Black-and-white Colobus – Colobus satanas – Colobusaap, originally uploaded by Ed Steenhoek.

What can I say? Photo’s sometimes get a bit extra by something you don’t control. The way an animal looks or poses. This case it is definitely the pose. As if this black-and-white colobus is in prayer.
For a photo like this, you need a but of luck.

Luck began when a colleague of mine, Keith McAlpine handed me some tickets for the zoo in Emmen. Hadn’t he done that, I wouldn’t have been there in the first place. Then you start walking and at some point you reach the habitat of the colobus monkeys.
They were, expect for two smaller monkeys, hard to frame nicely. So, while I was looking for a good position I kept an eye open for the two that were sort of playing.
Then, suddenly, one sat down and started his prayer. I changed position and took the shot.

So far, the lucky part…

It was only afterwards that this became bizarre.

The shot was taken on April 30th, 2009 at 11:56.
Few minutes after the attack at the Dutch Royal Familie.
Right when the the impact started to show.
About the time the victom count started at 1.

A photo that started of with luck now has a special meaning for its entire existance.