When trekking into the African mountains, the chances of encountering mountain gorillas are surprisingly high if you are in the right areas. But the real question is: what are the chances of walking away with a truly memorable photograph? By ‘memorable,’ I mean a wall-worthy photograph, something that transcends a keepsake or holiday snap (though those have their place).
When I consider the chances...they seem fairly small as there are many challenges. What are the chances that the silverback is active and sitting out in the open, posing perfectly for the camera? The gorilla group might be sleeping as they so often do, or even if they are active, they maybe feeding, hidden deep in the bushes with vegetation obscuring the face. If we do find the silverback sitting beautifully in the open, what are the chances that the weather is on our side, no pockets of strong dappled light falling in the wrong place.
And even when all of this aligns - the silverback sitting beautifully in soft, even light, his face unobscured - what are the chances he looks my way, locking eyes with the camera for that powerful and engaging portrait?
So many variables have to come together, but when they do, the result is worth every ounce of patience and effort. Moments like this remind me why I keep going back.
*Price is for print only. For more information on purchasing prints please visit our FAQ’s page.
When trekking into the African mountains, the chances of encountering mountain gorillas are surprisingly high if you are in the right areas. But the real question is: what are the chances of walking away with a truly memorable photograph? By ‘memorable,’ I mean a wall-worthy photograph, something that transcends a keepsake or holiday snap (though those have their place).
When I consider the chances...they seem fairly small as there are many challenges. What are the chances that the silverback is active and sitting out in the open, posing perfectly for the camera? The gorilla group might be sleeping as they so often do, or even if they are active, they maybe feeding, hidden deep in the bushes with vegetation obscuring the face. If we do find the silverback sitting beautifully in the open, what are the chances that the weather is on our side, no pockets of strong dappled light falling in the wrong place.
And even when all of this aligns - the silverback sitting beautifully in soft, even light, his face unobscured - what are the chances he looks my way, locking eyes with the camera for that powerful and engaging portrait?
So many variables have to come together, but when they do, the result is worth every ounce of patience and effort. Moments like this remind me why I keep going back.
*Price is for print only. For more information on purchasing prints please visit our FAQ’s page.
