“At the top of my list to both observe and photograph is the mountain gorilla, a true blue royal. It’s almost as if you need an invitation for an audience with him.

No 4X4 is ever going to get you there – only an immersive and exhausting trek by foot, up and down mountain slopes in the middle of an equatorial rainforest. Hunger, thirst and exhaustion fall away in front of the sheer majesty on display. When you look at a silverback, it is equal parts indolence and energy. The languid ease of movement belies his menacing power and brute strength. The little ones are nervous bundles of curiosity, peeping out and exploring, but within arm’s length of their mother, her watchful eyes always on them.

Spellbound, I almost forget about my camera. Here with the gorillas, wildlife photography blends seamlessly into candid portraiture, as I attempt to capture their infinite variety of expressions, gestures and poses. There seems to spring between us a bond, peeling back the eons of human evolution, gazing at our very roots as a species. The gorillas seem like extended familial ancestor. Mesmerized, the hours flow like minutes before we must tear ourselves away.

Spending time with gorillas is an experience that’s meditative and almost spiritual in its intensity. Frankly, no other animal comes close to Number One.”

www.ushaharish.com
www.instagram.com/usha.harish.photography

My Big 5

Gorilla
Cheetah
Giraffe
Elephant
Lion