This monkey is a female lar gibbon. This image is part of my big photography project, “Regards d'Extinction”. It is a series of over 300 face-to-face portraits of endangered animals, spanning all animal groups—from mammals to invertebrates. This monumental photo-work required four years of work and is set for release in October 2026.
The goal behind these face-to-face portraits is to showcase the full diversity of the animal world currently facing extinction. The animals are portrayed as characters that seem to be speaking directly to the viewer. These color portraits are crafted to highlight the animals' magnificence; yet, beneath this natural beauty lies the reality that every species photographed is at risk of disappearing within the next twenty years.
As primates are among the most threatened animals on our planet, an entire chapter is dedicated to them. All species of gibbons are threatened by deforestation in Asia but also by the poaching of babies who are sold as pets.
For this lar gibbon, I wanted to capture a portrait of a female. The males are golden, while the females are always black; I felt the contrast with the white facial mask would be striking. It is reminiscent of a figure wearing a voodoo or African mask. The portrait was conceived so that the viewer could identify with the animal while being mesmerized by its gaze.
First, it is important to point out that this photo was taken in a zoo. Generally, I photograph only wild animals. But for a project like this, I couldn't make 300 round-trip flights around the world. The carbon footprint would have been too high, and most of the animals on my list have become too rare to be photographed in the wild. Furthermore, it is extremely difficult to get that close to a wild gibbon. These apes live in trees over 20 meters tall and never come down to the ground.
So, I went to a park where the species is protected to take this picture. But even in captivity, it is a very difficult task. These animals almost never look directly at visitors, and when they do, it lasts only a moment before they turn their heads away.
Thanks to the park's zookeepers, we were able to catch this gibbon's attention long enough for it to look straight into the camera lens. I had to take the photo on a cloudy day; this provided even lighting on the subject. On a sunny day, there would have been too much contrast and overexposure.
To achieve perfect color and contrast, I always process my photos on a computer—but never by cheating. The final image depicts the animal exactly as one would see it with the naked eye. I never use AI (a practice I strongly oppose). I perform retouching in Photoshop, which allows for great precision when working on specific parts of the animal.
Finally, this process also allows me to crop the image into a square format—a portrait-style format I favor for the “Regards d'Extinction” project.
