honorable mention
Donal Boyd united states![Donal Boyd - honorable mention Sage of the Forest](/upload/images/1680098303bqy6dboyd_donal_sage_of_the_forest.jpg)
Photo © Donal Boyd
title
Sage of the Forest
A single frame captured not by looking through the viewfinder of the camera, but by looking at him looking at us. All of the intensity collapsed into a moment of pure calm and ease.
I wondered at that moment; does he realize? Does he understand? Perhaps he does and desperately wishes he could vocalize. Afterward, still in shock, we all agreed that the most astonishing thing about being in his presence is that we actually did expect him to say something. To speak on the behalf of the forest. To bestow his wisdom. To convince the world that this Forest, his home, is not worth the destruction, the fires, and the tragedy. But he couldn’t speak. So, we must speak for him. We have to stand up for what he wishes he could.
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entry description
While documenting the protection and restoration of the forest in Borneo, our guide received word of a group of Orangutan, and soon enough, we found ourselves floating up to several females and a youngster. They clung to trees on the shoreline and all of us, speechless, could hardly hold back the crying. After some hours melted away observing their subtleties, there was a moment when their mood changed in an instant. Above us. The birds flew overhead, squawking. The trees rustled frantically in the distance as females appeared ever more anxious. Then, like out of a Jurassic Park scene, he appeared triumphantly. Bursting through the thickets. Tall and mighty. We were just as affixed as the rest of the Orangutan at his impressive stance. And he assumed the position without much hesitation. From the muddy waters where we stood, he towered above us as he looked calmly towards our small group.A single frame captured not by looking through the viewfinder of the camera, but by looking at him looking at us. All of the intensity collapsed into a moment of pure calm and ease.
I wondered at that moment; does he realize? Does he understand? Perhaps he does and desperately wishes he could vocalize. Afterward, still in shock, we all agreed that the most astonishing thing about being in his presence is that we actually did expect him to say something. To speak on the behalf of the forest. To bestow his wisdom. To convince the world that this Forest, his home, is not worth the destruction, the fires, and the tragedy. But he couldn’t speak. So, we must speak for him. We have to stand up for what he wishes he could.
back to gallery