How about cats?
This observation inspired Vogelsang to see how cats compared to their canine counterparts when they were the ones in front of the lens.
She suspected that feline models might present more of a challenge and allow her to capture a wider set of emotions, such as expressions displaying irritation and even disdain.
It turns out that the ambitious photographer was in luck, as they were plenty of cats out there that were ready to be irritated and disdainful of her!
Vogelsang shared with Colossal, that cats did indeed prove to be much more challenging subjects than dogs, saying:
“Let’s face it, cats can be so much harder to photograph than dogs. If they can’t be bothered, they won’t do it for our sake.
In general, sessions with cats are shorter than sessions with dogs. They are the ones to determine the schedule.”
An adoring audience
Once Vogelsang began sharing her incredible portraits of cats via Instagram, they found a devoted following.
Her page became overrun with people sharing their delight at how well she had captured the precocious nature of cats.