They say the eyes are a window to the soul. Eyes are one of the beautiful and magical parts of anyone’s anatomy.
Few people get the chance to go close to animals such as foxes, crocodiles, or hippos. Yet Suren Manvelyan, a photographer, has managed to get up close and capture incredibly detailed close-ups of their eyes in his lense.
Manvelyan took some incredible shots of the eyes of the animals. Some of then look like planets, landscapes, and others like a portal to another dimension.
Manvelyan said he began thinking about taking photos of animal eyes after completing a similar one on the human eye. After his first project, his skills improved, and now he could capture eyes in any condition. Hence the fantastic shots he managed to take.
Manvelyan captured animals just about anywhere he could find them, from his backyard to oceanariums, zoos, etc. On a few occasions, people had contacted him to ask him to shoot their pets’ eyes.
It was very challenging to be so close to these animals. For example, Manvelyan spent roughly an hour with a llama trying to make her familiar with him to get within the shot’s required distance for that perfect shot.
On closer inspection of the images, you can’t help but experience profound sensations, as though you are uncovering deep personal secrets. The eyes of each animal are the result of adapting to its various living conditions.
Manvelyan maintains the reason why there are various eye types; water animals have entirely different eyes to those living on the planet.
- Anolis Lizard

2. Blue Crayfish
3. Blue-Yellow Macaw Parrot
4. Camel
5. Cat
6. Chimpanzee
7. Fennec Fox
8. Hippo
9. Horse
10. Husky Dog
11. Nylus Crocodile
12. Tokay Gecko
13. Discus Fish
14. Porcupine Fish
15. Ray
16. Rockfish
17. Llama
Manvelyan would like to stress that all animals in this series were alive, and no animals were hurt during any of his shoots.
Manvelyan played a game of challenge on Facebook and Instagram by letting the viewers guess what species the eye belonged to. Would you have guessed right?
Here is how you can start to learn photography at home.
Regardless of what you want to accomplish with your photography, here are a few ways to improve your skills without a degree.
- Familiarize yourself with your camera.
- Watch online tutorials (YouTube).
- Hit the books (as well as online portfolios).
- Get plenty of practice.
- Expand your network.
- Get a mentor or apprenticeship.
More info: surenmanvelyan.com | Facebook | Instagram
