ENTRY DESCRIPTION
The male Mandrill, "Mandrillus sphinx", wasn't out to frighten me when he showed me his large canines. He was trying to impress me with his grin. Male Mandrill show their teeth as an acknowledgement and acceptance. The Mandrill is one of the most outstanding colourful Old World Monkeys. He has a face that is long, with raised blue ridges that are flanked down the length of his cheeks, and his nostrils are flared pink. His head is adorned by a crown of fur, and he wears an impressive beard. His colours win him the title of dominant male, and his peers are many female cohorts. As a human primate I wasn't completely taken by his colour, or beauty, therefore he turned to show me his outstanding blue and purple rump. Although his colour was brilliant, I saw it in black and white, as it was his appeasing smile that caught my eye.

AUTHOR
Jennifere Thompson. I am a professional photographer living in Woodford, in the mountains between Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia. I specialise in portraits of wild animals and often focus on primates. This choice has led me to travel around the world for six years. I've often gone alone to study the primate for many hours. I don't know anyone else that could stand so still. I always like to see animals living in their natural environment, though I can't always do this. Instead, I'll visit animals in human-made simulated wild habitats, rehabilitation centres and sanctuaries. After capturing an image, I create unique and distinctive black-and-white portraits, often devoid of background, as the face does not require a story beyond what the viewer sees. Instead, I rely on human subconscious thoughts to draw them closer, and look into the primate's eyes. The dark images often take on human-like features, creating a parallel of emotions that humans share with the primate. I aim to invite an audience to research an endangered species status on the IUCN Red List of Endangered Species.

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