MONKEY BUSINESS

Monkey Business by Adam Allegro So, I am eagerly awaiting the D800.  In fact, I purchased a few memory cards (CF and SD)yesterday to help me handle the steep file sizes that come with the D800's 36.3 Megapixel images... Also, if you are still using the standard Nikon/Canon strap, I recommend you check out this one.  I have been using the Op-Tech USA strap on my D7000 for about a year now and just bought another one for the D800.  It is only 20 bucks and extremely comfortable.  Today I wanted to mix it up a bit.  I have been posting so many Seascapes and Landscapes recently, I realized how much I missed portraits, animals, and street photography.  So I dug in to my archive from Spain and started trekking through some of the images from Gibraltar.  I posted a collection a while ago about the mischievous ape who snuck in our hotel room and stole our food - Check it out here if you missed it.  It will put a smile on your face :) The Barbary Macaque (Apes) of Gibraltar number over 300 and are thriving.  It is the only population of this kind in all of Europe!  They are widely considered to be the top attraction for tourists in Gibraltar, and should not be missed by anyone traveling to southern Spain.  An interesting "legend" has it that Gibraltar will be under the control of the United Kingdom for as long as the apes stay on the rock.  That is why in 1942 (during WWII), when the population dwindled down to only 7 apes, Winston Churchill ordered that their numbers be replenished immediately from forest fragments in Morocco and Algeria, where the apes are thought to have originated from. For the most part, the apes are very friendly and accessible.  Signs posted tell tourists not to touch or feed the apes, since they can be territorial and aggressive at times.  We didn't have any problems at all and enjoyed every minute.  A tip if you do go: I would recommend hiking the mountain yourself, skipping the overloaded tour busses, to explore at your own pace.  The bus skips over some amazing scenery and a couple of collections of apes.  Also, they hurry you from place to place - not conducive to quality photography!  The hike around the rock is not too difficult and can be completed in about 3 hours (seeing all the sights and taking your time for photos).  Enjoy! Thanks for visiting!  Subscribe to all blog posts on the right!