A Stolen Moment

During a trip last year to Rwanda my wife and I spent several days trekking Mountain Gorilla's in the Volcanoes National Park. On our second day we spent a precious hour with the Agashya (Group 13) family. This family was comprised of members of all ages including some very playful youngsters. Amongst the whole family sat this one young female Gorilla who lay hidden in some bushes for the entire hour. She hardly budged an inch, did not participate in any playtime and certainly was not in any way even slightly curious about our presence. I immediately had a fascination with this Gorilla and as much as I was watching and photographing the rest of the family I continually felt myself drawn back to this youngster. I kept watching and waiting for an opportunity to steal a private moment in her life. Shortly before our hour was up a slight breeze started to come up the mountainside and for a brief moment a tiny hole was opened up for me, just big enough to catch a glimpse of her lost in deep thought. It's a precious moment, one which I will cherish forever and to have had the elements all come together to make it happen makes this image something very special to me.

Equipment: Nikon D3s, Nikkor 70-200mm