Bored Panda got in touch with Nils to learn more about his creative process and himself. The photographer shared that he started taking photos in 2011 after he graduated in industrial design. "I always loved being creative and digital cameras were becoming more affordable and better. I was so fascinated by the possibilities and tried out pretty much every area of photography. I also had a studio for a few years and mainly photographed people (just as a hobby). When I realized that my cat photos got way more attention than my other photos, I put my focus on cat photography. Since I preferred to work with cats rather than human models anyway, it became a passion."
After being asked what fascinates him about cats, Nils responded that he loves their independence and their curiosity. "From a photographic point of view, I am fascinated by cat tongues in particular. Sometimes people send me messages saying they have had cats for years but never saw them that way. I just want the viewers to take away some serotonin and see the cats from my point of view."
Looking at these funny and quirky images, we got curious about how people usually react to Nils' photos. The artist shared that he often gets comments on social media saying that he captures cats' 'purrsonalities' very well. "It’s also quite funny sometimes when I read comments under some of my photos. Recently I posted a selection of photos showing 'Angry Cats' and some people were concerned that I really make the cats angry to take these shots. Actually, the facial features of cats are totally different from ours so it’s just our interpretation of an angry face."
"You have to be very flexible and cater to the individual needs of every single cat. Some of them are rather shy and don’t enjoy too much attention, others love standing in the center. I think an important and also challenging part of my work is not just taking pictures or videos, but making a selection and/or edit that really stands out afterward."
"I love that every photo shoot is different and I’m excited every single time because the best moments happen unexpectedly. Also, I really enjoy the moments when you scroll through your photos after the photoshoot and spot a TOP shot."
