Photographer Becomes Online Sensation With Stunning Cat Portraits
A photographer has become an online sensation for his beautiful and quirky photos of cats.
Nils Jacobi started taking photos in 2011. He began photographing people as a hobby and posted the portraits on social media.
However, he saw that his candid photos of felines were getting more online interest than his portraits of humans.
“I had a studio for a few years and mainly photographed people,” Jacobi tells PetaPixel. “When I realized that my cat photos, which I posted in between, got way more likes than my other photos, I put my focus on it.”
The photographer, who is based in Germany, adds “Since I preferred to work with animals rather than human models anyway, it became a passion.”
“At the time, I was fascinated by photos of running dogs, so I thought: Challenge accepted! I will now take photos like this with cats.”
Today, Jacobi is a full-time professional cat photographer. His clients range from Petfood manufacturers to insurance companies and magazines.
Jacobi has also amassed a huge following on social media. He has over 4.1 million followers on TikTok and his online fame has earned him the nickname “The Catographer.”
Some of Jacobi’s most widely-shared videos and images are those in which he photographs cats from underneath a glass table — a technique which was inspired by the portraits of dog photographer Andrius Burba.
Jacobi says “I think my most popular shots are portraits of cats making all kinds of funny faces.”
@furryfritz Raw beef battle 😼 🥩 😼 #furryfritz #cats #beef #asmr ♬ Originalton – furryfritz
Jacobi admits there are challenges when it comes to shooting cats — especially when the feline cat is not willing to be photographed.
“There is no trick to get the perfect shot. Just a lot of patience and dedication,” he explains. “It can be hard to get animals, especially cats, to pose for a photo.”
He adds: “Even as a professional with hundreds of cat photoshoots experience, you always try to push the limits of your creativity to get the cat to do something you want,”
“But you just can’t force cats to do anything and of course, you shouldn’t try to do that in general! Fortunately, in most cases, it is enough to take advantage of the cat’s play instinct or appetite.”
@furryfritz catographer on a charity mission 📸🐈⬛ #furryfritz #catographer #angrycat #photoshoot ♬ original sound – furryfritz
He admits there have been a handful of times when he has not been able to get the shot he has wanted with a cat.
“The most challenging photoshoots are the ones with suspicious or very shy cats,” he recalls. “It takes a lot of patience and sometimes there’s just no way. But I only experienced this one out of hundred times.”
“My advice is to just go for it and stay patient,” adds Jacobi. “You will learn a lot about cats’ behavior if you have photoshoots with them regularly.”
“It’s kind of a training for cats. The cats will even train you without you noticing.”
More of Jacobi’s work can be seen on his Instagram, TikTok, and his website.
Image credits: All photos by Nils Jacobi/@furryfritz
