World_of_Animals_Issue_46_2017

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Luke Massey
Pro photographer Luke Massey invites us
inside the wonderful world of animal
conservation photography
Through my work I try to showcase species that
are under threat or in need of attention. In the
case of proboscis monkeys they’re disappearing
in front of us – it is feasible that they could go
extinct in the next 20 to 30 years due to habitat
destruction. I hoped with my work that I could get
this story out there; I want people to look at my
photos and fall in love with these monkeys.
I headed to Tarakan [Indonesia] where the
city had engulfed the mangroves, leaving only a
tiny patch remaining where just a few proboscis
monkeys survived. With almost all my work I put
a lot of effort into researching beforehand and try
to build contacts on the ground. Here I worked
alongside a Czech primatologist who has been
working with proboscis monkeys for decades, Dr
Stan Lhota.
I’d spend all day with the monkeys; there was
actually a boardwalk so that I could follow them
through the mangroves on foot. There were two
troops in the mangroves; in the true wild with
acre upon acre of mangrove to roam there’d be
no reason for two troops to meet, but if they did
there’d be little conflict. However, in Tarakan there
was; they’d fight at least once a day when they
met, mainly due to the lack of food available.
When I took this shot it was late in the day and
the troop was beginning to prepare for roost. Most
of them were lounging about or grooming high
in the canopy; it was only these three who didn’t
think it was time for bed just yet! As the boardwalk
had a few gaping holes, I had to concentrate on
where I placed mine and my tripod’s feet. On top
of this, the monkeys are a lot more nimble than
me, and there were tall mangroves for them to
shoot through.
I wanted the main action to take centre stage,
hence using a longer focal length. I just waited
for the action to kick off again. I shot this with
a Canon EOS 1D X and a 500mm lens with a 1.4x
converter. This kit is pretty heavy so I was using
a Benro tripod to keep everything steady. In the
mangroves light can be pretty low, so luckily the
1D X is capable of shooting in low light with very
little noise, which is the grain created when you
put your ISO up.
luke Massey
www.lmasseyimages.com
An award-winning wildlife photographer,
Luke has a passion for storytelling through
his imagery, aiming to educate and inspire by
showing people species close to home and
further afield.
Location: Borneo, Indonesia
Camera used: Canon EOS 1D X
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