The Photo Times: Family of grinning monkeys on beach strike photo album poses for photographer

By

Emma Thomas

PUBLISHED:

11:42, 14 January 2014

|
UPDATED:

16:23, 14 January 2014

These cheeky monkeys appear to be posing for a series of holiday snaps in a bid to escape the January blues.

With their big grins and human-like poses the black macaques look like a happy family enjoying their time in sunnier climates.

Photographer Simone Sbaraglia, 41, captured the funny scenes on a trip to North Sulawesi, Indonesia, where the monkeys are endemic but critically endangered due to poaching and loss of habitat.

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Cheesy grin: These cheeky monkeys appear to be posing for a series of holiday snaps in a bid to escape the January blues. The black macaques look like a happy family

The macaques were more than happy to work it for the camera – hanging from trees, posing with fruit, and even inspecting the lens to help take pictures of themselves

Strike a pose: This monkey stares right into the lens as others play in the river behind. The human-like poses form a series of photographs

Relaxing: By the time he left Sulawesi the monkeys would come down from the trees to greet Simone every morning – with some even offering hugs

He said that the macaques were more than happy to work it for the camera – hanging from trees, posing with fruit, and even inspecting the lens to help take pictures of themselves.

By the time he left Sulawesi the monkeys would come down from the trees to greet Simone every morning – with some even offering hugs.

He now hopes his pictures will raise awareness of the endangered monkeys.

Simone, from Rome, Italy, said: ‘I hate long lenses and prefer to get very up close and personal with my subject.

Endangered: Photographer Simone Sbaraglia hopes his pictures will raise awareness of the endangered monkeys that live in Indonesia

Candid: Photographer Simone Sbaraglia, 41, captured the funny scenes on a trip where the monkeys are endemic but endangered due to poaching and loss of habitat

Up close: Simone, from Rome, Italy, said:

Up close: Simone, from Rome, Italy, said: ‘I hate long lenses and prefer to get very up close and personal with my subject.’

Mr Sbaraglia said:

Mr Sbaraglia said: ‘I find macaques extremely lovable and over the course of a few weeks I learned to recognise the individuals and also their different characters.’

Selfie: This curious monkey peers into the lens to take his own photograph in North Sulawesi, Indonesia, in the series of

Selfie: This curious monkey peers into the lens to take his own photograph in North Sulawesi, Indonesia, in the series of ‘holiday snaps’ taken by Simone Sbaraglia

‘The most difficult thing in this type of photography is that one has to be accepted by the animals before any picture at all can be taken.

‘They are initially very shy and don’t like anyone approaching them.

‘When they accept you then they start to come close and interact since they are extremely curious, as most monkeys are.

‘I find macaques extremely funny a lovable and over the course of a few weeks I learned to recognise the different individuals and also their different characters.’