March 20, 2015

A Mother's Embrace

Mountain Gorilla, mountain gorilla photos, gorillas in Rwanda, african safari, african primates, rwanda wildlife, rwanda wildlife photos, mountain gorilla baby, mountain gorilla mother, Virunga Mountains, Virunga Mountains wildlife
March 20, 2015
A Mother's Embrace

Species: Mountain Gorilla | Location: Virunga Mountains, Rwanda

I watched this gorilla mother engulf her three month-old infant in an embrace in the Virunga Mountains of Rwanda. She looked up at my camera momentarily and I was so struck by her expression. I thought of my own childhood and the comfort of being held in my mother’s arms and knew exactly how that baby gorilla felt--completely safe and warm.

Visit Julia's website to view more wildlife photos.

About The Photographer

Cropped julia cumes bio

Julia Cumes is a South African born photographer based on Cape Cod, MA. Over the course of her career, Julia has photographed for a variety of newspapers, magazines, organizations and private clients. Her work has appeared in publications such as the New York Times, Boston Globe, The Chicago Tribune, National Geographic and Washington Post. She has also worked on numerous long term projects and multi media pieces around the world. Her blog, "Apertures and Anecdotes" features a wide range of photographs and the stories behind them. During the past three winters, she spent time teaching photography to children in Rwanda as well as to tribal Samburu Women at the On'gan Women's Cooperative in Kenya. She also teaches a variety of photography workshops and classes locally on Cape Cod. "I strive to create photographs one can't turn away from--photos that are powerful and capture in a unique way this extraordinary world we live in," she says.

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