Say Cheese, Squirrels!

Do squirrels hold umbrellas or push shopping carts? Not in the wild. But they do in Geert Weggen’s pictures!

Weggen is a photographer in Sweden, a country in Europe. Squirrels live in his yard. He finds ways to take funny photos of them.

Weggen places items like tiny motorcycles or mini umbrellas around his yard. He uses wires to keep these props in place. Then he puts nuts and nut butter on the props to draw the squirrels closer.

To get the nuts, the squirrels climb on the motorcycle or touch the umbrella. That’s when Weggen snaps the pictures. After he’s finished, Weggen uses his computer to delete the wires from the photos. The pictures make it seem like the squirrels are actually riding a motorcycle (instead of looking for nuts)!

Weggen loves taking pictures of the squirrels. He’s taken photos of squirrels standing on skis and on swing sets. In other pictures, it looks like the squirrels are playing an instrument or sitting at a lunch table. They are just eating nuts, but they look like they are having a serious conversation!

Weggen says that squirrels are great to photograph. “They can walk upside down. They can make different poses. They can hold things in their hands.”

What animal should Weggen photograph next?