Silverback
Uganda. Bwindi, Impenetrable Forest.
Humans and gorillas share most of their DNA—namely, 98.4%. Standing no more than 3 meters in front of a silverback Mountain Gorilla, I felt that connection deeply. Only about 1,063 Mountain Gorillas remain in the wild. This was one of them. 459 (according to the last 2019 Gorilla Census) live the Impenetrable Forest—a name that aptly describes the dense, lush jungle they call home. It was unlike anything I’d ever experienced. Photographing them meant navigating mostly low light due to thick vegetation—unless there was a rare opening in the canopy, like here, when the forest suddenly turned sun-drenched. But when everything aligned—light, movement, focus—magic happened.
A jolt of humility ran through my body when he looked straight at me. The image still strikes me with awe each time I look at it. As if he were posing. Perfect Rembrandt lighting—wouldn’t you agree?
A reminder that nature truly is both the art and the artist—and my work is merely an attempt to capture it.
Uganda. Bwindi, Impenetrable Forest.
Humans and gorillas share most of their DNA—namely, 98.4%. Standing no more than 3 meters in front of a silverback Mountain Gorilla, I felt that connection deeply. Only about 1,063 Mountain Gorillas remain in the wild. This was one of them. 459 (according to the last 2019 Gorilla Census) live the Impenetrable Forest—a name that aptly describes the dense, lush jungle they call home. It was unlike anything I’d ever experienced. Photographing them meant navigating mostly low light due to thick vegetation—unless there was a rare opening in the canopy, like here, when the forest suddenly turned sun-drenched. But when everything aligned—light, movement, focus—magic happened.
A jolt of humility ran through my body when he looked straight at me. The image still strikes me with awe each time I look at it. As if he were posing. Perfect Rembrandt lighting—wouldn’t you agree?
A reminder that nature truly is both the art and the artist—and my work is merely an attempt to capture it.
Uganda. Bwindi, Impenetrable Forest.
Humans and gorillas share most of their DNA—namely, 98.4%. Standing no more than 3 meters in front of a silverback Mountain Gorilla, I felt that connection deeply. Only about 1,063 Mountain Gorillas remain in the wild. This was one of them. 459 (according to the last 2019 Gorilla Census) live the Impenetrable Forest—a name that aptly describes the dense, lush jungle they call home. It was unlike anything I’d ever experienced. Photographing them meant navigating mostly low light due to thick vegetation—unless there was a rare opening in the canopy, like here, when the forest suddenly turned sun-drenched. But when everything aligned—light, movement, focus—magic happened.
A jolt of humility ran through my body when he looked straight at me. The image still strikes me with awe each time I look at it. As if he were posing. Perfect Rembrandt lighting—wouldn’t you agree?
A reminder that nature truly is both the art and the artist—and my work is merely an attempt to capture it.
