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Uganda Land of the Primates Todd Gustafson

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Uganda Land of the Primates Todd Gustafson Uganda Land of the Primates Todd Gustafson Primates have always fascinated me. Growing up in Tanzania’s Usambara Mountains I learned to recognize and enjoy the black and white colobus monkeys that inhabited the forest clad slopes where we lived. Leading photographic tours to East Africa has allowed me to build a satisfying portfolio of monkey portrait and behavioral images. As close relatives of ours, primate’s behaviors and expressions can easily resonate with the human psyche. Species on my check list include black and white colobus, endangered red colobus from Zanzibar, olive baboons, less common (and more handsome) yellow baboons from Amboseli, haunting portraits of blue monkeys, black faced vervet, and ten lemur species from Madagascar. New World monkeys include white-faced capuchin, black howler and spider monkeys. Black and white Zanzibar red Olive baboon Yellow baboon colobus colobus Nikon D3 Nikon D3 Nikon D2X Nikon D2X Nikon 600 f4 Nikon 70-200mm lens Nikon 600 f4 Nikon 600 f4 Blue monkey Vervet Monkey Indri indri lemur Ringtailed lemur Nikon D2X Nikon D3 Nikon D3 Nikon D3 Nikon 600 f4 Nikon 600 f4 Nikon 600 f4 Nikon 600 f4 Sifaka lemur Roughed lemur Howler Monkey White-faced Capuchin Nikon D3 Nikon D3 Nikon D2X Nikon D2X Nikon 600 f4 Nikon 600 f4 Nikon 600 f4 Nikon 600 f4 What I have never photographed are the great apes in the wild….until now. With urging from friends and fellow photographers, an expedition to Uganda was arranged. Uganda has 17 different primate species including chimpanzees and mountain gorillas. With primates in general, and great apes specifically as the objective, we packed up our camera gear and flew to Entebbe, Uganda. As leader of the expedition I could only imagine the disaster of simply dropping into the gorillas’ environment and beginning to shoot there. The challenges were these: 1. Being in Africa and out of our element. Travelers to a new destination can be overwhelmed by the differences in culture and environment. “Don’t drink the water.” “Don’t eat the salad.” Jet lag, driving on the left-hand side of the road, new sights, sounds and smells are all part of the new experience to say nothing of different electric current and UK power outlets (did you know that each wall outlet has an on-off switch?) 2. Being in good physical shape. Mountain gorillas live in… wait for it… THE MOUNTAINS. We have to get from our hotel, into those mountains where they are, and still be able to handle a photo shoot in virgin rain forest. This could be a hike of a half hour or an arduous trek of six hours. Climbing stairs and working out on a tread-mill before the trip will help, but it’s just not the same. Bwindi Impenetrable Forest World Heritage Site Nikon D3 9 piece panoramic piece 3. Being in good mental shape and having a shooting strategy. When you reach the gorillas are you going to shoot a whole bunch of pictures of them, or are you going to make carefully crafted photographs of these amazing creatures? When the time comes will you be able to choose the correct lens for a stunning portrait of the 550 pound Silver-back, or an effective, story-telling environmental shot. Silver-back mountain gorilla Silver-back mountain gorilla eating figs Nikon D3 200-400 f4 lens ISO 2500 -2/3 Nikon D3 Nikon 35mm lens ISO 2500 -2/3 Will you be able to capture interactions between group members or the antics of a baby at play? Pre-visualizing hoped-for scenes like these will make one more prepared to be in the right place at the right time with the right lens to capture the moment. mountain gorilla baby Nikon D3 Nikon 70-200 lens ISO 2500 -2/3 4. Making the correct equipment choices. Pro camera bodies continue to improve in file size, hi ISO “noise” quality and frame rate per second. Fast lenses with VR and image stabilization make sharper images. New sensors are better at gathering light to create smooth, grain less high ISO images. These factors are crucial because tripods are not allowed on the trek. Neither are flash units. You must make hand held images with available light. 