Photographer Followed Squirrels Daily For 6 Years And Here Are 25 Of His Best Photos

Geert Weggen is a Swedish/Dutch national and internationally awarded nature photographer. His work has been published in many countries, in numerous magazines, newspapers, books, calendars, radio, and television.

He became a full-time photograph in 2013, and over the past several years, he has photographed extensively wild squirrels and birds.

He remembers seeing a fox on his doorstep 8 years ago and rushing back to fetch some meat. As it returned daily to get more food, he used the opportunity to take some photos.

In a few weeks, it started interacting with the props he used for photography on his balcony. When a Russian bird started visiting his balcony as well, searching for the hidden food he left around the place, it became a studio filled with nature props, cameras, mirrors.

“Eventually, red squirrels appeared and they still come daily to my outside studio. Little did I know back then that it would become my living.”

Weggen is currently focused on uniquely photographing the wild squirrels, and he has authored 8 squirrel photo books, which have been published in four different languages.

In addition to appealing to the squirrels’ voracious appetites, he has also streamlined his setup for these pictures.

As he explains, the outside studio is at the side of his house, half with a roof, and the rest is open for the rain and snow. He can shoot from the window in his kitchen, and he has also built a table in his studio that’s at eye level so that he can arrange his scenes, hide the food, and inconspicuously snap pictures.

He added that the studio is directly connected with the forest and trees, and he hides a flash behind some scenes on a remote.

For almost a decade, Weggen has been leaving nuts and acorns around his home to win over the trust and companionship of these cute little creatures, and he has definitely become their friend.

His photographs prove this, as he plays chess with them, gets them to ride bikes, and gives them instruments to play. He manages to set up scenarios where squirrels are doing human-ass things and snap the perfect photo.

In the last few years, he has been organizing Squirrel workshops at home twice annually, when the young squirrels arrive. The workshops last for five days, and a maximum of 3 participants can join them.

On his website, you can see that all his Squirrel, Bird and Nature Photo Workshops for 2020 are already booked!

Therefore, if you want a piece of the magic yourself, you can contact him for the June and July 2021 workshops.

Scroll down to see some of the best photos from his collection of the curious red squirrels: