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If you like to put your nature photography skills to the test, then hop on the next
plane to Costa Rica. Bringing back impressive images of the rainforest requires use
of a broad range of lenses and flashes. Yet you'll also have to travel light and stay dry.
This article offers a brief overview of Costa Rica and then gives some information on
how to go about planning a photo trip to this tropical jewel in Central America.
Costa Rica - A Green Paradise
Since 1994, when it leapfrogged over bananas and coffee, tourism has been the biggest
sector of Costa Rica's economy. Last year over 1 million tourists visited this tiny
Central American democracy of 4 million people. Yet while true ecotourism - tourism
that simultaneously benefits nature conservation and the local people who live near
a given protected area - accounts for an ever smaller portion of these visits, most
tourists do express an interest in experiencing the country's astounding natural beauty.
And well they should, because Costa Rica is home to an astonishing 4-5% of the planet's
terrestrial biodiversity in an area of only 19,600 square miles, roughly the size of
West Virginia or Denmark. Costa Rica has, for example, about 850 species of birds - more
than are found in all of the continental US and Canada combined. The numbers for plants
(around 10,000 species, including 1,200 orchids), mammals (280), reptiles and amphibians (380),
and insects (in the tens of thousands and counting rapidly) are similarly high. This high
diversity is due to a number of factors, the most prominent being the country's geographical
position as a land bridge between North and South America and the varied topography that
provides for a multitude of different tropical life zones and micro-climates.
Costa Rica's weather is influenced heavily by the trade winds, which come from the
Caribbean and dump rain on the Atlantic plains and the Atlantic mountain slope, leaving
the Pacific side of the country noticeably drier. This results in a wide range of
habitats packed into a very small area. Indeed, an energetic tourist could enjoy fresh
fruit and coffee while watching the sun rise over the wet tropical rainforest on the
Atlantic coast, take the highway up to sub-alpine paramo at over 10,000 feet in the
cold and mist of the Continental Divide, and arrive at a tropical dry forested beach
in time to have a cold beer and ceviche (raw fish cured in lime) while watching the
sun set over the Pacific!
Fortunately, since the 1950s, political leaders and environmentalists
(both Costa Rican and foreign) have contributed to the development of one of the most
extensive natural protected area systems in the tropics. Despite the fact that Costa Rica
had one of the world's highest deforestation rates throughout the 1970s and 1980s, an
estimated 20-30% of the country's land presently is protected by law as national parks,
reserves, and refuges. These protected areas contain representatives of most of the country's
ecosystems. Nevertheless, like all developing countries, Costa Rica is saddled with high foreign
and internal debt and is subject to the process of globalization, which, at the behest of
the regional hegemon, often places macroecomonic goals above those of a social or environmental
nature. These circumstances, together with socioeconomic inequality and population growth,
conspire to put pressure on natural resources. Thus, Costa Rica's parks face a number of
challenges. For instance, approximately half of the protected area system was expropriated
without payment to its owners, and the cash-starved central government remains unable to pay
off these debts, leaving the state's claim to the land tenuous. In addition, the parks are
increasingly fragmented as agricultural and timber interests continue to encroach. Further,
national forest policy is debated fiercely by environmentalists and timber interests, while
the rural poor have little say over the fate of the forests near which they live and work.
And while it has brought many benefits, tourism itself is starting to have negative
environmental consequences as the increasing numbers of visitors affect wildlife.
Moreover, incentives tend to favor larger-scale tourism development that proceeds with
little attention paid to environmental codes and the social effects of land and capital
concentration in the hands of large economic interests. Finally, urban ecology issues
such as water and air pollution are reaching critical proportions. Therefore, although
Costa Rica is often described as a conservation paradise and an ecotourism model for
other countries, the truth is that the struggle to conserve Costa Rican nature and to
determine who benefits from conservation continues to be complex and hotly contested.
Documenting Costa Rica's Natural Beauty
Against this backdrop, high quality photography, while perhaps far removed from
the root problems threatening natural resources, will continue to be an important
consciousness-raising tool in the fight to protect Costa Rican nature. Bringing back
a sense of this diversity on film is a challenge, particularly if you want to go beyond
simple documentary photography and inject an artistic element into your images.Heat and
humidity are, of course, constant threats to your equipment, and getting deep into untouched
forest can require hikes on slippery trails. Even in the more popular parks, where trails
are better developed, the effects of altitude, humidity and/or steep slopes will give
even a non-photographer a good workout. And tropical forests exhibit chaotic and exuberant
growth, making orderly and pleasing compositions hard to visualize. Thinking through
all the steps that go into a really good photo, while never easy in the field, can
require Zen-like concentration when you're tired, sweaty, and muddy and fighting mosquitoes
and biting flies (not to mention fogged-up glasses, lenses, and viewfinders!).
