A Photographers Guide to Shooting in The Amazon

White Caiman

Few places in the world elicit the idea of adventure quite as much as “the Amazon”, vast swaths of uninhabited, untamed, and unparalleled wilderness.   If you were to be dropped in at random to any point of this jungle and examine a single square meter of the forest, you can be sure to encounter some unique creature, and possibly something that could send you right back to civilization in a great deal of pain.   It seems like everything here is either built to defend itself with voracity or to hunt with precision.   Frogs whose skin weep toxins that will paralyze, ants whose sting is as painful as being shot by a bullet, and fish that can turn a carcass to bone in minutes. The vast majority of people wouldn’t visit this place just because of the mosquitos, let alone the heat, the snakes, the spiders, and toothy predators that definitely saw you, even if you didn’t see them.   

But in this battlefield of biodiversity is a beauty that you will never find anywhere else.  Beetles that are more ornate and beautiful than the most valuable jewelry, snakes so colorful you’d think a neon sign was slithering through the branches, or so camouflaged that seeing them feels like finally getting your eyes to focus on that magic eye poster you had as a kid.   Properly equipped, even the dangers of the amazon can be within acceptable limits.   People have survived here nearly naked for thousands of years. With my knee high gum-boots, long sleeves, gps and an unhealthy amount of Deet, it’s a walk in the worlds largest and most incredible botanical park.  

Palm Viper (Bothrops bilineatus)

Where to Stay

The Tambopata Research Center

I’ve spent a lot of time in environments like the Amazon, having lived in a tent for three months total in Corcovado National Park in Costa Rica while on a grant project for National Geographic photographing bull sharks that swim up-river into the Sirena river, and a previous foray into the Peruvian Amazon many years ago.   I can admit that the first few months I spent in these environments produced very little of my work because I was still figuring out how to be comfortable, much less to create interesting work.  Now, my preferred method is to stay in one of the Amazon lodges where I have access to a shower, clean water, cooked meals, and a comfortable bed surrounded by mosquito netting.  That takes out at least 80% of the variables, and leaves me with the simple task of keeping myself comfortable while out exploring, and lets me focus on finding what it is that I’m there to find.  My first choice of places to stay are in the Rainforest Cruises “family.  They have a group of lodges near the Tambopata Reserve that offer day trips into the reserve itself, as well as their crown jewel lodge, the Tambopata Research Center.   The first time I visited, I was expecting more of a ranger station like I’d stayed in on previous trips, and was prepared with a hammock and some instant meals. I was shocked to find a luxurious room with a shower, queen bed, and the lodge had a bar and cooked meals three times a day.  I suppose a little research on my part would have gone a long way.  There are still places where you can rough it.  But it’s really nice to be near clean water, bathrooms, and a working kitchen.  If you want to hike the 16 kilometers in or take a boat to it, the Rio Sirena Ranger station in Costa Rica’s Corcovado National Park is positioned in the most biodiverse place in the world, and has rustic but suitable facilities that will help make your stay a little more comfortable.   It’s every bit as wild as the Amazon, and though less remote in terms of distance, it’s every bit as remote in reality.

Scarlet Macaw’s in flight.

Camera Gear to Bring

The Author wishing he was wearing long sleeves while photographing near a swamp

In my dream scenario, I’d love to visit the Amazon in three well planned out visits.  On the first, I’d focus on bigger things, like monkeys, birds, jaguars, snakes and frogs, I’d take a 70-200mm lens, and a super-telephoto. I’d spend all my time searching the clay licks, the riverbanks, and sitting in hides.  The second visit would be all about the little guys, I’d take a 100mm Macro lens, some extension tubes, (and some powerful lights) and I’d look for the interesting bugs, the tiny poison dart frogs, and the patterns designed to either camouflage or strike fear.  The third trip would be all about the plants, and I’d take a macro and a normal lens so I could explore the little funguses and flowering orchids.

The reality is that few people can take three separate trips, and it would be a bummer to be set up for a macro shot and see a jaguar just beyond the reach of our lens* so we end up hauling all that gear around with us everywhere we go.  What we can do is divide our days up to focus on specific things.  

Here are my selections for lenses that I’d use with my Sony A7R3:  A 90mm macro lens can be used for a lot more than just macro, a 70-200mm 2.8 will let you get close without getting close to snakes and frogs, and a good super-telephoto are the main lenses that you’ll get use out of.  I made a huge mistake on my last trip and tried the 200-600mm Sony lens, and it was a tragedy, nothing shot at 600mm was usable.  

Don’t forget lighting, even in the middle of the day it can be really dark under the forest canopy.  For things like frogs and snakes a strong off camera light source like this Neewer Light panel was really helpful, but for true macro, there’s no substitute for a flash.

*I was once in a river photographing bull sharks with a 16-35mm lens, and a melanistic jaguar swam by just far enough away that there was no chance of shooting it.  It climbed up on a fallen tree in the river and lept through the air to the other river bank, and all I could do was watch.

