this was our second gorilla visit. the first was in rwanda, this time in southwest uganda. in rwanda i had my 135mm f/2 and my 16-35mm f/2.8. this time i just took my 70-200mm f/2.8 as well as my little leica film camera with a 40mm f/2 lens.

based on previous info i was expecting the bwindi gorillas to spend most of their time in the jungle. we had heard that for the most part rwandan gorillas spent more time eating out in the open while the bwindi gorillas were under cover. for that reason, expect slow shutter speeds, wide apertures and high iso. as it turned out, our gorillas were in the jungle only when we first saw them (top picture) and quickly moved to a clearing similar to what we had seen in rwanda.

i would have liked the opportunity to get some more dark, moody shots under the canopy, but it was nice to have plentiful light, if not very dramatic.

i don’t know how i would define a perfect gorilla picture, but i don’t think i quite got it. my favorite silverback photo is just out of focus. and i missed an opportunity to get him lounging in classic king of the jungle pose on a hillside.

for the most part, though, i’m happy with my pictures and they’re not redundant in comparison with my rwanda gorilla shots.