I was able to visit mountain gorillas twice on this recent trip. You never know where the gorillas are going to be or how long it will take to find them. But once found, you only have an hour to visit — which park rangers are very strict about. That said, as a photographer I’m always praying for overcast light (a dark furred animal, in a forest, in bright sunshine, without the ability to use flash, is a deadly combination). Both days presented just such a lighting challenge. So be it. I had to work around the light and use longer focal length lenses, trying to get the gorillas in mostly full shade. Occasionally they complied. For this rare wide-angle shot, it wasn’t exactly full shade, but good enough for a somewhat even exposure. This is one of three silverbacks (mature males) in the family of nine individual gorillas we visited. He may look fierce (and in need of dental work) but he was simply letting out a big yawn. Nikon Z8 with Nikkor Z 24-70mm f/2.8 lens (at 43mm) ISO 2500, f/2.8 at 1/320th of a second.

I met these two mountain gorillas back in early 2020, just before the pandemic. Karen and I leave tomorrow to lead a group to Kenya and then on to Uganda where we’ll visit this same family. It’s going to be interesting to see these two and how they may have changed in the last three and a half years. We also got word that the family of nine is now ten as an infant was born about six months ago. That said, no posts for the next few weeks. See everyone when we’re back, hopefully with some great new images to share. Nikon D850 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 125mm) ISO 1600, f/4 at 1/1250th of a second.

When trekking for mountain gorillas on my most recent trip to Uganda, this youngster was the first of the troop to come tumbling out of the thick vegetation. He/she (too early tell gender) appeared as surprised to see us as we were to see him/her. Photographed in Mgahinga National Park. Nikon D850 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 98mm) ISO 1600, f/2.8 at 1/1250th of a second.

In this large troop of 23 mountain gorillas, there were a couple of babies. This one was putting on show for me while Mom remained somewhat disinterested. Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 210mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/60th of a second.

The red colobus monkey was one of eight species of primate I photographed on my first trip to Uganda. Interesting fact about these monkeys — they will often eat charcoal or clay to help combat the cyanide that exists in some of the leaves they eat. This “medicinal cure” appears to be passed down from mother to child. Just one of the adaptations to their completely vegetarian, but extremely varied diet. Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 400, f/4 at 1/125th of a second.

This masked weaver was in the early stages of building its nest. That ring of grass will eventually be an intricate orb dangling from the branch. Photographed on my first trip to Uganda when I went to Queen Elizabeth National Park. Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 200, f/5.6 at 1/800th of a second.

Who knows what this gorilla was thinking, but they sure do share a lot of our facial expressions and body language (not to mention we are 98% identical on a genetic level). This was from my first trip to Uganda to photograph the endangered species. Back then there were only 800 estimated in the wild and they were listed as “critically endangered” by the IUCN. Today that number has risen to over a thousand and they have subsequently lost the “critically” part of their designation. A rare bit of good news in the wildlife conservation community and the world at large. Nikon D700 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 800, f/4.5 at 1/160th of a second.

This image had some motion blur on the monkey’s face because he was turning just as I was snapping the picture at a slow shutter speed. Using Topaz Sharpen AI I was able to eliminate a good deal of the blur and salvage the shot. Which is great, because I love this type of portrait where you can really get a sense of the animal’s environment. In this case, the environment is the bamboo forest of Mgahinga National Park in Uganda. Nikon D850 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 240mm) ISO 1600, f/4 at 1/50th of a second.

What appears to be a one-eared hippo, is just a hippo wiggling one of his ears, perhaps brushing away a fly. Shot in Queen Elizabeth National Park in Uganda. Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 400, f/5.6 at 1/1600th of a second.

The L’Hoest’s monkey shares the same habitat at the mountain gorilla in Uganda. I came across this one while hiking in Bwindi National Park the day before going on a gorilla trek. They can be very skittish and this one only allowed me two shots before bounding off into the forest. Next week Karen and I will be vacationing on Block Island so I won’t post until we return. Not sure how the wildlife viewing will be on the island but should I come back with anything interesting, I’ll be sure to share. Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 360mm) ISO 400, f/5 at 1/15th of a second.