Finding Your subjects

Monkey Frog

There is no beating around the bush, the best chance you have to spot incredible animals is to hire a guide.  If you want to be like the best wildlife photographers in the world, you hire a guide.  All the guides I’ve worked with in these amazing places have stories about the National Geographic photographer they dragged around, or the time they guided the Discovery Channel crew.   We photographers love to act like we don’t need help, but there is nothing that can replace a local with a trained eye.  Every time I tried to lead, I’d end up having to retrace my steps to see the creature that my guide had spotted exactly where I’d already looked. 

Capybara on the riverbank

For birds and mammals like capybara and jaguar, the best way to find them is from the river.  Cruising along in a boat the animals mostly ignore you, and it’s one of the few places that you can see any real distance as your view isn’t obstructed by vegetation.  To see frogs and snakes, night hikes are the way to go, and often they will allow you to get right up next to them.

My Guide Jose is a prolific bird photographer, who’s skill at shooting in this environment was astounding.  He could call the birds in, and predict where they would land next.   Those skills take years of practice and local knowledge that I don’t have.  To see his work, or to connect with Jose for your own trip take a look at his Instagram.

Tips on Shooting in the Jungle

A squirrel Monkey

In my professional opinion, jungles are the hardest environment to shoot in. The contrast is extreme, with tropical sunlight beaming through dense layers of canopy.  The moment you put any direct light in your photo everything is either washed out, or becomes a silhouette.  The alternative is to shoot sunrise and sunset, but it hardly helps because it’s just too dark.  The humidity will seep into your lenses, and if you didn’t store your lenses in an airtight container or dry bag with silica, that lens is now out of commission. 

Lenses that extend to achieve their focal lengths are the worst in this environment.  Because they have air inlets that allow them to extend, every time you change focal lengths they are sucking in or pushing that humid air out of those little ports.  They aren’t unusable, but they have to be cared for appropriately.  

Whatever your camera claims, your ISO can’t go high enough.  It’s just too dark, and things move quickly. I have a camera that handles high ISO extremely well, and I still ended up purposefully underexposing everything at lower ISO in RAW format so that I could expose the image in post.   It’s a technique that works at lower ISO, but isn’t so successful if you bump it up too high. 

You have to think of shooting in the jungle almost like shooting at night, your eyes have adjusted to the meager lighting, but your camera hasn’t.  Add light when you can, and when you can’t add any, if your camera can handle it, I suggest you use the underexposing method.  It’s not poor technique, it’s utilizing and understanding what your camera is capable of. Grain is better than blur.  

Dealing with the Biting Things.

A Brazilian wandering spider, the most dangerous spider on earth.

Some people have bug phobias, I don’t.  That doesn’t mean that I like being bitten, or listening to mosquitos exploring my ear canal as I try to sleep.  There are a lot of bugs in the jungle, and snakes, and spiders… But please don’t let that turn you off.  Properly prepared they really aren’t an issue at all. 

Whether you’re sleeping in a hammock or a fancy lodge, a good mosquito net is the first and most important part of a comfortable stay in the rainforest.  Some might suggest getting one that is soaked in permethrin, but I’ll talk about that more later.   Snakes typically avoid people, and their first defense is to lay still and hope we pass on by without ever seeing them.  That’s good if you keep moving, and bad if you’re not watching your step and plant a foot right on top them.  They are really only something you need to keep an eye out for when you're rummaging through the forest. 

When I think of being comfortable in hot and humid environments, I imagine sleeveless shirts, lightweight shorts and sandals.  But not here, not ever.  The only places you should dress so lightweight is in the shower and in the safety of your mosquito netting.   Better are long sleeve shirts, a buff, some cargo pants with thick material and a loose fit, hiking socks pulled up OVER the pants, and at the bare minimum, shin-high gumboots.  Gumboots will deflect some snakebites, and stop the smaller ones, but they aren’t going to stop a bushmaster so you still need to watch your step.   Lodges like Tambopata Research Center are going to provide you with gumboots, so that makes it easy.  If you’re still nervous, get some hiking poles, and pre-poke wherever you plan on stepping.

There’s a lot of options out there for mosquito repellent.  Since nobody likes to put harsh chemicals on their skin, marketing gurus have introduced lots of deet free options; citronella, permethrin, and more… I’m not a fan of 100% deet, but I am a believer.  Deet is the only thing I’ve ever found that works. I put it on a buff and put the buff around my neck, I put it on my hat, and my clothes, and I don’t skimp.  If it’s really bad, I spray my skin.  Better to deal with some Deet in my bloodstream than getting malaria again.  If you still are considering using anything else at all, I urge you to check out this study done by the New England Journal of Medicine, spoiler alert, nothing else really works. 

If you go check out the CDC website, you’ll see the Amazon is a hotspot for yellow fever, malaria, dengue, and more, and it is.  The best defense, better even than malaria pills, is to cover up, and wear good bug spray.   The dengue and malaria carrying mosquitos are most active around dusk.  Do what you want with that information.   Having had malaria, I can honestly say I don’t want it again, but I also react very violently to malaria medication.  It’s best to just not get bitten at all. 

