Rabbits are adorable, but they’re also a huge pest in New Zealand. They’re all over Mount Maunganui, and every summer we see hundreds of little baby buns running around nibbling on the grass. As photographic subjects, they’re a fun change from birds, even though they shouldn’t be here. The problem with most of our furry mammalian pests is that they’re quite cute, so people don’t like the idea of getting rid of them. It’s hard to conceptualise rabbits as the bad guys. They’re bad for our native vegetation and also provide a reliable source of prey for other unwanted pests such as stoats and feral cats.

But they’re very cuddly-looking. I wanted to do something a little different, so I shot with the intent of making some monochrome images. The grassy backgrounds are a bit boring, but in black and white they become more textural and less distracting.Let me know what you think!