March 8, 2011 Chacma Baboon in Kruger National Park, South Africa
Infant Chacma Baboon
Kruger National Park, South Africa
Canon EOS 1D Mk IV, 500 f4 & 1.4x III, 1/60 sec, f5.6, ISO 400
Image taken on March 8, 2011.
On our seventh full day in Kruger National Park, South Africa, we explored the area around the Satara Rest Camp. My favorite image of the day was practically the last image of the day. A couple of kilometers (about a mile) south of camp we came upon the resident troupe of Chacma baboons. Jan and I both really like infant primates, and there were several in the troupe. The youngest posed really nicely by his mother right on the paved road. While I usually avoid photographing animals on the road, I couldn't resist photographing the little guy. Because we were so close to him, and because he was in the shade and I was using a small f-stop to get more shutter speed, the shallow depth of field and tight framing makes the subject stand out and removes the environment around him.