5. Understanding photographic technique. Gorillas and chimps live in virgin rain forest. It can be dim under the leafy canopy. High ISO shooting with a steady hand and correct exposure is a must! If you miss the exposure, common digital sense is that you can “fix it in Photoshop.” My advice is to make the correct exposure and get a better photographic result. Chimpanzees and gorillas have black fur and skin. The skin is more reflective than the fur. If you simply point at the subject and push the button your camera will see the black fur and try to make it middle tone gray. This causes the skin of the face to be overexposed. Important details (especially on the forehead, nose and cheeks) will be lost. Using the camera’s histogram to find the correct minus compensation for the exposure is an easy (and often overlooked) way to get the correct exposure. Silver-back mountain gorilla Nikon D3 Nikon 70-200 mm lens ISO 2500 -2/3 If all of this seems obvious to you, remember that you are reading this in the comfort of you own home and not ten feet away from 550 pound gorilla. With these challenges in mind an itinerary was developed to insure the greatest chance for success when we got to the gorillas. We started in Entebbe at the Uganda Wildlife Research Station where we got the Red Carpet treatment. We had a custom tour of the exhibits two hours before the Center opened to the public. Here was our chance to photograph rare, hard to find species of Uganda. These include the fantastic shoe-billed stork, and the uncommon patas monkey. Shoe-billed stork (captive) Patas monkey (captive) Nikon D3 Nikon 70-200 mm lens Nikon D3 Nikon 600 mm lens and 1.7 teleconvereter We had a great opportunity to photograph a troop of chimpanzees in a forested island habitat. We photographed the chimps from across a small stream and were able to get an idea of size versus lens perspective as well as see how the chimps move and likely behaviors to photograph. We could also check our exposure and ISO in a comfortable, non-crucial situation. Chimpanzees (captive) Nikon D3 Nikon 600 mm lens ISO 1600 -1/3 Our next stop was Kibale reserve, a virgin forest that is home to red colobus, black and white colobus, red-tailed monkeys and lots of new bird species, including the spectacular great blue turaco. Red colobus monkeys Nikon D3 Nikon 600 mm lens and 1.7 teleconvereter Black and white colobus monkey Red-tailed monkey Nikon D3 Nikon 600 mm lens and 1.7 teleconvereter Nikon D3 Nikon 600 mm lens Great blue turaco Nikon D3 Nikon 600 mm lens and 1.7 teleconvereter The primary goal, however, was a trek to find and photograph chimpanzees in the wild. Photographic results were mixed. After tracking them through the forest we found that in the excitement of reaching our goal some of the carefully considered shooting strategies flew out the window. The first half of the shoot saw a lot of photos taken without regard to composition or exposure. The best photos were taken (as planned and after we calmed down a little) with a minus exposure compensation and consideration of the chimpanzee’s position and behavior. Chimpanzee Nikon D3 Nikon 200-400 mm lens and 1.7 teleconvereter ISO 3200 -1.7 Chimpanzee feeding on figs Nikon D3 Nikon 200-400 mm lens and 1.7 teleconvereter ISO 3200 -1.7 Now for the main event…Bwindi Impenetrable Forest World Heritage Site; home to 700 of the world’s remaining mountain gorillas. Bwindi Nikon D3 Nikon 600 mm lens and 1.7 teleconvereter We planned for two days of trekking to maximize our chances of success. Here is the way gorilla trekking works: trackers go out at first light to where the gorillas bedded down the night before. They follow the fresh trail and radio information to the trekking guide. You can hire a porter to carry your photo gear and water until you make contact with the troop. You then get your camera and photograph the great apes for one hour. We were assigned a different habituated group for each of the two days. On the first day our assigned family group of 14 was reached by a 45 minute hike through the forest. The second group was a three hour trek up steep slopes, down to the valley floor, across streams, and scrambling through underbrush. None of this was a surprise, but that didn’t make it any easier. I just think we all secretly hoped that it would be as easy as the first day. With all of the previous experience on this trip and the lessons learned, everyone was calm and focused when we approached the gorillas. There was real teamwork as everyone got spectacular shots while sharing vantage points, taking turns and making room for others in confined spaces. Trekkers and mountain gorilla mountain gorilla Nikon D3 Nikon 35mm lens Nikon D3 Nikon 200-400 mm lens ISO 2500 -2/3 We photographed the mountain gorillas, formerly an event to dream about and now a reality to savor through our photographs and more importantly in memory. After all of the planning, preparations, and effort, the emotional and photographic payoffs were huge.
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