Mountain Gorilla

[czwotzit]

1DX_1779a.jpg[IMG

I hope this works - thanks for the help

Andre

[colin C]

Re: Mountain Gorilla

Works perfectly and what a picture to test it with ......... superb!

[AlexR!]

Re: Mountain Gorilla

Andre. Remarkable, superb, plus loads of other superlatives I can't think of at the moment.
Was it in the wild?

[Dave s]

Re: Mountain Gorilla

top notch mate

[Brian Sugden]

Re: Mountain Gorilla

A stunning image, especially if it's wild. Sorry to nit pick but I would take a bit off the bottom to lose the foliage and also clone out the leaf on the left.

Brian

[czwotzit]

Re: Mountain Gorilla

Thanks guys. Yes it was definitely in the wild. We were on safari in Rwanda and then Kenya The gorilla trek was a four day excursion (one day travel from Nairobi, two days in Rwanda the one day back to Nairobi)

1DX_1809.jpg

Just to show how close we got to the silverback - we had to pull our feet in to let him pass!! In fact when he was in front of me I couldn't focus because he was too close

Andre

[ST-EOS]

Re: Mountain Gorilla

Excellent image Andre

[wayne2418]

Re: Mountain Gorilla

I would take a bit off the bottom to lose the foliage and also clone out the leaf on the left.

Brian

I too would clone out the leaf on the left,but instead of cropping I'd clone the foliage on the bottom ...

Hell of a shot though !! dam nice one..

[AndyA]

Re: Mountain Gorilla

It's a beauty of a shot. I'd remove the portion of leaf to the left, but the rest looks very good to me.

[jimsphotography]

Re: Mountain Gorilla

Great shot of a magnificent animal - personally I wouldn't listen to all these comments about crop this or clone that out etc. - it's taken in the wild and that's how it was - simply beautiful with all the quirks that mother nature throws up in image not taken in a zoo or safari park. Well done !
James

[czwotzit]

Re: Mountain Gorilla

Thanks everyone - I can recommend the gorilla trek to everyone it is a totally moving experience to be so close to these immaculate animals - I would go again given the chance

I prefer to leave the photo as is as it is in the wild and you take the shots with whats there

Andre

[czwotzit]

Re: Mountain Gorilla

Here is another shot that shows the silverback with the farming country behind

1D4_0191.jpg

[hhcanon]

Re: Mountain Gorilla

Its great pic but why can't folk just leave them alone as they are...sorry

[czwotzit]

Re: Mountain Gorilla

I agree to some degree but the big question is that with the money raised from the tourism ( and it does cost a lot $750 per day per person just for the licence to see them) that the money goes to pay for their protection against poachers and also to compensate the local farmers for any damage caused by the gorillas. The locals now see the gorillas as a source of income from the tourists with the local craft shops etc. Its sad that it has to be this way but at least they still exist and their numbers are now slowly growing due to the tourist trade.

Andre

[jimsphotography]

Re: Mountain Gorilla

That second shot is most interesting - it shows clearly the loss of habitat do to human intervention but also how wildlife tourism is preserving what little is left - a complex and hotly debated set of issues. If you have got another shot like that but with the gorilla facing the camera I would advise you to enter into the Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition under the category Their World in Our Hands .
James