I’m not going to say much about this photo, other than that I feel like the eye contact made between this silver back and young gorilla is pretty powerful.
Nov 232012
Oct 052012
You might recognize this gorilla. It’s featured in a previous post in a very similar photo (Chomp,Chomp,Chomp,Chomp). I couldn’t decide which one I liked more so I processed both of them. Let me know which one you like more in the comments section.
Sep 042012
If you follow me regularly you’ll know that I had pretty much all of my camera gear stolen in Italy. If not, you can get the details here. I’ve now got an insurance check in hand and am trying to figure out what to buy. It’s a bit weird starting from scratch. I was dead set on buying the new 5d mk iii, but now I’ve looked at it I can get a used 5d mk ii and 7d for less than the cost of a mk iii. So, I’ve decided it’s not worth it. The two cameras compliment each other well, and the improvements I was interested in from the mk iii are covered by the 7d. Plus, if I accidentally drop one off a waterfall I’ll have a backup camera with me. With that decided I have to figure out what to get as far as lenses. I will be getting L-series lenses and had hoped to get them used from BH Photovideo to stretch the insurance cash as far as possible. Unfortunately, there aren’t many used L-series lenses available at the moment.
So far, I’m confident I’ll be buying another 14mm prime lens and a 24mm-70mm lens, though it’s looking like I’ll have to buy the new version of the lens I had, at a premium as it’s just been released. My big dilemma is with the longer lens. I had a 70-300mm lens, but now I’m considering switching that for a faster 70-200mm lens. That would allow me to really freeze motion, but I’m reluctant to lose the reach. So I think I’ll be buying an extender as well, which will effectively extend my reach to 400mm. I just hope I don’t get too disappointed by the drop in performance and image quality the extender causes.
Today’s photo was taken using my old 70-300mm lens. It, combined with the big, full frame sensor in the 5d mk ii, allowed me to get a nice tight photo of this guy, and then crop in even closer for a portrait.
Aug 282012
I’ve stumbled upon an interesting photo contest taking place with a fast approaching deadline (tomorrow) and decided to toss my hat in the ring. It’s all about colour. They’ve specified 5 colour categories. You have to enter one photo in each. You can read more about it at ‘Capture the Color’ photo contest at Travel Supermarket.
Blue: Last Light, Lake Ontario, Niagara-on-the-Lake
During the last gasps of sunset, as the blue hour set in, a feeling of calm overcame me. For two hours I’d rushed around, trying to take advantage of the beautiful sunset, but was repeatedly thwarted by private property and fences. Now, I sat on a beach, totally alone, listening to the cool Lake Ontario waters lap the shore a few feet away. I stayed there as the sky faded from baby blue, through to an inky royal, and, finally, star speckled black.
Green: Masticating Mountain Gorilla, Rwanda
Green fills your brain as you hike through the dense growth of the Volcanoes National Park. It’s all green, for as far as the eye can see, which isn’t very far. Then, across a clearing you spot black, punctuated clearly against the green. Was that a gorilla? There it is again, definitely a gorilla. You move closer. You’re closer than seems sensible, at first, but then you lock eyes with one, calmly chomping on the greenery, and any fear is replaced with awe.
Yellow: Young Boy with Fruit, Rwanda
Walking through Rwanda with a large camera draws a lot of attention from the local children. I was regularly mobbed and would spend a lot of time trying to get far enough away to shoot a picture so I could kneel down as they crowded round me to see it. Then, this little boy caught my eye (possibly drawn by the bright yellow shirt). He was watching intently but stood aloof. His expression caused me to decide to take a photo of him. I point at the camera and him and he smiled. Then, I knelt down to get on his level. Unfortunately, he followed suit and we played a weird up and down game until I got him to stand up straight while I knelt down for a shot.
White: Icy Stare, New York
One Christmas, walking up 5th avenue at an ungodly hour, an icy stare caught my eye. A wintery woman strode gracefully toward the window as if there were no glass to hold her back. Her servants, various white animals, accompanied her. I stepped back, startled for a moment, waiting for the thud as her forehead struck the window. But no, it was just a manikin. I could take my time to capture the moment before the bang.
Red: Eerie Light, Central Park, New York
I’ve got a great tendency to get carried away taking photos until I realize it’s dark and I don’t know where I am. Walking into Central Park as the sun is getting ready to set, with the knowledge that you’re foolish enough to stay until after dark and get lost, is eerie enough. As I did just that, I received a foreboding omen. Entering this tunnel I heard a buzz above me, followed by a loud pop, and a red light began flickering erratically. If it had been dark already, I probably would’ve turned tail and run. Instead, I took a picture.
I’m supposed to nominate 5 other bloggers. It’s probably a bit of a moot point this late in the game and I’m quite new to the network of travel bloggers, but there are 5 that I’ve found interesting:
You can follow me on Facebook, Twitter (@TraverseEarth) or via e-mail above.
