S'pore photographer captures artistic shots of community cats around her HDB

A local photographer's artistic shots of community cats have garnered praise from the cat community on Facebook.

Speaking to Mothership, Helen Ang, 42, a freelance photographer, said that photography has always been one of her interests since she graduated from Singapore Polytechnic in the early 2000s, but was too expensive to pursue as fresh graduate.

She also credits her husband for helping her get into photography, as he works in the event industry.

The cats featured in the photos are some of the cats Ang feeds every night.

She has been photographing and documenting them since 2020, initially for her own memories' sake.

However, as she started caring for the felines more frequently, she realised they had become a more signifiant part of her life than she realised.

The cats she shoots mainly roam in the vicinity of three HDB blocks around the northwest of Singapore.

When she ends work at around 10:30pm or 11pm, Ang will take time out of her day to feed the cats and take pictures of them.

"They can be comical when they are being themselves. They can also be annoying because while I'm photographing cat A for example, cat B will disturb and wants attention," she says.

"Some cats are afraid of cameras. So if I can get a good shot of them, it really makes my day!"

Ang uses a Nikon D750 and a Nikon Z8 with a F-mount 35mm f1.8 lens or F-mount 50mm f1.4 lens to shoot the cats.

However, she also reveals that she uses her phone sometimes.

When asked for some tips to give to budding photographers, she said: "Keep practicing and shoot daily."

Ang also had some general advice for cat lovers and the cat community in Singapore.

When coming across unsterilised cats, Ang advises other to send them for sterilisation, which can be a key move to saving cats' lives.

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Top photo via Helen Ang