by Todd Gustafson
Day 4
Hummingbirds before breakfast, then up to the top of the valley for another blizzard of mountain birds. This place is beyond belief. The acorn woodpeckers were in again and beautiful. After one of Mariana’s hot chocolates we packed up our gear and drove up and over the Talamanca Mountains heading for the Caribbean side. We shot a few waterfalls and found another hummingbird habitat where we shot 8 new species! Descending from the mountains to the rain forests of La Selva was a dramatic change in temperature and humidity. We moved into rooms built up in the rainforest canopy. After supper, a night hike was just the ticket. We got to photograph the classic red-eyed tree frog as well as an amazing masked tree frog. Another day in Paradise!
Day 5
Early up and out for the rainforest of La Selva. It was a little slow to start… some birds, lots of peccaries, and a hike in the rainforest. It all heated up when we found a five foot boa constrictor asleep in a tree, right at eye level! He woke up when the cameras started clicking and we had lots of great chances as he coiled and uncoiled on his perch. Close head shots were a must, but my favorite shots were long telephoto shots that included the moss covered tree and surrounding ferns.
After lunch we found two species of poison dart frogs for a macro workshop. Lighting, exposure, angle of view, composition, shutter speed, and depth of field were all discussed.
Next stop was the forest edge next to the lodge’s open air lounge. THE TOUCANS ARE IN! I’ve never seen anything like this. There were at least 10 chestnut-mandible toucans flying around in the trees, eating bananas and landing on perfect perches. This was our chance to talk about the importance on flash compensation. There were also Black-cheeked Woodpeckers, Chachalacas, tanagers, squirrels, and howler monkeys to round out the day’s shooting.
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