Watch out, cat photographers, you have some competition from the canine world. A black-and-white dog named Grizzler is capturing arty images using a new system from Nikon Asia. Heartography consists of a heartbeat monitor, a camera and a special housing that includes a shutter trigger activated when the dog's heart rate rises.
The proof-of-concept system seems to mainly be a publicity stunt for the Nikon Coolpix L31. The camera and 3D-printed case together are bulky, making the package an unlikely candidate for commercial production. It does give us a set of amusing images showing off all the things that get a dog excited, like people, upset cats and other dogs.
Grizzler won't likely be hailed as a genius photographer. The camera is mounted on his chest, so all the images are taken at about a person's knee level. There are a few surprises in the photo collection. Grizzler seems to be a fan of wild mushrooms, probably because he's excited about the prospect of eating them. He has a couple photos of a van filled with canola oil and Heinz Beans, so he's a bit of a foodie.
Grizzler does have a special touch with animal portraits. His work really captures the angst of a cat faced with a primal enemy and the curiosity of other dogs when meeting another of their kind. These are images human photographers can't easily capture.
This publicity move wouldn't be complete without a cutesy name. Nikon has dubbed the picture-taking pup a "pho-dog-rapher."
Be respectful, keep it civil and stay on topic. We delete comments that violate our policy, which we encourage you to read. Discussion threads can be closed at any time at our discretion.