The creator of the ‘Animals in Things’ Instagram page also has its own subreddit, r/animalsinthings, which they moderate and go by the moniker Staffell. The sub has over 340 fans, while the Instagram page has more than 4,100 followers who are eagerly waiting to see the photoshopper’s newest creations.
Bored Panda wanted to find out Staffell’s favorite animals, but they explained that they "love all animals equally" and can’t pick a favorite. "However, my mum would disown me if I didn't say Ruby the Yorkshire Terrier is undeniably the best creature on the planet."
"I don't exactly remember the first time I started using Photoshop! I learned Adobe Illustrator initially by passively observing my dad around the age of 15. I guess learning Photoshop was just a natural progression from that over the next few years."
Staffell continued: "I’ve only really used Photoshop in a hobby capacity, so it’s been quite a relaxed learning process and at my own pace, rather than a matter of challenges and pressure. There’s a million tutorials on YouTube for any problem you might face."
They also had some helpful advice for those of us who might be new to Photoshop. "Without question, get involved in some Photoshop contests and have fun with it! In particular, I learnt most of my skills via Reddit's /r/photoshopbattles. I'm sure there are others out there."
"I run an escape room and design puzzles for a living," Staffell revealed more about themselves to Bored Panda. "As well as animals and designing, I like exercising, gaming, spicy food, coffee, and absolutely nothing else."
"Whilst the main focus is fun images, I plan to use the account to raise awareness for various animal-related issues that I feel strongly about and feel others should too. Also I'm keen for people to know that I love to collaborate, so if anyone has any ideas and would like to get in touch, please DM me via Instagram."
The fact is, ‘Animals in Things’ is making some large waves on the internet, especially on Reddit. For example, the edited picture of Meghan Markle holding an octo-umbrella above Prince Harry got over 105,000 upvotes. Which means that the future for both the Instagram page and the subreddit is looking to be bright and peachy, since there’s a demand for such content.
Now, the vast majority of us love animals and enjoy visiting them in real life and looking at photos of them on the internet (totally not during work or class, nope). But this raises the very serious question of protecting species from going extinct. Otherwise, pictures on the internet are all that we’re going to have left.
Bored Panda reached out to the Endangered Species Coalition to talk about the topic. Mitch Merry, a representative of the Coalition, said that one of the species that is “most at risk now” is the vaquita.
“A great way to help endangered species through raising awareness is supporting legislation that protects them. The PAW and FIN Act is a very important bill that would restore some endangered species protections that the current administration rolled back.”
“Sharing our recent report about pesticides is an easy way to raise awareness too,” Merry said.
