Cold Instinct

Discover the astonishing world of reptiles and amphibians in a new book by photographer Matthijs Kuijpers

Award-winning Dutch nature photographer Matthijs Kuijpers (born 1973) specializes in herpetofauna: reptiles and amphibians. From the depths of the world’s jungles to its driest deserts, Kuijpers has spent 27 years pursuing reptiles and amphibians around the globe. He has photographed 1,500 cold-blooded species (and counting), some of which are exceedingly rare. Kuijpers shoots in astonishing close-up detail, seeking to spotlight the essence of each animal―“no distractions, no environment,” as he puts it.

Featuring his subjects against a plain black backdrop, Kuijpers brings out their extraordinary colors and textures, even seeming to capture the personality of creatures like the mossy frog, the smooth helmeted iguana and the plumed basilisk.

Matthijs Kuijpers: Cold Instinct, the photographer’s first book, is a gorgeously produced collection of some of the most peculiar species that have ever crawled or slithered on the earth.