My Photo scholarship 2011 entry
Worldwide | Tuesday, November 8, 2011 | 5 photos
The day our truck trundled up to the remote research campsite at Guassa, the afro-alpine grassland ecosystem where I was to spend the 13 months of my life, I was certain I had made the right decision. Reaching my tent, I was able to peer over the precipitous cliffs that are home to the most interesting animals I have ever come across, Gelada monkeys.
These social monkeys sleep on the massive cliffs surrounding the great rift valley and ascend to high altitude grasslands where they graze in large herds during the day. Guassa is one of the few remaining pockets of Afro-Alpine grassland left unspoilt by ever expanding human populations and their livestock. The habitat in fact probably very closely approximates the habitat in which Geladas evolved.
While I was there as a co-manager of the research project, I soon realized what a tremendous opportunity a year spent in the field was for documenting the tumultuous life of this wild population of hardy primates. Geladas range in herds that sometimes exceed 600 individuals, so by threading our way through this mass each day, my research partner and I inevitably came across numerous stories of the 200-plus individuals we knew individually.
Through this series of photos, I tried to convey the social dynamics of growing up in the wild. For many infants, there are hardships to living in the environment, and each group's leader male is an example to look up to.
Personally, nothing inspires me more than photographing natural habitats and their inhabitants. Anthropogenic influence threatens the loss of natural features that have persisted for millenia, and I feel an imperative to expose what we stand to lose. I believe I have the potential to do so, and I believe this opportunity could help me immeasurably toward my goal.
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