Aug 082012
This little guy passed by me clinging to his mother’s back and seemed particularly interested in my camera. When she stopped and sat down he was behind her, but he crawled round to this spot and continued to watch.
Aug 012012
This guy has featured in a few of my previous photos. Click the “mountain gorillas” category to see a few of his different emotions… including grumpy, really, really grumpy.
Jul 282012
I’ve got a LOT of gorilla photos and I’m struggling to think of what more to say about them. If you want to know more about my experience with the gorillas in Rwanda click on the “Mountain Gorillas” in the categories to see all of my gorilla posts.
Jul 172012
My Shot on My Modern Met
A friend sent me a note today to let me know that one of my pictures has been featured in an article on My Modern Met about the Niagara Falls’ Stunning Festival of Rainbow Lights by Katie Hosmer. I love it when my photos appear on people’s websites. I normally spot them when people start linking into Traverse Earth or Flickr from the article. I think I like it even more when I hear it from people that have recognized one of my shots! So, if you spot anymore of my photos about the web, let me know! There’s no prize, but I’ll definitely say thanks.
Also, I’ve had a number of people point out that my photos can be copied from this website, or on Flickr, or on Smugmug. That’s okay with me. My images are all available under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported License.. That sounds complicated but all it means is if you’d like to use one of my images for a non-commercial purpose that’s fine. Just link back to me. I prefer a link back to my homepage, www.traverseearth.com, but a lot of my images that end up being used out on the web are found on Flickr and typically link back to there. So, want to illustrate a point on your blog? Go right ahead. Want to use a photo for your cover photo on Facebook? Fine by me. Just remember to point a link back to where you found it! If you’d like to know more on Creative Commons, feel free to go ahead and click the link above and explore that site.
Today’s Photo: More Tourists
When visiting the mountain gorillas in Rwanda one conclusion is really easy to draw. Silverback gorillas are truly formidable. All the other gorillas seem intrigued by your presence. They pause to watch you as they go about their daily routines. The silverbacks, on the other hand, just seem grouchy. They don’t pay you much mind but maintain this look like they could snap at any moment. I got the pleasure of watching one charge through the bush and slap another gorilla out of the way. I thought it was incredible. Cameron and Chris had a different viewpoint; they were the focus of this gorillas mock charge. Chris happened to film a video of this on his iPhone as it careened through the bushes at him at great pace. Somehow that video disappeared before I got a chance to see it. I’ve got a theory that it’s because you could hear a whimper of fear or two in the background. Chris did admit that when he played the video back it was clear that his hands were shaking during the ordeal.
This photo was taken later, at a much calmer moment. I’m not sure if this was the same gorilla or not. He doesn’t look particularly happy with our presence there. Maybe someone had just accidentally stood on a particularly tasty plant.
Originally, when I was working up these gorilla shots, I was combining three exposures and using the ghosting tool in Photomatix to deal with the subjects movement. I was happy with the results at the time, but looking back I’m not so thrilled. Now I am using one RAW exposure. In Photoshop’s Camera RAW I adjust this exposure to simulate varying exposure levels and produce three images ranging from -2 stops through to +2 stops. This is resulting in much crisper images with far less artifacts. It also takes a lot less time.
Something Interesting: A link for traveler’s wanting to fly for almost free
I don’t know exactly how much truth there is in this, but I think I’ll give it a go. Nora Dunn has written an article, “The Travel Hacking Cartel: Fly Around the World For Almost Free” outlining how she travels the world for almost free. I’m particularly interested in Chris Guillebeau’s “Travel Hacking Cartel“. I read one of his books on his somewhat alternative life path making money while on the move. His goal is to visit every country in the world by the time he turns 35 in April 2013. His blog is definitely worth a look: chrisguillebeau.com
Jul 092012
Okay, I’m really bad at naming photos. I used to agonize over what to call them. I’ve decided to just go with the first thing that comes to mind when I look at them. Unfortunately, on my first application of this rule the only thing I could think was, “Chomp, Chomp, Chomp, Chomp”. Not a great start. This new photo naming method may just confirm that I have the mind of a child. I’ve also come to the conclusion that I’ve got a LOT of gorilla shots and am starting to run out of things to say about them. So, if you want to know more about my take on these incredible animals, and see more photos, click on the “Mountain Gorillas” category.
How do you guys go about naming your photos?
Jun 252012
I’m back home from Iceland now so can get back to my daily photo posting. It was difficult to get them done while in Iceland as any time that I wasn’t desperate for a few hours sleep I was out exploring. I’m looking forward to processing and posting the photos I took there. That being said, I’m still pretty worn out so you get a quick post today and a photo of a really cute, fuzzy Gorilla.
