Wildlife/Animals nominee

Observing and photographing chimpanzees in Kibale Forest was a challenge. From before sunrise we were out tracking a group of chimpanzees. All of a sudden the sounds of the group waking up were unmistakable and a good indication to get us on the right track. Once we found the group, they were high up in the trees or moving fast across the forest floor. It was early morning so they couldn't wait to get to the ripe fruit in the trees before other chimpanzees or other monkeys would beat them to it. Following them on foot, it was a matter of shooting fast when they sat down for a moment. Most of the time, however, we couldn't see or photograph them properly, so we sat down and waited as long as it took for them to start moving again. Taking this pose of reflective thinking, this particular chimpanzee displayed behaviour that reminded me of its close relative, the human being. In fact, the entire experience with them was a mirror of human behaviour and it was very touching to be so close to them physically but also to feel close to them emotionally.Kibale Forest, Kibale National Park, Uganda.

Ingrid has always been fascinated by Africa, first going there in 1994.

Although this continent and its wildlife remain her main focus, in recent years she has become involved in nature photography closer to home. Based in Belgium, wildlife, woods and the small world are her favourite subjects, but landscape photography also takes her interest. You can find out more about all of this on the portfolio page.

Ingrid organises a variety of workshops for beginning and more experienced photographers. She also leads photography safaris to Africa.

Ingrid's work has received several international awards and Ingrid regularly writes articles for photography magazines.