Behind the scenes: photographing gorillas

I was lucky to get this image of the male silverback, the largest in this group, with his mountainous home in the background.

The Virunga mountains beckon as you drive out of the briefing area and start your expedition.

Trackers communicate by radio contact in the dense forest.

Thick greenery awaits in the mountains, but just below their slopes are the barren after-effects of agriculture.

Emmanuel wielded a panga, clearing aside bushes. Stinging nettles still remained though.

Huge trees filled the canopy at Volcanoes National Park, like something out of the movie Avatar.

Darrel striding through the jungle, floppy hat pulled firmly over his ears.

Finally, after about an hour and a half of hiking, we encountered our gorilla group. Sometimes it’s shorter and easier; it just depends on what group of gorillas you’re searching for.

Adult gorillas adoringly pored over the younger gorillas in their group. We had to step back as this baby made his wobbly way in Darrel’s direction.

This silverback gorilla made his presence known. You never felt quite at ease when he nonchalantly pushed by, scattering side both gorilla and human groups in his path.

Walking back along the trail, I nearly missed this gorilla sleeping just off to the side.

This iconic silverback made for the most photogenic shots. It’s almost like he was posing for us.

Emmanuel has been working as a gorilla guide for 35 years. He’s talented at his job and at times appears more gorilla in his antics than human. Next to him are the four trackers, who keep tabs on where the gorillas are everyday. Human contact with the gorillas is limited to one hour per day.

The annual gorilla naming ceremony, which joyfully celebrates the naming of the newborn baby gorillas, represented by small adults/ children in gorilla suits. This year (2015) 24 newborns were named.