21-Year-Old Photographer Captures Intimate, Soulful Portraits of Wild Forest Animals

Photographer Konsta Punkka captures the beauty of wild animals in shots that seem like they’re from a fairy tale. The dramatic, dreamy imagery features an up-close view of foxes, deer, bears, and more, as they exist among the seemingly endless splendor of nature. In nearly every photo, the creatures stare directly into the camera, hypnotizing us with their soulful eyes and unassuming expressions.

The 21-year-old photographer goes to great lengths in order to secure these portraits, such as crawling on the ground for hours at a time. His proximity to his subjects is impressive, but the secret to it is simple: pack snacks. “The feeding thing in my photographs is more like a thing I want to show to the people,” Punkka told Bored Panda, “that the animals trust me and they allow me to get really close to them.” It’s not much—just a few peanuts—and he always takes the well-being of the creatures into account. “The animals' health always comes first and then I get the shots if I can,” he explained to Colossal. “My main goal always is to try to capture the emotions and feelings my animals feel while I take the photos of them.”

Punkka’s extensively documented travels offer a welcome reprieve from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. Follow him on Instagram for a daily dose of this idyllic visual escape.

Konsta Punkka: Instagram | 500px
via [Colossal, Bored Panda]

Sara Barnes

Sara Barnes is a Staff Editor at My Modern Met, Manager of My Modern Met Store, and co-host of the My Modern Met Top Artist Podcast. As an illustrator and writer living in Seattle, she chronicles illustration, embroidery, and beyond through her blog Brown Paper Bag and Instagram @brwnpaperbag. She wrote a book about embroidery artist Sarah K. Benning titled 'Embroidered Life' that was published by Chronicle Books in 2019. Sara is a graduate of the Maryland Institute College of Art. She earned her BFA in Illustration in 2008 and MFA in Illustration Practice in 2013.
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