ENTRY DESCRIPTION
During my trip to Ethiopia, I wanted to photograph these magnificent monkeys by making very tight portraits in order to highlight their elaborate communication system. At the time of writing these lines, I still remember the strong and extraordinary sensation that I experienced observing these fascinating primates. From the first images I understood that B&W would be essential to convey all the emotions and interactions of their social life, as evidence.... The main thing for me was to reveal a look, an attitude, a mimicry, an intention. The color here brought nothing to the photo, on the contrary it harmed the reading of the image. So I treated all the portraits in B&W.
After a slow and discreet approach to a group of about thirty individuals, I sat down and gently set up my camera on the tripod. The group quickly tolerated me and ended up completely ignoring me. A magnificent male specimen with a long, thick coat of hair turned out to be the dominant one in the group. He was super protective of females, kept potential rivals at bay, and supervised young males. His position seemed predominant for the good cohesion of the group. It was exciting to watch his leadership.
For several minutes he turned his back on me. Suddenly and for a brief moment, he turned towards me, looked at me intensely and I understood the full force of his dominance over his troops. It was an unforgettable moment for , exactly what I was looking to bring out through a photograph.
Simien Mountains National Park, Ethiopia
Canon EOS 7DII + Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM

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