Scott Brown, APEsolutely fantastic (ANIMAL & NATURE 2024)

This series of four photographs celebrates the playful and tender moments of young great apes, showcasing their vibrant personalities and similarity's to there closest living relatives ... US! The Cheekiest Grin: The first image captures a young Chimpanzee who would have been less than a year old at the time who was midway through a rollie poley with the biggest grin on her face. Typically in a Chimpanzee society a teeth baring grin would mean the animal is uneasy or fearful however in this moment it was much more like the human meaning of a smile. The pure joy and cheekiness you observe while watching a young Chimpanzee play within its environment is truly mesmerising and shows just how alike we really are. Wondering Gaze: The second photograph is a close-up of a young ape gazing inquisitively into the camera. The glint in its eyes invites viewers into its world, reflecting the intelligence and curiosity that characterize these remarkable creatures. Eyes of the Forest: When walking through the tropical jungles of Africa you often feel like you have many eyes on you. However when you come around the roots of a large fig tree and look up to link eyes with a Chimpanzee it truly is a special experience. The emotion on a Chimps face and the likeness to us really shines in that moment and the third photo shows this young Chimp skilfully climbing a tree, to try and get a snack of termites out of the nest high in the canopy. Surrounded by lush greenery, this image emphasizes their natural habitat and the instincts that drive their adventurous spirit and natural curiosity. A Forest's Thoughts: The final image captures a young male Gorilla staring into the forest thinking about his next move. The young male had just finished a wrestling match with his brother who had since left but as i stood there watching him I could only think that he was plotting to cause more trouble. Sure enough as another younger Gorilla passed him he quickly wacked it on the back and ran away while the younger animal chased after him screaming. I couldn't help but relate this to my own experiences as the older brother who would pick on his little brother just to get a reaction and again it was just another example of how alike these animals really are to man kind. Together, these images reveal the playful spirit, intelligence, and social bonds of young great apes, inviting viewers to appreciate the beauty and complexity of their lives in the wild and relate back to their link with us as humans.

Images have been resized for web display, which may cause some loss of image quality. Note: Original high-resolution images are used for judging.