Gorilla Blackback

Hi Arthur, really like the expression on this gorillas face. Detail and sharpness are very fine. Also like how you have handled what looks to be very contrasty light. Thanks for sharing. Must have been a thrill to see these guys in the wild.

Thank you for your comment, John. Yes, indeed the mixed patches of deep darkness and extreme lightness were the biggest problem in that case. It is not possible to choose the time when you meet them. I was there when it was already noon... and this was a tropical forest in Africa. The light was really difficult!

I like the intimacy in this one. It appears as if the the gorilla is about to make a move towards you ! The light as you say is difficult, but the exposure on the gorilla looks very good.

In these high contrast situations, it is usually worth experimenting a black and white conversion

Thanks Anand! Yes he was coming towards me and was only about 2 or 3 m away when I shot this image. Then he came even closer, and I had to step aside and let him pass. :)

Making it black and white may be a good idea. Normally I don't make B&W images of nature subjects. Therefore I didn't think about it in this case. Now I am curious and am going to try it.

Eyes are nicely visible given the conditions and I really like the "in your face" feeling given by the 50mm perspective. What an experience it must be to see these guys in their wild setting.

How I'd love to spend time with beautiful Apes in Bwindi, a dream of mine that I hope to realise one of these days. Absolutely marvelous shot Arthur, I'd love to see a larger version but still very happy you shared this one with us :^)

Hi, Ashley,
it's nice to meet you also here.
For photographing mountain gorillas going to Dem. Rep. Congo should be a better option. Gorillas in Uganda have become the main tourist attraction. A photographer is there just a normal tourist in a group of 8 persons that is allowed to spend only one hour with a gorilla group. The groups are always completely booked - usually many months in advance, i.e. there certainly will be not less than 8 people. In DRC groups are much smaller - often there are maximum 3 people. I even know someone who was brought to gorillas alone. I didn't know about gorillas in DRC before this trip. This is why I went to Uganda.

A bigger image of this gorilla male is here .

Thank you, Lon! Before visiting them I had a quite different expectation. I had been imagining that I would see a group of them "grazing" in a dark, most rainforest under giant tree ferns. In reality it was a place with dense shrubs, and the forest appeared to me very much like a leaf forest in North Amerika or Europe. There was also no "community place" of gorillas where they would be sitting around waiting for tourists to come I didn't see any group as such. Some gorillas were just hanging around in shrubs and eating leaves. People who had come with me and me were also in that dense vegetation. Sometimes I was so close to a gorilla that we could touch each other if we wished. I was quite surprised that the encounter with them was so different from how I had expected it to be. So my feeling was first nothing than just surprise. Then I was busy making as many shots with my cameras as possible... and then the hour was over. I think to be really amazed one should come alone and spend more time with them. Unfortunately only researchers are allowed to do this.

Welcome back Arthur! Despite the harsh light I find this quite compelling; it has a lot of intimacy due to the close range and the eye contact and suggested verbal communication.

I hope to see more of your work here soon as well as comments.

This is a very compelling image. The closeness and the look in the eyes really make the photo. I think the dappling with the shadows adds to the environment. It gives the sense of thick undergrowth. To stand this close to these powerful animals must have been a thrill. I would agree that the feeling of a controlled tourist situation always takes away form the wilderness experience though.

Great posture of this giant. Light is hard, but that's the way it is.
Unbelievable how close they come to you, and this you captured well with the 50mm.

Personally I like a light drizzle when photographing gorillas. They like secondary growth and are therefor often visited when they are eating at the forest edge or forest clearings.
You have to be a little lucky and find them early in the day when the light is still fairly ok.

Visiting gorillas in DRC is possible, but certainly more of an adventure. One can never be sure where the rebels are.
Rebels are not the only problem, last week one black back gorilla was killed by poachers in Bwindi.

Photographing gorillas is just like any other subject, one need s to spend lots of time with them to get the right conditions. Since a 1 hour visit cost US$500, most people visit them only once, which reduces the changes of getting the "perfect image".

Thank you, Vincent, Richard and Jeffry, for your comments!

That area at Nkuringo village in Bwindi has a very dense but low vegetation. The rules demand that visitors keep a distance of at least 5 m from gorillas but it isn't possible to avoid gorillas coming to you in those dense bushes. They even come so close that a wide angle lens is sometimes even better. I used two cameras: one with 70-200 mm zoom and another one with a 50 mm prime. I also had a 300 mm prime but made only one shot with it.
Not only the high cost per hour but much more the organisation usually isn't suitable for a photographer. Gorilla trekking is an excursion for tourists which is certainly not tailored to the needs of a photographer: people with cameras competing with each other for better view at animals, bad light, people in view field, hurry, tripod not allowed... Unfortunately there are no alternatives as far as I know.