Highlights of Costa Rica: Final Images: Flora

 Photography in the jungles and rainforest's of Costa Rica can be very difficult. On sunny days the light is very contrasty. One secret to getting nice photos on these days is to look for small windows of nice lighting and focus in on that. If you try and include the whole scene on a sunny day you'll most likely end up with patches of brights and darks that are very difficult to combine in a pleasing composition.
  Shooting in overcast conditions gets easier, the light is more even, but it can still be pretty dark in the thick forests and there is still so much going on in any scene that finding a small area with limited distractions is still your best bet. A tripod and off-camera flash can help here as well. What I look for is a beautiful quality of light and a background that isn't too distracting. To me, pretty much anything can be stunning in the right light.

Highlights of Costa Rica 2014 - Part I

Just back from my fifth trip to Costa Rica! I truly love visiting the country and I can't wait to get back again. The photography can be very challenging but sooooo rewarding. The wildlife is incredible. Costa Rica boasts over 500,000 species so you never know what you may come across. Almost 900 bird species have been recorded and we were lucky to be able to photograph several.
 For this first post I'll share some of my favorite bird images. Over the next few days I'll post other various subject matter. Thanks for taking a look!

Costa Rica Part 4 Tiskita Jungle Lodge

 After the scheduled photo safari for Journeys International was completed I went down to the far southwestern coast, literally the end of the road, to scout a new possible location for future photo trips. Journeys recommended the Tiskita Jungle Lodge and biological preserve.
 As much as I love spending time with guests on the safaris it's always a treat to be able to explore a new area and spend time taking images just for myself. I was also looking forward to relaxing for a bit but the photo opportunities were so numerous and diverse I could never get myself to rest until it was dark out.
 There are numerous trails to explore and wildlife abounds. The tiny town of Punta Banco is a ten minute walk down the road and is a wonderful place to capture locals in their environment. An added bonus is the possibility of seeing a member of the near by Ngobe indigenous tribe.
 I stayed for three nights and would have loved to spend a few more days!
 The owners, Peter and Lisbeth Aspinall were extremely knowledgeable and shared their experiences daily. Lisbeth gave me a guided tour and was amazing at spotting wildlife. Peter was equally knowledgeable in the area of local flora and fruit growing techniques. The fruit from their orchards was available daily. What a treat for me! I drank juice several times a day. Not your milk carton variety, fresh picked and squeezed! Hard to find in Alaska!
 In short the scouting was a success. Journeys and I will be offering a new CR trip based in the Monte Verde Cloud Forest and Tiskita Jungle Lodge in the near future!

 Here is an overly large sampling of images all taken within walking distance of the lodge, all except those of the surfers and large ocean rocks. Those were taken in Pavonnes, a small surfing community five miles back up the road. Awesome!!