This is a Siamese cat picture with a difference. It is a photograph by Helmi Flick of eleven Siamese kittens. I am almost certain that the photograph was created in a single exposure. In other words what you see in this cat picture is what Helmi saw through her camera’s lens at the time of exposure.
I mention this because sometimes, probably rarely, Helmi does some photo editing and manipulates the image to make is special.
There are two broadly different types of photo editing. One is to remove defects and generally improve the image from a technical standpoint. There is no manipulation of the content of the image. The other is to change the content.
It is very difficult to organise eleven Siamese kittens in one place so that they form a coherent whole that is photogenic. Helmi and Ken can do this. I have watched them photograph four Abyssinian kittens in one take. You can see two in this photograph.
You may disagree with me that there are eleven Siamese kittens in this photograph. But I am sure I am correct. You might think there are ten. Please leave a comment if you disagree or agree with me.
One of the challenges in photographing a group or kindle of kittens is that there is usually one or two spoilers. The spoiler is the one who does not respond to the cat tease. He looks the other way or wanders off.
A photographic studio is a new experience. The environment is new. Purebred show cats are pretty relaxed generally in strange places because they are used to constant change. However is depends on the cat and the breed. Some breeds are inherently more nervous or passive. Siamese cats are more active and vocal.
For these reasons a little Siamese kitten might feel like exploring rather than cooperating in front of the camera. In this Helmi photograph there is one clear-cut spoiler and a second cat who is not exactly cooperating.
These Siamese cats look like old-style Siamese cats to me. They don’t appear to be modern Siamese cats, meaning super slender with oversized ears. Old-syle Siamese care meant to be like the original. Some are seal pointed and some appear to be blue pointed.
This is the photo album of the breeder of these kittens.
Yes, looks a bit odd actually. Well spotted.
LoL. Yes you are looking for a body with no head..You are probably going to prove me wrong! 🙂 ‘ll give you a small hint. One of the cats is facing away from the camera. Is the head attached to the body?
The kitten on the left has a very round belly 🙂
Gosh, I’m starting to feel a bit below par. I can see 10 heads, 20 ears – so I am looking for a body with no head? My only guess is there is one who appears to have his behind towards the camera and his head twisted right around as he looks back towards the camera. Unless those 2 are separate things, ie: there is one kitten who’s head we don’t see buried under the others and we just see his behind. Meanwhile there is a kitten who’s body we don’t see at all, just his head sticking up behind the burrowing kitten. But I really just cannot tell for sure. Maybe I am totally missing something. I guess I am since Dan and Michael are so sure of it. I’m gonna give it a few mins, rest my eyes and then try again 🙂
It can be tricky spotting the eleventh. I would have made it a competition with a prize but people don’t enter competitions. I have run competitions in the past and they are difficult to get them to work well.
I finally spotted #11! I won’t spoil it for other readers. These are exceptionally beautiful examples of the breed. I agree, this had to be a one shot shoot. I’m amazed they were able to get nine of the eleven to follow the tease! Great shot.