Mountain gorilla photography is essential on any gorilla trip in Uganda or Rwanda. Get the best tips for a successful mountain gorilla photography tour. Mastering the different gorilla photography tips and advice is essential if you are to have a successful photo-taking session with mountain gorillas in the wild. Photography is a must-do during any mountain gorilla trekking tour in Uganda and Rwanda. Photography tours present you with a lifetime opportunity to capture the unique pictures of mountain gorillas as they are immersed in the natural rainforest.
Gorilla trekking offers a close observation of a family of mountain gorillas in the wild. Gorilla photography is a perfect way to capture the actual mountain gorilla imagery the way it is and leaves lasting memories. Mountain gorilla photography is best done in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park, Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda and Virunga National Park.
Useful Mountain Gorilla Photography Tips
Camera lenses
The camera you choose to take should have good lenses. During the gorilla photography, expect to keep a distance of 8 meters from the gorillas. To capture great pictures of your favorite primates, good camera lenses of 70 to 200mm are most preferred. In case you need detailed shots then consider traveling with 300-400mm camera lenses. For shots in wider places, consider the lens range of 24 to 70 mm.
You need a camera free from the flashlight for your photography session. Using a flashlight camera for taking pictures can easily scare away gorillas. Besides the lenses, consider having adequate memory space to accommodate all the pictures you intend to take. The extra batteries should also be available and fully charged to keep you in the game of photography when the original one dies.
You also need a waterproof camera and lens cover. This is considering the fact that gorilla trekking is conducted in the tropical rainforest and by nature of the habitat, rains can be experienced at any time of the day.
Shooting mode
Everyone has their desired shooting mode, but the most preferred one is the aperture priority mode. This is because day or light conditions often fluctuate as gorillas also keep moving from shade to light places.
ISO setting
Generally, mountain gorillas are huge and can move to the darker end of the forest. Using high ISO settings that come with a remarkably high shutter speed is recommended. The recommended shutter speed when taking pictures of mountain gorillas should be 1/1000th second.
Post-processing
The software: After you have taken pictures, settle at the lodge and make use of the editing software, especially Adobe Lightroom/Photoshop to help you enhance your field images.
Adjustments: You can make adjustments to exposure, sharpness, contrast, and color balance. Try as much as you can not to over-process such that you keep the natural beauty of the image. Ensure that you fine-tune the highlights and shadows such that the hidden details are visible.
Noise reduction: Make the best use of noise reduction tools to help clean up your high ISO images without losing detail.
White balance: Make sure that you adjust the white balance to be certain that the colors are accurate in case you took pictures in a raw format.
Sharpening: Utilize the sharpening feature appropriately to enhance your picture details. As you sharpen, do not again overdo it as the natural look can easily be lost.
Backup and organize: when you have completed editing, ensure that your photos are backed up and organized such that you can easily access them when need be.
What to take on a mountain gorilla photography tour
Essentials to consider on your packing list for mountain gorilla photography safari include long-sleeved shirts, waterproof hiking boots, a safari hat, sunscreen, a pair of socks, garden gloves, sunglasses, a sweater, and long trousers.
Best cameras to take for gorilla photography
Top cameras to consider for your mountain gorilla photography safari include Canon EOS 90D with the sensor of 32.5 MP APS-C CMOS; Nikon D7500 with a sensor of 20.9 MP APS-C CMOS; Sony Alpha A6400 sensor of 24.2 MP APS-C Exmor CMOS, Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark III, and Fujifilm X-T30 II.
Length of the gorilla photography experience
A normal mountain gorilla trekking photography experience can take about 1 hour for visitors to capture great pictures of mountain gorillas. Visitors who embark on gorilla habituation can enjoy about 4 hours of up close and personal encounters with gorillas as well as taking pictures.
The best places to go for mountain gorilla photography
The only places that guarantee you epic mountain gorilla photography experience include Uganda, Rwanda, and Congo. On a Uganda gorilla tour, the only parks to visit for mountain gorilla photography include Mgahinga National Park and Bwindi Impenetrable National Par. In Rwanda, mountain gorilla photography experience is guaranteed in Volcanoes National Park. Lastly, the Virunga National Park in the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is another special place to visit for mountain gorilla trekking and photography experience.
The 4 national parks protect the world’s 1063 mountain gorillas that are left on the planet Earth. These apes survive in families and all the parks have already habituated gorilla groups for visitors to explore during mountain gorilla photography.
The best time to go for mountain gorilla photography
Mountain gorilla photography tours are never restrictive. Visitors can plan and embark on gorilla photography in the 4 parks around the peak dry season which is from June to September, and December to February. These are the best months of the year to experience a gorilla trekking adventure free from disruptions from weather patterns.
The wet months of the year mark the low or off-season and occur from March, April, to May then October to November. These are the months of the year when the gorilla parks experience heavy rainfall and the ground can be muddy or slippery.
Conclusively, mountain gorilla photography is a must-do whether you are on a gorilla trekking or gorilla habituation. The must-visit destinations for mountain gorilla photography in Africa include Bwindi, Mgahinga, Volcanoes National Park, and Virunga National Park.