Want to see what it’s like to photograph wild gorillas up close and personal? Check out the clip above from the 1974 documentary Gorilla by Dieter Plage. It shows Belgian photographer and conservationist Adrien Deschryver in heart of Kahuzi-Biega National Park in Zaire, snapping pictures of gorillas from a short distance away.

In dramatic scenes the tale of an abandoned baby is shown in heart-stopping detail. Brought into the forest by Deschryver to help it adjust to its natural habitat, it begins to scream when it hears other gorillas, and is subsequently snatched from him by the dominant silverback. Stunning photography captures the sheer force of the silverback’s intimidating demonstration before he grabs the youngster.

Deschryver demonstrates one of the things you learn in Photographing Gorillas 101: don’t run when they charge.
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Mark Rober — the guy behind the gaping-hole-in-torso costume — recently came up with a creative way of getting up close and personal with gorillas at his local zoo. It turns out that apes can’t resist looking at themselves in mirrors, so Rober drilled a hole in a mirror and pointed his iPhone’s camera through it. He was then able to snag some awesome footage that most visitors would never be able to capture. This trick may also work for other animals that are known to pass the mirror test of self-awareness, including dolphins, elephants, and certain birds.

(via Make)

How do you get a silverback gorilla to put a GoPro HD camera up to its face? Stuff the case full of raisins, of course!

This cheeky ape turned photographer for a day after being handed a high-definition camera by his keepers. Silverback gorilla Ya Kwanza, 27, happily snapped away at himself and his surroundings in his compound in Durrell Wildlife Park in Jersey. The gorilla even took a number of close-up shots before returning the camera to his keepers by throwing it over the wall of his enclosure. Staff at the park also captured the gorilla photographing himself with the indestructible camera, which was covered in honey and oats. [#]

Lesson learned: if you ever lose your camera to a silverback gorilla, ask nicely and they’ll throw it back.

(via Fstoppers)

Thanks for the tip, Joe!

Toymaker Kid Robot has a line of DIY toys called MUNNYs. They’re pretty much cute humanoid-looking blobs that can be drawn, painted, and customized.

There are a couple of fun Flickr groups dedicated to these decorated darlings. We found some gems that deserve some love and attention–photographing a MUNNY can get a little funny. It’s like photographing artwork, a product, and an environmental portrait, all in one!

Here are some of our faves:

CMYK Munny Series by Connor Keller | fourtysixtyphoto.com

A clever nod to color modes, this CMYK Munny is simple but vibrantly sweet.

Gorilla Munny by Aiden O’Sullivan

Flickr photog Aiden O’Sullivan captured this fierce Gorilla Munny in his natural environment.

Munny Calavera by Kitt Walker

We’ve never seen such a suave skeleton. This Munny was inspired by the Grim Fandango PC game character, Munny Calavera.

Custom “Brain” Mini Munny by Aidan O’Sullivan

Munny AND brains, you say? This Munny is a little creepy, and brings to mind (haha) Syler from Heroes. Or Hannibal Lecter. In either case, weird, but kind of rad.

Munnys by benwatts

A Tron Munny! With better special effects than the early 1980s!

Munnys by benwatts

Here’s another Munny by Flickr Munny maker benwatts. It’s reminiscent of the Borg from Star Trek, but a bit more organic. It’s almost as if he raided both my grandma’s couches for that fabric. We like how he has a Minolta lens as an eye. He must have a photographic memory.

TK-22 Makes a New Friend by chanchan222

Domo-kun Munny and his pal meet Star Wars — it’s like a collision of fandom imagination.

Munny by Derek Purdy

This Munny looks like a guy who can take care of himself. Though he’s only adorned with a classy fedora, this Munny photo has a film noir ambiance.

week_04_03 by O*GE InteractiveGallery – Gaston

Here’s a monster Munny  that looks like the abominable snowman, but less abominable. I mean, look at that wittle paws and those itty bitty teeth!

MU001 by De Tuesday

This Rorschach Munny is based on Alan Moore’s graphic novel, Watchmen. While he’s not the cutest of the bunch, he definitely captures the raw, nihilistic spirit of the character!

Blu Spy Munny by Dan Diemer

Based off the video game, Team Fortress 2, this spy Munny is dressed to kill.

To see more, check out these Munny Flickr pools:

• Custom Munny Gallery
• Custom Vinyl Toys
• Munny Club
• The Munny Shot
• Kid Robot