Bored Panda reached out to Andrey, who shared more about the inspiration behind his giant cat edits: “In 2015, I went on a company retreat that took place in a holiday home deep in the forest. When I returned home and started going through the photos, one of them really stood out to me. It had this magical vibe—a light shining through the trees in the center of the frame, surrounded by a mysterious dusk. But it felt like something was missing like there should’ve been another character next to me.
That photo was a hit among my friends on Instagram. Then came another one… and somehow, I’ve been creating these kinds of images for almost ten years now. There are times when I forget about this hobby for a while, but it always finds its way back to me.”
When asked whether the cats featured in his photos are given specific personalities, Scherbak explained: “When I pick a location for a photo with one of my cats, I always ask myself: ‘Would a lounging cat fit here?’ Because my cat basically spends the whole day either sleeping or quietly observing the world.
I imagine them as calm and peaceful observers. But if they existed in real life, I think their hunting instincts might kick in—and I might start looking more like prey to them.”
We were curious to know the most unexpected place Andrey has considered adding a giant cat to—but hasn’t yet. Here’s what he told us: “It's not the most unusual place, but for a few years now, I’ve been wanting to go to Saint Petersburg to create a series of photos there. I’m waiting until my daughter is a bit older so she can enjoy the experience, too.
Another idea I’ve had is to shoot a series in Chernobyl. The abandoned city, the nuclear power plant, the radiation—all of it seems like the perfect backdrop for a giant cat story.”
Lastly, we were curious to know which of the photos turned out to be the artist’s personal favorite. Here’s what we found out: “It’s hard to choose a favorite, but I’ll go with my 100th photo—it felt like a milestone. That one was actually taken by my future wife and the mother of my daughter during our very first date.”