For this reason, you're best off with a lightweight equipment setup. Nonetheless, you'll
want a range of lenses and flashes capable of photographing everything from wide scenics
to tiny frogs and insects to birds and mammals. Further, you'll appreciate the speed of
fast lenses in the dark forest understory for they allow you to use faster shutter speeds,
employ large apertures to blur backgrounds, and to focus more easily in low light conditions.
I've tried to balance these concerns with my present kit. I use a Canon outfit with an
Elan 7 body, 28mm f2.8, 50mm f1.8, 180mm f3.5 macro, and 300mm f2.8 lenses, along with
1.4x and 2x teleconverters, 25mm extension tube, MR-14 EX ring flash, 420EX Speedlite, 200E
Speedlite, Phoenix 49S manual slave flash, off-camera TTL cord, cable release, Better Beamer,
polarizing filters, and a small gold/silver reflector. I opted for a lightweight Bogen 3001
tripod and a Bogen pistol grip head with quick release plates. I hike quite a bit and find the
weight advantage and quick composition possible with the pistol head to be more important
than the extra bit of stability I might gain from heavier support. (I use mirror lockup
whenever possible.) I carry my equipment in a Tamrac hip pack and appropriate cases for
the 180 and 300 mm lenses. Whatever your brand of choice, exact equipment, and favorite
subjects, do plan on bringing an assortment of gear that gives you similar flexibility in
shooting a wide range of subjects. If you plan on using zooms or lack a macro prime, make
sure you bring close-up diopters and/or extension tubes for the macro opportunities
that abound here.
Ambient exposures in forests often will be approximately 1/8-1/30 at f5.6 with ISO
100 film, even at midday. Thus you'll have difficulty if you rely solely on very slow
films like Fuji Velvia, particularly if you're using zooms or other lenses with minimum
apertures in the neighborhood of f4-5.6 (and, of course, teleconverters will only add to
the problem). Nonetheless, Velvia can be used for scenics, with flash for macro shots, or
when shooting outside the forest. Depending on how discriminating a shooter you are, you
might consider bringing about 40 rolls of film for a one-week trip, with perhaps 10 Fuji
Velvia, 20 Provia 100F, and 10 Fuji Provia 400F or a similar range of films according to
your personal preferences. I tend to to be a pretty selective shooter (because I'm a poor
grad student and struggling nature photographer!), so feel free to double this if you
don't trust me. Film prices are very high in Costa Rica, and selection is quite limited,
so bring all the film you think you'll need.
As hinted at above, while natural light can yield pleasing rainforest photos, it is
often the case with macro subjects and wildlife that flash will be necessary to gain
reasonable depth of field. Nonetheless, a reliance on full flash usually will yield a
black background which, while fine for nocturnal creatures, is objectionable for other
subjects and quickly becomes repetitive when you view your photos later. If you are not
comfortable with the use of flash, I strongly recommend you practice a few flash
techniques before coming to Costa Rica. First, as in most nature photography, balancing
fill-flash with ambient light will give the best images of birds and larger wildlife but
I find this strategy to be useful in the vast majority of my plant, insect, and small
animal photography as well. Many of my favorite images were made with a macro lens, an
exposure of f16 at 2 or more seconds, and fill flash from a conventional or ring flash
set at 1 stop underexposure.
Second, if you have a flash that can be used as a slave flash, learn to use it in
conjunction with your primary flash unit. I love the combination of Canon's MR-14 EX
ring flash and 420 EX Speedlite because it allows me to use the 420 as a slave to
backlight or sidelight a subject or to light background foliage to avoid that nighttime
look while still obtaining good depth of field and a fast shutter speed. For frogs and
other animals whose eyes call attention to the circular highlights of a ring flash,
I employ a similar technique with a small 200E Speedlite and pocket-sized Phoenix
manual slave flash.
Preparing Your Equipment
If you decide to come to Costa Rica, a few preparations with your equipment will
save you from possible problems during your trip. First, clean everything well. Second,
spray your camera bags with a water sealer to repel water. Third, stock up on silica
gel packets and place them liberally throughout your camera bags, in every pocket.
Fourth, buy two cheap throwaway ponchos and pack them in an outside pocket of your
camera bag so you can access them quickly to cover yourself and your equipment if you
get caught in a rain shower. Fifth, pack a few ziploc bags of various sizes. You never
know when they might come in handy. Sixth, bring batteries from home to avoid the
high prices here in Costa Rica. Finally, carry on all photo gear and film to eliminate
any theft problems with your check-through luggage.
