Dressing appropriately is important to know before taking gorilla photo holiday. Trekking through the rain forest can be muddy and wet even in the absence of rain. Make sure to: Wear light and breathable clothing that can be easily removed and changed should the need arise.  Wear a sturdy, waterproof jacket and pants.  Where possible, avoid cotton clothing, as they tend to soak up moisture and take very long to dry. Instead, invest in quality Merino wool outdoor clothing as they are lightweight and dry quickly. Keep in mind that a typical trek last a minimum of 3 hours, but can sometimes go up to 7 hours when there are more trekkers doing the same trail. Dress as comfortably as you can for the long hours!

Other clothing items that may be good to have included a hat to protect your scalp from the rain or sun as well as gloves to protect your hands when you grab on tree barks and vines that may sometimes be particularly sharp. Carry a waterproof bag and keep your camera equipment in a plastic zip lock bag as an extra safety precaution. Leave bulky equipment at home and settle for smaller, lightweight cameras that are easy to lug around. It is also protocol on gorilla photo safaris that you leave your bags (backpack or camera bag) about 100 meters away from the group of gorillas that you encounter. In this case, pockets will come in handy for storing various camera accessories and batteries when you get up close with a gorilla.

Use of Short Lenses is also very necessary to know. Note that you are usually required to stay at least 7 meters away from the group of mountain gorillas that you come across but they often come closer to you out of curiosity. In this range, short to medium lenses are best suited for gorilla photography. Remember that there is strict 1-hour time limit duration in place that you are allowed to spend with the gorillas so fiddling with long telephoto lenses will take up too much valuable time.

Special tip: DSLR bodies with 24 to 105 mm zoom and 70 to 20 mm zoom is ideal for gorilla photography. Turning Your Flash Off is a must know. Flash photography is not allowed when in close proximity with the gorillas so be sure to turn it off and disable the automatic flash.

Frame Your Images Creatively. Shooting photographs in the wild means that your subjects won’t pose for you. In this case, you have to get creative when it comes to framing your images. Take a look at your surroundings and borrow from nature. Look for creative angles incorporating vines and bamboos that will help you photograph the mountain gorilla in a more interesting way. You won’t find great lighting in the jungle, but don’t fret too much about the lighting of the image. They can always be fixed later on using editing programs like Light room and Photoshop.

Put the Camera Down. While it is certainly priceless to capture perfect photographs of mountain gorillas in the wild, when you’ve captured a shot or two, do put the camera down and truly interact with the wildlife you are encountering. Don’t fret too much about the imperfection of your image. Take some time to just enjoy the moment. You only have one hour with the gorillas so do take it easy. After all, the memories of your encounter are far more special than any photograph that you can capture!