A homage to Ham
A thoughtful looking chimp in the dense dark forest of Kibale - shot at 200mm @ f/4, 1/100s, ISO 64, EV -3.3
Ham was the name of a rather famous chimpanzee. I hadn’t paid that much attention to these primates since reading about Ham and his role in the cold-war space race. He was the first chimpanzee to enter space (Enos was the second and only other chimp in space … and hopefully the last!). Ham entered a sub-orbital flight on top of a Mercury Redstone rocket in 1961 as the Americans tested rocket flight with animals ahead of launching humans into space. He was weightless for 6 minutes and while in space a valve malfunctioned subjecting Ham to a massive 17G worth of accelerated force. When he splashed down into the sea and the capsule was hoisted on-board USS Donner, Ham popped out and shook hands with the ship’s captain. He retired from NASA in 1963 and lived in a Zoo until his death in1983, age 25 years – which incidentally is a pretty long time for a chimp.
Mum and baby in the Kyambura Gorge - shot at 400mm @ f/4, 1/1000s, ISO 2200, EV -1
It was an altogether more natural and tranquil experience to observe chimpanzees at close quarters on my recent Uganda adventure. Observing these wonderful creatures in their natural habit of the mountainous rainforests of equator was truly special. See the Primate Gallery for more photos of chimps.
This chimp looked a tad miserable high up in the pouring rain - shot at 400mm @ f/4, 1/40s, ISO 320, EV -2.7
Chimps are in so many ways similar to humans (after all they are our closest living relative) and then again, they are so totally different. Chimps weigh 30-70kg and are up to 170cm tall. They inhabit a ‘3D space’ and are as comfortable 50m high up in a tree as they are in the jungle thickets on the ground. They effortlessly ‘walk vertically’ with their incredible grip, limb-strength and balance. Chimps are considered endangered with only an estimated 150-300,000 individuals remaining due to loss of habitat, poaching and disease. This is a population reduction of 80% in the last 100 years.
Dark jungle with tiny beams of light - shot at 200mm @ f/5, 1/200s, ISO 1400, EV -2
Photographing chimpanzees is not straight forward. They reside deep in the jungle of tropical Africa including Uganda. We trekked in the forest at Kibale National Park and down into the Kyambura gorge in our attempts to get close and capture images of these primates in their habitat. We only achieved this with the help of the excellent and friendly guides and spotters of the Uganda Wildlife Authority and the Ugandan Army.
A helping hand - shot at 200mm @ f/5.6, 1/20s, ISO 800, EV -1.3
The UWA have spotters who at dawn tracked down troops of chimpanzees and called us in via mobile communications. Armed with AK-47s and a PKP machinegun (not sure why a machinegun was necessary :-o) the UWA and the army would lead the way into the jungle, employing machetes where necessary to carve the way through the thickets. We would trek for hours up steep hillsides to get close.
Although rare, attacks on humans can occur and they have the teeth to cause damage! - shot at 200mm @ f/4, 1/100s, ISO 180, EV -2
If reaching a troop is hard enough, then the next challenge is to capture images of the chimps. The jungle is dense and very dark, with streams of strong light flowing through the foliage creating a very contrasting backdrop. The terrain is uneven, steep and filled with impenetrable thickets. Add to that the chimps’ habit of enjoying it high up in the trees, against very strong light, and the challenge is clear. In addition, the UWA would only allow us to be in the vicinity of the troop for one hour. Plus, we wore facemasks to protect the animals, which added to the photography challenge in the humid and hot environment. The facemasks caused the camera viewfinder to fog up, so not only was it dark and contrasty, but you ended up shooting almost blind through a fogged-up viewfinder … composition could become a bit of a guesswork.
Shot at 560mm @ f/4, 1/1000s, ISO 250, EV +1
Shot at 400m @ f/8, 1/40s, ISO 25600, EV -0.3
The trick was to be patient and focus on an individual chimp even though its position high up in the leaves was not particularly promising for a photo op – eventually it would make its way down a tree and the opportunity to catch an image increased. Significant negative exposure compensation was often required to avoid blowing out the strong highlights shining through the foliage. The end result was often a very dark image, which then needed careful post-processing to draw out the detail and balance the contrasting scene. The low light invariably resulted in high-ISO images unless an aggressively slow shutter speed was dialled in. But wow! … It was a rewarding and incredible experience observing and attempting to photograph these magnificent primates.
Relaxing in the dense undergrowth of the rainforest - shot at 200mm @ f/5.6, 1/15s, ISO 1100, EV -0.7
Not moving in a hurry! Resting 20m up in a tree - shot at 400mm @ f/4, 1/250s, ISO 400, EV - 1