Etienne Francey's Image

Late one July evening, walking slowly along the edge of a wheat field near his village - Cousset, in Switzerland - looking for subjects to photograph, Etienne noticed 'a little ball' stuck to an ear of wheat.

'To my surprise,' says Etienne, 'it was a harvest mouse, nibbling the grain.' Etienne approached until he was a few metres away and managed to photograph the tiny mouse at various angles before it scuttled back down the wheat stalk. 'The meeting was brief but extraordinary,' he adds. 'This was my favourite out of all the portraits,' showing it eating, its prehensile tail helping it to balance.