Professional photographer Daryl Granger typically works with a much different clientele than the furry visitors in his backyard. The pandemic halted his portrait photography and instead of closing down, he decided to turn his lens on the squirrels in his backyard.
Parking his tripod 30 feet away, Granger says he sits and waits for the visitors to climb down the tree and explore the elaborate sets he has made for them.
“It’s a sit and wait game; it’s about three hours of sitting there,’’ he explains.
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So far he has made two sets: Nutsy’s country market and Nutsy’s peanut butter company. Granger directs the squirrels by strategically placing nuts around the sets. He’s managed to capture them holding on to a mini grocery cart as they “shop’’ for nuts.
“I wanted to push it even farther and I want the whole thing to tell a story,” he says.
“This has nothing to do with COVID, it’s just fun to see, and it puts a smile on people’s faces. It’s pure entertainment,” he says.
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Located in Simcoe, Granger and his wife run RoseLe Studio. Like many small businesses, they were forced to pivot during the pandemic. A trained cinematographer, Granger began filming funerals during the pandemic to fill the void.
“When you get depressing stuff like that, we decided to turn the tables…I just saw them [the squirrels], so I thought ‘let’s put them to work,'” he said.
The photos have garnered attention from all over the world bringing joy in an otherwise bleak period.
“We want to thank everybody for reaching out, I’m glad they’re enjoying the images, especially in this climate. We just opened up our doors for the first time in two months.”
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