Though Walter Chandoha had been nursing an insatiable interest in photography since high school, he didnât discover his love for capturing cats on camera until about a decade later, when he rescued a kitten from the cold winter streets of New York City in 1948. The kittenâs manic midnight antics captivated both Chandoha and his wife, and they aptly named him Loco. Soon, Chandoha began photographing his new feline friend, which became the start of a storied 75-year-long career in feline photography that lasted until Chandohaâs passing in January 2019, at age 98.
The images below are excerpted from Chandoha's posthumous book Cats. Photographs 1942â2018 , now available for pre-order from TASCHEN .
In this photo, the kitten mirrors the gleeful, toothless mien of Chandohaâs daughter Paula with such precision, itâs no wonder people often say that pets look like their owners. In reality, the kitten was just mid-meow.
Here, Chandoha captures the attention of a cat with a good old-fashioned feather. Toys werenât the extent of his management styleâhe also made a lot of noise. âMeowing, barking, mooing, bleating,â he said. âSometimes my studio sounded like a barnyard.â
Though Chandoha worked with plenty of dogs over the duration of his career, he was a cat man, through and through. âThe expressions dogs make are pretty limited,â he said. âThey donât get into real exciting postures, as a cat will.â
Of all Chandohaâs influences, 17th-century Dutch painter Johannes Vermeer was the most significant. âThe way he presented his subjects with light and shadows is something I use in all my pictures,â Chandoha explained. He used six lights to illuminate the most entrancing features of his subjectsâin this photo, itâs likely the glowing eyes of the Siamese kittens that draws you in.
Chandoha often credited his wife with helping him snap the perfect shot at the perfect moment. âShe had magic in her hands,â he said. âShe could feel by the muscular tension whether the cat was relaxed or tense. Then sheâd say âWalter, heâs ready,â and sure enough, the cat would get into a great pose.â
The Chandoha children were actively involved not only in their fatherâs photography career, but also in the care and keeping of the many felines the family kept on their 46-acre farm. According to Chandoha, âcats would often become hypnotized when they were with the kids. They had a rapport that was phenomenal. There was no reticence on the part of the cat to get out of the way as they would do with an adult forcing their attention on them.â
Chandoha was presented with the opportunity for one of his most famous photos, The Mob , when a group of cats began tailing him while he was walking down the road. Because he carried his camera almost everywhere, he immediately dropped to his stomach and snapped the close-up shot. The image exemplifies Chandohaâs belief that cats are innately family-oriented, though theyâre often considered solitary creatures.
A tiger trainer for Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey once advised Chandoha on the three cardinal components of getting animals to behave: âYouâre going to need patience, sound, and food. Patience, we know youâve already got,â he said. âFood is a given. As you feed the cat, make a sound that can be repeated time and time again.â Chandoha then used these principles to direct sometimes one, two, or 11 cats.
You can pre-order a copy of Cats. Photographs 1942â2018 on Amazon or from TASCHEN for $50.
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