After a period of shooting somber material, Svenson needed to move to a more cheerful subject. Kittens were obvious, but he wanted to photograph them in a way that hadn’t been done before. He decided to break the fundamental visual connection to a kitten: seeing its adorable face, anchored by smoldering, flecked, saucer-like eyes.
The result is the tender, yet unsettling Strays, a photo series in which the viewer is denied the chance to see each kitten’s face. Here are a few shots.