Photography Tips for Gorilla Trekking
- ach priscy
- Dec 19, 2024
- 6 min read
Updated: Jan 30
Some of our foreign volunteers love to explore Uganda when they come to work with us. Gorilla trekking is one of their favorite adventures and have some have asked for photography tips to capture this once-in-a-lifetime experience. So, here’s a guide for DSLR and Mirrorless camera uses, to help you make the most of your trek—and bring back stunning photos.
Gorillas are a conservation success story, yet they remain critically endangered. Thanks to dedicated conservation efforts, their numbers have risen to over 1,000 across Uganda, Rwanda, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Gorilla trekking not only offers a chance to see these incredible creatures up close but also plays a vital role in protecting them. Tourism revenue supports anti-poaching efforts, habitat preservation, and education programs, ensuring local communities understand the importance of gorillas to their economy and livelihoods.
When you trek, remember that your visit directly contributes to conservation and sustainable tourism.
Gorilla trekking is an unforgettable experience, offering a rare opportunity to observe endangered mountain gorillas in their natural habitat. Trekking takes place in the forests of Uganda, Rwanda, or the Democratic Republic of Congo, where you’ll be led by guides to locate habituated gorilla families.
Each day, gorillas move to new locations, which means your trek could range from a short 15-minute hike to a grueling journey of several hours through dense jungle and steep terrain. Guides often assign fitter tourists to groups further away, while those with mobility challenges are placed with closer family groups. For an additional fee (around $300), porters can assist elderly visitors or wheelchair users to reach the gorillas.
Gorilla families typically consist of 5 to 15 members, and you’re permitted only one hour with them. This brief but magical encounter is your chance to capture incredible photos—if you’re prepared.
What to Expect on the Trek
Terrain and Lighting: Expect variable terrain, thick vegetation, and inconsistent lighting, ranging from dappled sunlight to deep shadows.
Close Encounters: You’ll maintain a safe 7-meter distance, but the intimacy of the encounter feels surreal.
Unpredictable Weather: Sudden rain showers are common, so prepare to protect your gear.
Camera Gear and Settings for Gorilla Photography
Best Lens: A 70-200mm lens is ideal. While I initially tried a 24-105mm lens, I quickly switched to my 70-200mm and it's all I used thereafter. 70-200mm offers the perfect range for gorilla photography, allowing you to capture both detailed portraits and contextual shots.
Mode: Shoot in Manual Mode with Auto ISO. Modern cameras handle high ISO remarkably well, and it’s better to have a slightly noisy image than a blurry one.
Recommended Camera Settings
Aperture:
f/5.6 for single gorilla shots.
Consider increasing to f/7.1 or higher if multiple gorillas are in the frame to ensure a greater depth of field.
Shutter Speed:
Set your shutter speed to 1/200 second for standard gorilla movements, like slow walking and foraging. If your camera does not have image stabilization and you don't have steady hands, or if the gorillas are more active than simply sitting around eating slowly, or if you have bright conditions, then use 1/250th as your default. Increase to 1/500 or faster for rapid action, such as gorillas playing vigorously. I used 1/200th for all of my photos and none had motion blur, but don't shoot slower unless the light is dim.
ISO:
Use Auto ISO to adapt to the jungle's fluctuating lighting conditions. Most of my photos were taken between 4000 and 6400 ISO. The day was overcast, we were in the jungle with occasional open patches of sky, and mid-morning light. That is the lighting scenario you will most likely have too. I used to be afraid of such high ISO numbers, fearing noisy or grainy photos, but with modern cameras and noise reduction software, ISO up to 10,000 is still acceptable in my book. So just get the shutter speed and aperture right, and let the camera decide the ISO to fit.
Exposure Compensation:
This is important: set the exposure compensation to +0.7 stops to avoid underexposing the gorillas’ dark fur. This ensures their faces and fur are well-detailed, even if the background vegetation becomes slightly overexposed. The jungle leaves can be like little shiny and very bright mirrors, especially if wet. If your camera exposes for them, the gorillas will be underexposed. By cranking the exposure up 0.7 of a stop you will get all the fur and face details in your exposure. But a word or warning - the noses of the gorillas can be shiny and reflect light too, so watch this area doesn't overexpose if you are in direct sunlight.
Autofocus:
Use animal eye-detection autofocus if available. If branches obstruct the subject, switch to a small focus area and manually position it on the gorilla’s face.
f5.6, 1/200 sec, 170mm, ISO 4000, +0.7 exposure compensation, Subject Distance 8.8 meters.
More Tip Details
Let your camera adapt to Lighting Changes: Jungle lighting varies dramatically depending on cloud cover, vegetation, and the gorilla's position in the sun or shade. Auto ISO handles these changes effortlessly while you focus on composition.
Gorillas Are Black—Expose Accordingly: Bright rainforest leaves can reflect light and mislead your camera's meter. Spot metering or exposure compensation (add +0.7 stops) ensures the gorilla is correctly exposed. The last thing you want is beautifully exposed jungle leaves with a black blob of a gorilla, devoid of details in the face and fur.
Forget the Tripod: Leave your tripod at home; it’s cumbersome and unnecessary for this type of photography.
Gear Protection: Bring a plastic bag or dedicated rain cover for your camera in case of rain.
Pack Essentials:
Carry a spare battery and memory card.
Remove polarizing filters, which can darken your shots and unnecessarily increase ISO.
The key Trick: Set It and Forget It!
To fully enjoy your time with the gorillas, pre-program your camera settings before the trek. Use these settings as your go-to:
Mode: Manual with Auto ISO
Aperture: f/5.6
Shutter Speed: 1/200
Exposure Compensation: +0.7
Lens: 70-200mm
This set-up worked perfectly for me. I didn't alter the shutter speed or aperture at all during my hour with the gorillas; I was so engrossed in the experience that I even forgot to check my photos as I shot—and they turned out great!
I chose f/5.6 because it provides enough depth of field to keep the gorillas in focus, even when they were reaching for branches or when two gorillas were side by side. It also softened the background just enough to keep the attention on the gorillas without introducing too much distraction. A wider aperture like f/4 or f/2.8 would have reduced noise and allowed for a lower ISO, but the shallow depth of field risked parts of the gorillas being out of focus. On the other hand, stopping down to f/8 would have brought too much of the background into focus and required a higher ISO, adding noise.
For the shutter speed, I found 1/200 second to be the right balance—just fast enough to avoid motion blur from moving gorillas without needing a much higher ISO that could introduce more noise when using a faster shutter speed.
These settings were a compromise that worked well for me and allowed me to capture sharp, well-composed images of the gorillas. But it's all about artist choice!
And of course, you might be a whiz at quickly flicking though settings on your camera, to keep up with changing lighting and action, but I'm not so fast with the dials. Having my camera settings locked in before encountered the gorillas, and leaving them at that, made the experience more relaxed and fun.
Post-Trek Editing
Shooting in RAW format allows you to recover details and fine-tune exposure during editing. Tools like Adobe Lightroom or Photoshop are excellent for adjusting exposure, contrast, and noise reduction. Cheak out DxO PureRAW4 noise reduction software if you end up shooting at a high ISO.
