Today when I was surfing on the web I discovered „Squirrelismo“ – a funny photo series by the British photographer May Ellis. The series is, as can be surmised easily from the title, about squirrels, but not of the common nut-loving tree-climbing variety. If the pictures can be trusted, Ellis’ subjects are uncommonly clever – playing the guitar and training with barbells are only two of the activities that Ellis’ fluffy neighbours regularly get up to. As is not hard to guess, and as Ellis admitted openly in a talk with the editors of Petapixel, not a single photo in this series is genuine. However, the reason is not Photoshop, but another kind of “cheating” which does not get as much use these days, namely edible treats and a number of tricks borrowed from puppet theatre. 😉 Like in a real Theatre, Ellis builds a small “stage” in his garden before every shoot. After the sunflower seeds have been laid out and the “props” covered in peanut butter, it is always only a question of time until the cast shows up on the “stage”. 😉
