Gorillas- photo hints

With the right preparation, and a bit of luck, there is no reason why you cannot take photographs of gorillas in their natural habitat that you would be proud to hang on your wall. The trick is to make sure you are ready for any eventuality, without taking the equivalent of a complete photographic studio into the forest.

So, what can you do to increase your chances of getting good pictures? Here is my list.....

1. Stay healthy

You may have the best equipment in the world, but if you’re a bit sniffly or have anything contagious - DON’T visit!. Gorillas are susceptible to human diseases so before you go away make sure all your inoculations are up to date and that you have a decent first aid kit, (just in case). If necessary, take a surgical mask.





2. Be reasonably fit

Unlike a zoo, the gorillas are not visited by appointment. The trackers know the last location of the group and use that as their starting point. On average, expect to trek for up to four hours. If you are lucky, you can see the group within 30 minutes of starting out, especially if they have settled and are feeding and communing. I have however heard of some groups trekking for up to eight hours. Sometimes you may be tracking the gorillas while they are on the move and within sight. They are fast, take my word for it.
The guides will help you as much as they can but I’ve not seen them carry anyone in yet, so expect to meet them halfway at least.

3. Consider using the services of a porter

Don’t be proud. For a reasonable fee these guys will carry your equipment for you. Remember, on top of the camera you will have water and food to carry. Also, don’t do what I did and carry the camera around your neck while tracking the gorillas. When the pace speeds up it can swing and becomes like a pendulum weight around your neck and you will need both hands to get through the rainforest, without having to hold the camera. Don’t worry, the porters will let you have your equipment in plenty of time before you actually see the gorillas.

4. Lens choice

At the very least I would recommend a 200mm lens as a minimum with 300mm being the optimum.

The main factor to be considered, is that you will probably be visiting the gorillas in groups of around 6-8. Each of these people will want that “winning shot”, and it’s likely that during all the crouching and jockeying for position, someone else’s head is going to appear in your photograph. Shouting at them isn’t an option so a long lens allows you shoot through the gaps if you have to.

While longer lenses will allow you to get in close, bear in mind that you have to carry the kit in and handhold it in low light. In my experience, a tripod may not be practical. I used a Canon 75-300mm IS. The Image Stabilisation ensured that I could handhold at shutter speeds, less than the reciprocal of the lens length, (e.g. if the lens focal length is 200mm the shutter speed should be at least 1/200th/second) and the pictures didn’t turn out with camera shake. Image stabilisation isn’t a substitute for a tripod, but in these circumstances it is definitely the next best thing. Also the “short-end” of a zoom lens provides flexibility, should you need it. You must keep your distance from the gorillas, but the rules don’t apply the other way. The young one’s can be especially curious and get quite close.
Shorter focal lengths also allow you to include the surroundings, and your fellow visitors which can provide context.

The other alternative is to use a prime zoom, with a separate compact camera for backup. It all depends on how deep your pockets are and how confident you are at handholding at long focal lengths. Whatever you opt for, I would recommend that you seriously consider IS, or whatever the Canon equivalent is on other camera systems.

5. Turn the flash off.

Flash photography is not allowed. If the flash accidentally goes off, it is likely that your subject will vote with their feet and walk off. If you can’t turn it off, tape it down/over, whatever it takes.

6. Choose the right film/ISO setting

Depending on whether you a film or a digital user, the basics concerning working with available light are the same.

On balance, in my experience, there won’t be much available light. The gorilla habitat is rain forest with a dense canopy, with the occasional “hotspots” illuminated as the sun breaks through the cover. In some instances, you may find the gorillas in a clearing without canopy cover, but remember this is rain forest, and you will be at altitude, so it still may be overcast.

Normally I use slide film, but in these conditions I would recommend using print film for the greater exposure latitude with ISO 400 as the absolute minimum and ISO 800 as the optimum speed. Also with print film I would be more confident in underexposing by 1/2 stop if it meant the difference between a decent underexposed, but sharp, picture than a shaky one. For digital users, set the camera to ISO 800, or the highest ISO that you are happy with that doesn't introduce too much noise into the image.

I used Fuji Superia 800 as at the time as I found this more easily available than Kodak Portra 800 (which I believe may give more neutral tones, when compared to Fuji).

7. Have faith in your cameras metering

In an ideal world we would all be taking meter readings from our subject and the surrounding areas and applying exposure compensation accordingly.

I found that using the camera in centre weighted mode gave acceptable results. I’m not advocating sloppy work but the subjects won’t hang around.
Speed is of the essence and with print film any slight variance in exposure is not the end of the world.

8. Keep your eyes and ears open

Normally what happens is that you will see the silverback, the male leader of the group first. I believe this is engineered by the guides to introduce us humans to the leader of the group. It's good manners after all. What follows is a photographic frenzy.

Take a deep breath and look and listen around you. When you are in the gorilla habitat, this is a 360-degree experience. If the silverback isn’t upset, and you hear rustling in the trees this may be the young gorilla’s coming down from their vantage point to investigate. If you are lucky, this can be a rich source of photographic opportunity.

9. It’s the little things that matter

Put a fresh battery in the camera before the visit and don’t forget to take spare batteries, film/or digital media cards. You will be with the gorillas for a maximum of one hour, so take at least four - five rolls of 36 exposure for film and make sure you have the equivalent space on your memory card. Over the top? Maybe. But better to come out with spare film/capacity then moan about the fact of having missed the “shot” afterwards.
Take a plastic bag to protect the camera on the trek in and out in case of rain and silica gel for the bottom of your camera bag, (it may get damp with condensation).

10. Get intimate with your camera

Please, don’t whatever you do visit with a camera you aren’t familiar with or a camera that comes out once a year for holidays. If it's been mothballed, at least use it before you go, and if in doubt, get it checked over by a professional.

Go to the zoo, practice photographing animals and become totally confident with the way your camera works. It will pay dividends.

11. Practice your manual focusing

(For those who only use manual focus cameras and are saying “cheeky blighter”, you can skip this bit)
Auto-focus is great, but it’s fallible. Your subject may not always be in clear view and maybe obstructed by leaf cover, BUT you can still see him. The combination of this and low light may cause some AF systems to “hunt”. If so, switch to MF to get the shot. If it is a head and shoulders shot of the gorillas focus on the eyes.

Don’t forget to switch the AF back on again!

Finally....

Whatever you do, respect your gorilla hosts. You are guests in their home.


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