It was several years ago when I first saw Charlie the chipmunk's picture in the newspaper. As I have several chipmunks as pets, I was attracted to Charlie immediately. I said to myself, "What a wonderful model chipmunk he is!" The article stated that the photos were taken by a photographer named Pete Murmer. What Pete does is place seeds near the set to attract Charlie, then wait for him to appear.
This work takes creativity, patience, and a heart of caring. Pete has taken many photos of Charlie which include Holidays, celebrations, sports, leisure, and just plain funny ones. They bring laughter to children and adults around the world.
I know Pete very well, and he developed his interest in photography when he was in Middle School and High School. He also became a photographer for the Navy when he joined the Service. When he left his unrelated work environment as a civilian, he moved to the Poconos of Pennsylvania and met Charlie in his yard. It was then, Pete became interested in his photography again. Through Pete's imagination, talent and humor, he developed Charlie into a National and International "star", whose photos bring us hours of pleasure. I never thought I would really get to know Pete and Charlie, as they live many miles from me across the Pacific Ocean.
All of the Charlie's photos in this website are of copyright of Peter Murmer. If you want to know more about Charlie, or have any questions, you can write to Pete at PMURMER@webtv.com .
Pete Murmer has just graduated from the New York Institute of Photography. Click here to read his story.
