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2016 Wildlife Photo Contest

Gorilla, Virunga Mountains, Rwanda
Universal Motherhood

Species: Gorilla | Location: Virunga Mountains, Rwanda

I had an extraordinary experience observing and photographing mountain gorillas in the Rwandan jungle. I loved this sweet and familiar moment--a three month old baby gorilla demanding his mother's attention as she tried to take an afternoon nap. It struck me how universal this dynamic between mother and infant is.

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.

Check out Julia ’s photography website: juliacumes.com
Follow Julia on Instagram: @uncommonjourneys
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