Within Kibale
Category
Land Animal
Location
Kibale, Uganda
Gear
Z9 with 70-200mm
Description
Photographed in Kibale National Park, Uganda, this chimpanzee paused against a tree within the dense layers of the forest. The community was going through an unsettled period. More than a year after members of the group had killed their former dominant male, no clear successor had emerged. Our time with them moved between quieter periods and sudden displays, charging and commotion as the social dynamics of the group continued to shift. I wanted this photograph to retain the complexity of the environment rather than isolate the chimpanzee in a conventional portrait. I photographed through the vegetation, allowing trunks, leaves and branches to interrupt the frame and using the vertical tree to lead through the composition towards the face. Light filtering through the canopy briefly caught the chimpanzee's features while much of its body remained within the forest shade. Working handheld in rapidly changing natural light, there was little opportunity to control either the background or the subject. Instead, I waited for moments when the chaos of the vegetation and the animal briefly came together. Photographed on a Nikon Z9 with 70-200mm, 195mm, 1/250, f/3.5, ISO 1000. For me, this image is less about bringing the chimpanzee out of the forest and more about allowing it to remain within it. The vegetation obscures as much as it reveals, offering only a brief window into a complex wild community.
Photographer
Fiona Clark
Social Media
Instagram: fionawildlifephotography
Twitter: FCCPhotography
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