For hiking, I recommend good hiking boots, cargo pants, and a long-sleeved shirt,
even in hot lowland forests. Covering up will save you from countless mosquito and
no-see-um bites and help to minimize chigger problems. I always bring plenty of repellent
with me into forests at any altitude as I've been bitten equally mercilessly by mosquitoes
in lowland swamps at sea level and in cloud forest at 8,000 feet. The bugs are not always
bad, but it's best to be prepared so you can concentrate on photography.
Planning Your Trip
A number of major airlines fly to Costa Rica, with departure points from Miami to
LA. The tourism high season coincides with Costa Rica's dry season, from December to
April. However, because the dry season is very windy and because the country is more
crowded with tourists, I suggest visiting during the northern summer months of June to
August. The rainy season will have started, and with the rains come more flowers and
insects (rainforests do have seasonal rhythms). Further, there are fewer tourists in
the country, which means that lodging prices will be lower than in the dry season, and
reserves and parks will be less crowded. During these months, mornings are often clear,
with rain showers starting in the early afternoon and skies clearing again toward the
end of the day - a perfect schedule for photography.
Although your trip itinerary should of course reflect your own interests, a fair
sampling of Costa Rica would include a visit to at least one volcano, a cloud forest,
a lowland forest, and a beach. There are a number of travel agencies that offer package
tours, but with a little preparatory reading, a self-guided trip with your own rental
car is fairly easy to do and highly preferable for photographers. Knowledge of Spanish
is a great help but is not necessary. People here are very friendly and will nearly bend
over backwards to help out a lost tourist. Keep in mind, however, that tourism-related
crime is on the rise, so you'll want to take the same precautions as you would traveling
in any other part of the world. I try not to pull out camera equipment until inside the
reserve or park I'm visiting, and I never leave my gear in an unattended car.
When choosing where to stay and eat, I strongly urge you to patronize establishments
run by local people, either as families or in cooperative groups. As nature photographers,
we care about the environment, and in the developing world this means caring about the
people who live near tropical forests. Only where local people are involved is there the
potential for true ecotourism and sustainable development.
Happy shooting!
PHOTO DESCRIPTIONS
Sulfuric stream with mid-elevation cloud forest vegetation below the Poas
volcano. A rare windless day and early morning light allowed me finally to capture this
scene that I'd admired numerous times before. Canon Elan 7, Canon EF 28mm f2.8 EX APO
HSM lens, polarizer, Bogen tripod and action grip head, cable release - f22 @ 10
seconds, mirror lock, evaluative metering at -1/2, Fuji Velvia
This gold morph of a highly poisonous Eyelash Viper (Bothriechis schlegelii)
displays elaborate camouflage patterns as it awaits a meal on a mossy branch.
The cavity just below and anterior to the eye is the heat sensor characteristic of
the pit vipers of the Crotalidae, or rattlesnake, family. Canon Elan 7, Sigma
300mm f2.8 EX APO HSM lens, Sigma 1.4x teleconverter, Canon EF 25mm extension tube,
420 EX Speedlite on TTL cord, Bogen tripod and action grip
head, cable release - f8 @ 4 seconds, flash compensation at -1, 2nd curtain sync,
evaluative metering at 0, mirror lock, Fuji Provia 100F
Extreme closeup of an amazingly cooperative Owl Butterfly (Caligo memnon).
These butterflies are commonly seen in butterfly houses in the US and Europe but one
normally catches only fleeting glimpses of them in their native forest understory habitat.
Canon Elan 7, Sigma 180mm f3.5 EX HSM APO macro lens, Sigma 1.4x teleconverter, Canon MR-14
EX Ring Light, Bogen tripod and action grip head, cable release - f16 @ 2 seconds,
flash compensation at -1/2, 2nd curtain sync, evaluative metering at -1/2, mirror
lock, Fuji Provia 100F
Red-eyed Tree Frog (Agalychnis callidryas), minimalist view -- Pentax Zx-5n camera,
Pentax FA100mm f2.8 macro, Pentax FTZ330 flash w/mini-softbox, handheld, f16 @ 1/60,
Kodak E100VS
Bizarre form of Stanhopea Orchid flower -- Canon Elan 7, Sigma 180mm f3.5
macro, Canon MR-14 EX ring flash, Canon 420EX speedlite as TTL slave, Bogen tripod
and head, cable release, f22 @ 1/125, Provia 100
Editor's Comment: Let us know what you think! Please email the
Editor
to let us know your thoughts. Gregory Basco is a political scientist currently conducting dissertation field
research on the politics of ecotourism in Costa Rica. He began pursuing photography
seriously about a year ago and has just started a small photography company.
His photographs will be appearing soon in public educational
exhibits at the Missouri and Cleveland Botanical Gardens and in a new Central American
wildlife guide published by Lonely Planet. To learn more about his research or
see his images, visit his website at
Deep Green Photography. To contact Greg with comments or questions about this
article, email him at Gregory Basco.
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