A share of the dream
Testimonial by Thierry Riols, wildlife photographer
From his many journeys around the world, Thierry Riols brings back images that are moving and full of life.
A wine merchant in the Luberon, this wildlife photography enthusiast has captured crocodiles in Uganda, brown bears in Finland, kingfishers in Kenya, and mountain gorillas in Rwanda.
He has just returned from Sumatra, a trip organised by Etendues Sauvages.
A rare experience during which he was able to approach and photograph orangutans in their natural habitat.
Sumatran orangutan © Thierry Riols
– How did the encounter with the orangutans go?
It was the most intense experience of this trip. We were able to observe them two days running, in the jungle.
It’s a fairly exceptional moment, because orangutans are hard animals to observe. They are quite solitary and live in trees up to 40 metres high. They are remarkable animals, moving with incredible agility through the network of branches in the jungle. We observed two females, one with a one-month-old infant and the other with a four-month-old, as well as a pair and an old male. Since these are animals that were released after a period in captivity, they are less wary and easier to photograph. Of course, I had to adapt to the fairly dark environment and the many branches and trunks that partly obscure the view, but I’m very satisfied with the photographs I took. It was a pleasure to watch the animals going about their usual business. We witnessed a very touching moment when a mother orangutan pre-chewed fruit before feeding it to her baby. There are always strong emotions in such moments, but you have to quickly master them to get good photos while still paying attention to the guide’s instructions.
Sumatran orangutan © Thierry Riols
– Which photographs would you still like to take?
I’d like to be able to capture cheetahs in full sprint. For years I tried to observe cheetahs. I made several trips to Namibia in particular, but for me they were hard to find. In the end I managed to photograph them playing, drinking, and caring for their young, but never running, even though their incredible speed is one of their defining traits. I don’t look to photograph animals just to get attractive shots — I like to see them in action, in their natural habitat.
Even at home, in the Luberon, I’ve set up feeders in front of the house to watch the birds. In a way, my photographs are a record for future generations of how animals live, particularly threatened species.
Sumatran orangutan © Thierry Riols
– What are your next trips?
My wife and I will probably go back to Costa Rica, where we had a wonderful trip. There’s a great variety of birds to photograph there, as well as numerous volcanoes. Next year we’re considering going to Australia. I’m already starting to research the animals that live there.
I’ve been passionate about travel and photography since I was young, and I intend to keep going for a long time yet!
To discover Thierry Riols’s photographs, visit his website:
