Costa Rica Rainforest Photo Tour with Tom and Cree Bol

Description: Adventure with Tom and Cree Bol to Costa Rica to photograph the colorful mammals, birds and plants of the rain forest. Expect to wake up each morning listening to scarlet macaws in the almond trees near your room, and howler monkeys  ‘howling’ in the distance.  The resort grounds include an estuary with breeding green herons, green kingfishers and boat-billed herons.  Other trails lead to the beach and through the forest where you will see toucans and perhaps a sloth hanging in the trees. Golden-headed Caracaras and roadside hawks are common, and you can practice your panning technique as they fly past your room.

Each day we have set up excursions to photograph the spectacular wildlife and rainforests of the Osa Peninsula.  One of my favorite things to do in Costa Rica is photograph reptiles like red-eyed tree frogs and tiny, colorful dart frogs. We will work with professional guides who will set up still life scenes with tree frogs and snakes so you can focus on getting the shot in the perfect (safe) setting.  This is a great time to work on your macro photography, and experiment with flash.

Other days we will travel by van and photograph the abundant larger wildlife including four species of monkeys, sloths, coatimundi and anteaters.  We also take a wildlife cruise down the Sierpe River in a comfortable pontoon boat with local guides. Bring a lot of flash cards, because the wildlife is abundant, including caimen and crocodiles.

Interested in bringing a non-photographer Spouse/Friend/Guest?

Crocodile Bay offers a very appealing rate for non-photographers. If you pay the single supplement rate of $8099, a second guest can join you for only $2499. This guest rate includes all meals, hotel stay in San Jose and round trip flight from San Jose to Puerto Jiminez. This is a $3200 savings from the cost of full workshop participants. Non-photographers can sign up to participate on activities through the resort but will not join the workshop group for photography activities.

Our schedule:

Day 1: Arrive San Jose, meet in lobby for orientation meeting at 7:00 pm at a Hilton Hotel in San Jose

Day 2: San Jose to Puerto Jimenez. We fly down (50 minute flight) to the Osa Peninsula today.  We will get settled in our rooms, and have a class on rainforest photography techniques. This afternoon we head to the Perica Sloth Garden to photograph one of the slowest animals on the peninsula.

Day 3: After a delicious breakfast, we will spend the full day driving south on the Osa Peninsula.  This drive offers fantastic wildlife shooting and stunning views of primary rainforest. Expect to photograph monkeys, sloths and a wide variety of birds.

Day 4: Macro morning!  We will head to La Tarde, located on a beautiful hillside looking into Corcovado National Park.  Here our guides will arrange a variety of tree frogs, dart frogs and snakes for macro photography.  You will be amazed! In the afternoon we offer a class on how to use artificial light to illuminate heliconia flowers and leaf cutter ants.

Day 5: We head out onto the Gulfo Dulce in speedboats today to photograph marine mammals, shorebirds and to explore the mangrove estuaries. This is also a great opportunity to photograph landscapes of the rainforest from the water.

Day 6: Second Macro Day – This morning we will drive to the Tapir Lodge to photograph more frogs and snakes including the Emerald Glass Frog  After a tasty lunch at the lodge, we will visit the Hummingbird and Butterfly Garden to capture up to 4 species of hummingbirds.

Day 7: Today we will re-visit one of our earlier locations to round out our target species list. In the afternoon we will host an Image Review and celebrate all the great images created during our week in the rainforest.

Day 8: Early return to San Jose to catch your international flight home.

About the Resort
We stay in the beautiful rooms at Botanika, right across from the Crocodile Bay reception area and just minutes from the airstrip. After a full day of photography, you can return to your air-conditioned room (many eco-lodges in the area do not have AC) to freshen up before dinner.  The food is excellent and includes a wide selection from salads, sandwiches and steaks to tasty fresh seafood and pasta. The kitchen can accommodate any special dietary needs.  There is a terrific bar too. One thing that impressed me was how friendly the staff are. They really go out of their way to help you with anything.

Our natural history guides during the day are incredible.  They are experts at finding animals and birds in the jungle, and know how to get in the right position for photographs. The guides have grown up in the area, so they know exactly where to go for specific species.  If you want to relax even more, then take a swim in the pool or schedule a massage at the spa. All meals and wine at dinner are included in the price!

Another fantastic benefit of this location is a large, air-conditioned conference room.  Unlike my previous workshops in Costa Rica, we will have class sessions and image reviews during this trip.  This will be a great opportunity to learn specific techniques for photographing in the jungle, and get a chance to see everyone’s images from the trip (always a highlight and very educational).

New This Year: Want to stay a few days longer to enjoy the resort before or after the workshop? Fly in early or leave later and relax on the grounds. Inquire for more details

What can you expect to learn? A huge amount!

Wildlife techniques; this is your chance to really improve your wildlife photography.  We’ll show you specific tips on camera settings, focus modes, panning and composition.  You will have plenty of time to practice; just step outside the conference room and photograph the scarlet-rumped tanager nearby.

Macro photography; We will have excursions to photograph small reptiles including dart frogs, tree frogs and snakes.  The reptiles will be handled and positioned by professional guides so you can focus on your macro photography.  This is one of my favorite days, and the photography is stunning. The hotel and nearby jungle will have lots of flowering plants in April, so you can continue working on your macro shooting right near your room.  We will talk about macro lenses, reflector use and composition.