Morning at the Salon

Grooming time in the Orangutan enclosure at the Sacramento Zoo. I thank

you in advance for your time.

Best regards...

-Dave

A beautiful and lovely shot, Dave!

It looks like interested in posing too...

Ruud -

Thanks for the comment.

Grigoriy-

I find that models can be quite choosy about their stylists, but I seem to get the best results when I cater to their whims.  ;~)

Best regards to you both...

- Dave

Great eye contact from the model : - ) And it looks like you have captured a gentle moment between these two.  I kind of wish the intruding vegetation wasn't in the frame, and I'm guessing you did too, but nonetheless its a great moment you have captured.

Best Regards

Alf

I love this shot, just because I was there.  It has its weaknesses as you stated, but my subjects were finally not getting into my presence.   I had been almost an hour at their enclosure, and they were starting to loose that "Why is he hanging around here?" curiosity.  They soon settled down into their normal lives with me present.  It was great!

I had thought about asking the staff about pruning the branches, but I knew it would not fly.  This was the best vantage point, matter was coming in from both right and left.  It was a very narrow window of opportunity, and a tender moment, so I took it.  I have also been unable to skillfully remove their obscurance in Photoshop.  So, it may not sell, but a copy will be up somewhere in my home.  The eye contact is eerie.

The great Ape exhibits truly unnerve me, they are far too human a creature, I seem to read too much from their body language.  It is a dire quandary before us:  They can hardly be kept in the wild, as man is killing them off at lightning pace; nor do they really seem happy in their prisons, regardless of how we try to make them non-prison like.  I am reminded acutely of the Star-Trek Episode "The Menagerie".

Oh, how I have rambled on.  I saw you have been busy getting much new material up yourself.  I am looking forward to my chance to go over them in the morrow.   Until then, you have a great day, and I will have a good night.

- Dave

Many thanks for your further enlightement to the cicumstances surrounding this shot.  The patience you have commited, is perhaps a reflection of the affection and fascination that you have for these beautiful creatures, and you have my sincere admiration for dedicating your time to "getting the shot" . You could "ramble on" all day about subjects like this Dave, and I'd never tire of reading your narrative. It would seem that their future in a wild natural environment doesn't look bright at all. Kind of makes me ashamed to be human sometimes.

Best Regards

Alf

Splendid light and color. Very interesting scene as well.