Can you ever get enough of photos of cute animals? I know, me neither. Belgium-based wildlife photographer Niki Colemont has shared with us a collection of squirrel photos that will make you smile. If you’ve had a rough day (or even if you didn’t), these cute jumping squirrels Niki photographed will make it better.
Niki takes FUNtastic photos of squirrels and birds and I couldn’t help but smile when I went through his portfolio. However, his light-hearted images came from difficult circumstances. Niki is a survivor of the Rwandan genocide who fled to Belgium at just four years old. But today, he finds peace in photographing squirrels. He says that they are “the perfect models.” And indeed, they’re cute, they’re curious, and you can photograph them in all kinds of silly poses. As Niki says, even when everything goes terribly wrong, you can still get really funny photos. Here’s a one-minute documentary about Niki and his photography:
Niki’s passion for wildlife started in 2016 when he visited his girlfriend’s grandmother. “I was looking through the window when I saw a little bird flying out of the nest searching for food,” Niki writes on his website. “It was really fascinating to watch.” He treated himself for his 30th birthday and bought a Sigma 150-600mm f/5-6.3 lens and a stealth gear square hide tent to get closer to wild animals. It was a big dream of his, and his two friends gave him some tips about photographing wild animals. They told him to be patient and to keep going on, and thankfully, he did.
In Niki’s photos, you can see squirrels in all sorts of situations. It’s worth noting that Niki doesn’t use Photoshop, but all of the photos were taken on the spot. He emphasizes the importance of patience and waiting because it takes time for the squirrels to get used to you and to the objects new to them. But I’d say that it’s always worth the wait. “My goal is to participate in photography contests and to keep enjoying the life of nature,” Niki writes. “It brings me a lot of joy.” And his photos of squirrels sure brought joy to me today! So, enjoy some more of them below, and make sure to discover more of Niki’s work on his website, Instagram and Facebook.
[via PetaPixel]
