For nearly three decades, photographer Matthijs Kuijpers has been on a mission that is not for the squeamish: photographing some of the world’s scariest animals. “What I want to show in my photos is the essence of the animal,” Kuijpers says. “I hope to remove misconceptions and fear that many commonly have in regards to coldblooded animals.”
The results of his extreme (and often dangerous) work are collected in his book Cold Instinct, which assembles more than 70 portraits from his long career – and further attempts to demystify these animals, and advocate for their survival. The book is currently available for pre-order via Indiegogo, but Kuijpers was kind enough to share some of his images with us.
(Matthijs Kuijpers)
(Matthijs Kuijpers)
(Matthijs Kuijpers)
(Matthijs Kuijpers)
(Matthijs Kuijpers)
(Matthijs Kuijpers)
(Matthijs Kuijpers)
(Matthijs Kuijpers)
(Matthijs Kuijpers)
(Matthijs Kuijpers)
You can pre-order Cold Instinct via Indiegogo, and check out more of Matthijs Kuijpers’s work on his website; you can also follow him on Instagram and Facebook.