Primate Portraits
If you have ever traveled through Asia you will very quickly notice the monkeys. Especially if you come from a place where there aren't wild monkeys about. For me getting to see a wild monkey for the first time was pretty exciting. It was very cliche for me to be ecstatic about the appearance of an animal that many of the locals would consider a nuisance. The first time was during a rain and thunderstorm on Railay beach in Thailand. They collected in the branches above the hillside hostel I was staying in. Protecting themselves from the rain and feeding the babies that clung to the bellies of the mothers. It is a strange thing to look into the eyes of our primate relatives. There is something there. They are looking back. Whether or not their capacity of consciousness is close to ours is not important. Maybe they are much more simple minded but in essence there is consciousnesses looking back from their eyes. A sentient energy can flow between two different species, who are not too unlike eachother.
Everywhere I went in Thailand I was on the look out for the monkey's both for the photo opportunities and for the fact that once they know you have food on you, they get pretty determined and crafty on how they get that food from you. Like us, once they know there are resources that can be taken, they pretty much won't stop until they have gotten it. They are smart and cunning and learn quickly. I don't think we give most of the animal kingdom enough credit for the potential of cognition. I recently heard a story about a group of monkeys in India who had figured out how to steal wallets and either barter with the owner to return the wallet in exchange for bananas or that the money itself had value that they could exchange for fruit from shop owners. They watch and learn. Clever bio-cousins.
I had the opportunity to snag some footage and shots of these guys while I was staying in Koh Lanta, Thailand. Some friends and I decided to go visit the local waterfall and were greeted by a pair of these little guys. Macaques I believe.
They hung around waiting for the right opportunity to snag something from our bags but we were far to vigilant for them. While they hung around I decided to get some shots of them as they were being great models. Looking right into my camera and occasionally turning their head to give me a good profile.
Which one do you like? Color or Black and White version?
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| Category | (animalphotography, portraitphotography) |
| Settings | (Captured in RAW edited in PS) |
| Camera | (Panasonic G7) |
| Lens | (Nikor AIS, 50mm f1.8) |
| Location | (Koh Lanta, Thailand) |
Not only was I able to get these still but I managed to get some nice slow motion footage of them which I will be sharing soon.
I hope you liked these shots! please let me know what you think and leave a comment below. Thanks for looking and reading.
Much love,
Arqetype
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