I don’t know the exact reason for it, but every single person on this planet simply adores squirrels! These incredibly cute, fluffy, and hard-working creatures are irresistible!
Geert Weggen, a Dutch/Swedish international awarded photographer, specializes in photographing red squirrels. His amazing photos have been published in numerous magazines and calendars and presented on television and radio.
He explains:
“Six years ago, a fox was standing on my doorstep, and I immediately rushed back inside to fetch some meat. The fox would come back daily to get more food, and I used that as an opportunity to do some wildlife photography.
By the end of a second week, the wild animal would come to the balcony where it interacted with various props I used for photography. Soon, a Russian bird visited me and continued doing so daily. Suddenly, my balcony had become a wildlife photographers’ studio filled with nature props, cameras, mirrors, etc. “
Soon, red squirrels started appearing and they became regular visitors of his outside studio.
He added:
“ Little did I know back then that the wildlife would become my living.”
Most of the photos are taken from his kitchen window.
Yet, his portfolio contains much more than just red squirrels playing with flowers and leaves. With the help of the numerous props, he has created the ideal atmosphere for these animals, and he captures them in unique ways, like driving horses, skating, skiing, celebrating Christmas, and playing pool!
His imagination is simply limitless!
He says:
“I create scenes with small props and toys in which I hide [sic] nuts to attract the squirrels. I then wait, often for hours, for the squirrels to find the hidden nuts and for the right moment to take my photos.
Some of the squirrels are very curious and don’t shy away from human interaction. Sometimes they crawl on me and even enter my home, but mostly they tend to congregate wherever there are nuts.”
He even started organizing squirrel workshops twice annually, when the baby squirrels arrive.
Here is a part of his amazing cooperation with red squirrels:
Sources:
geertweggen.com
mymodernmet.com
nypost.com
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