Kong
Rwanda, 2019
I have travelled north from Kigali to the Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda six times over the last 10 years and I have generally failed to return home with anything that does justice to Africa’s “Jurassic Park”. ere are many reasons – including, of course, my own inept- itude.
For one, these magni cent mountain gorillas are only accessible in mid-morning and therefore if the sun is out, the jungle is not an ideal canvas on which to work – it’s all streaks and a nasty cocktail of overexposed and underexposed. More importantly, it is di cult to have a sense of proximity and a sense of place in the same image – the jungle can be exceptionally dense and this works against o ering a wider contextual narrative. It does not pay to be greedy, rather it pays to show common sense.
irdly, the experience is so other-worldly that it takes time to work out what to do with the camera – and every cameraman, no matter who they may work for, only has an hour in which to work. ink- ing time is limited in front of a troop of 22 or more gorillas.
So, before I arrived on Monday, a few decisions had already been taken. We would go when the chance of cloud cover was best and we would focus on the Silverbacks. Most importantly, I knew there was no point in deciding prior to the hike what lenses to take, as we had no idea of the topography in which the trackers would nd the gorillas, but I knew I could leave some gear halfway up the moun- tain and then work with whatever the layout dictated. In other words, this year the goal is to be spontaneous and not prescriptive.
Yesterday, this worked. e vegetation was so dense and messy that wide angles were out. On the other hand, there was cloud cover and this offered the chance of a tight portrait of Gihinga – a 32 year old Silverback.
AVAILABLE SIZES:
LARGE
- Image: 56" x 52" (143 cm x 132 cm)
- Framed: 67" x 73" (171 cm x 186 cm)
STANDARD
- Image: 37" x 41" (94 cm x 104 cm)
- Framed: 48" x 52" (122 cm x 132 cm)
We ship worldwide and use a multitude of providers to safely deliver your artwork. Domestic delivery and installation may also be available via Hilton Contemporary’s private art shuttle. Please inquire.
Judge And Jury
Rwanda, 2019
Finding a silverback gorilla high up in the volcanoes in Rwanda in a position offering a sense of place and a wider narrative, is a tough ask. It’s effectively a numbers game in that the more times you make the trek, the greater the chance that an opportunity will arise. Until Wednesday of this week, I had not had that break and my records are proof of that a er ten trips. ere have been ten encounters of course – the rangers and trackers ensure that no trek goes unrewarded – but they have always been in dense forest with little or no backdrop.
Some of the guides and the lead ranger knew my frustration at the lack of depth I was finding and suggested a troop, the Umubano Gorilla Family, that was quite far west of the group of volcanoes. I agreed to give it a go but was curious when I was told that I was the only one to be making the trip this day.
When we set o from the village of Bisate with my guide and porters at 7.30 am, it quickly dawned on me why I was alone – this was going to be one hell of a climb – and we were already at 9,000 . Normally the wall crossing to the rainforest is about 20 minutes from a drop off point and on Wednesday it took 90 minutes – all uphill. For mountaineers this would be a piece of cake, but I would be the first to admit that I am no mountaineer.
Anyhow, it was good for me and when we reached the wall and looked up to the rainforest, I could see why the area had potential – there were plenty of ridges and look out points. It was still dense, but there seemed more room to breathe in places.
I left most of my gear with the porters and took just one camera and my trusted 58mm lens. I wanted to roll the dice a little and also be nimble. When we reached the troop, they were on the move and I focused on the lead Silverback. And so it was that I got my moment. e perspective was exactly what I was looking for.
AVAILABLE SIZES:
LARGE
- Image: 56" x 67" (143 cm x 171 cm)
- Framed: 67" x 78" (171 cm x 199 cm)
STANDARD
- Image: 37" x 44" (94 cm x 112 cm)
- Framed: 48" x 55" (122 cm x 140 cm)
We ship worldwide and use a multitude of providers to safely deliver your artwork. Domestic delivery and installation may also be available via Hilton Contemporary’s private art shuttle. Please inquire.
Family Tree
Borneo 2018
Orangutans are so expressive – or rather their expressions are so human that we relate to them far more than we relate to, say, a zebra. This makes them great fun to photograph, especially if you are alone with them. The danger often in Borneo is that they see you at the same time that they see a load of other people and then their eyes will be all over the shop.
On this occasion, far from our original location, it was just me and that made all the difference – especially with the baby.
Available Sizes:
LARGE
- Image: 56" x 63" (143 cm x 160 cm)
- Framed: 67" x 74" (171 cm x 188 cm)
STANDARD
- Image: 37" x 42" (94 cm x 107 cm)
- Framed: 48" x 53" (122 cm x 135 cm)
We ship worldwide and use a multitude of providers to safely deliver your artwork. Domestic delivery and installation may also be available via Hilton Contemporary’s private art shuttle. Please inquire.