The Fantasy World of Ants

Russian photographer Andrey Pavlov has produced a whimsical photo-series entitled 'ant tales', where he choreographed ants in various moments of the bug’s everyday life using props Pavlov crafted from raw materials such as berries or nut shells. Andrey Pavlov spends hours setting up fairytale scenes. He studied ants, and saw that they all follow a very specific path when they’re working. So he put his props on their trail, and photographed the insects interacting with his miniature 'stage sets'.

Each photo is taken at especially close range by the artist, documenting his insect neighbors near his rural home in their natural environment.

The photographer explained: 'For the last seven years I have always had my camera with me, but it was only when I had children and started reading them fairytales that I realized it was something I never did as a child. That's when I decided to make up for it and start creating some fairytales of my own. I used to work in theatre which was a big help when it came to making props, and I chose ants because I respect them and their way of life. They care about their children and look after the elderly. They have lived for millions of years. I take my inspiration from humans but luckily for me ants are quite inquisitive, which seems to make them very willing participants.'