Who Should Go, and for how long?

Mara taking photos from the boat

I tend to focus on all the scary things, maybe it’s because it makes a trip sound more exciting to me to talk about all the dangers we encountered along the way.  But I think once you understand what the dangers are and how to deal with them, it can lead to a safe and exciting adventure for anyone who’s taken the time to prepare. Almost anyone can go, if you’re relatively capable of climbing into a boat and walking down a muddy trail it’s within your reach.  Some of the most interesting things I saw on this last trip were within ¼ mile of the lodge.  It’s not covering distance that will lead to seeing interesting things, it’s a patient and keen eye, as this whole forest is alive.  One of my techniques for spotting things is to stand still for 10 minutes and just see what creatures start to move about.

I’ll use my last trip as an example, we had a fairly diverse group of individuals.  It was a commercial job for me, so I had two “models” who’d never spent any time in environments like this, and they were pretty concerned about mosquitos and malaria. I did pick them for their adventurousness, and because this was something they would likely choose to do for themselves anyway.  I also had my 71 year old mother along as it was a birding opportunity that she just couldn’t miss.   Granted, my mother looks and acts like someone 20 years younger.  She easily maneuvered from the muddy banks of the river to the rocking boat.  She routinely goes for 6 mile birding hikes at home, so she was perfectly capable on the mostly flat trails in the amazon, and often was the only one of us to want to go further, drawn deeper into the forest by some elusive bird call.  At the end of each day, we were all exhausted.  The heat, humidity, and the slow quiet walks while watching every single step for danger can wear you down and there’s nowhere to sit down out there.   We would keep the majority of our excursions down to about an hour, giving us time to get back, have some snacks, rest up, and be ready to go back out.  That way we didn’t have to carry as much, and we weren’t too worn out to jump at the chance to see something rare. 

Mom, Mara, and Brian. Our adventure crew.

Cost

You can obviously spend a lot more, or a lot less, but here’s a breakdown of what it cost me to go to travel from Los Angeles to the Tambopata Research Center in 2022.  

This doesn’t include food and luggage costs, and my time spent in Lima, etc.  But food is included at the Tambopata Research Center.  If the lodge feels too expensive, check out some of the Rainforest Cruises other options.  They are just as incredible, but not quite as deep.  You won’t notice that while you’re there though.

LAX to Lima - $650

Lima to Puerto Maldonado - $150

Overnight Stay in Puerto Maldonado - $45

4 Nights and 5 Days in TRC - $1200

Guide - $250

Tips! - Up to you

Total - $2,295

Gear List

Camera

Whatever your camera system is, bring these lenses:

Any Macro and Flash

A “fast” 70-200

A “fast” long lens 400mm or more

A 1.4x extender is a great thing to have with you.

Clothing

Long Thick Pants

Tall hiking socks

Long sleeve shirts (I prefer sun shirts)

Sneakers for the boat

Lightweight sleeping clothes

Gumboots if the lodge doesn’t provide them

Bug Prevention

100% deet

A buff and hat to soak with deet.

Mosquito netting if you’re not in a nicer lodge that provides them

Other

Day pack

Water bottle

Electrolytes

Snack bars

A 30 liter drybag

Silica packs for drying out electronics

Career Advice from an Adventure Photographer

Career Advice from an Adventure Photographer

learned the hard way

What separates a good photographer from a great photographer?

I’m not talking about a photographer with a famous name, or a lot of followers. I’m talking about a photographer who creates great work, and works consistently. A great photographer has to  constantly grow with the industry and constantly reevaluate themselves so that they are relevant and well employed.

Fortune has smiled on me in it’s own bipolar way and I’ve taken some tough criticism from people who I would say have made it to the very top of the game.  Learning to take that criticism has transformed me into a better photographer and I think a better person.  I’ve been lucky enough to sit with photographers and editors that most people will never get to talk to, and this is what I've taken away from those conversations.  It is a collection of things that I've both had to go through myself, and things I've learned from others.

1. Kill the ego

Photography is an extension of ourselves.  We may not even realize it, but when we are showing imagery that we are proud of we are showing people how we see the world, and that’s a view that nobody else has ever had.  Every time someone sees your photography they are seeing a completely new perspective. That’s why when someone doesn’t like a particular photo it feels more like an insult than an opinion.

This first step isn’t something I learned just from photography, I learned it from my father who was one of the top sculptors in the world.  He would have the clay form of the sculpture complete, fine tuned, and ready to send off to the foundry, and more often than not he would invite a few of his contemporaries over to see the piece.  More often than not, the next thing we knew the head was chopped off, the arm twisted around, and a months worth of work had been seemingly destroyed.  The final piece when complete had unquestionably transformed from a good sculpture to a great sculpture.

Photographs don’t have the elasticity of a sculpture, once they're taken there is little we can do to change it save for a few tweaks in photoshop.  Putting this lesson into practice as a photographer means losing the self-importance that surrounds our imagery, and being open to criticism from other photographers and editors.  It means that we are that sculpture.  Killing the ego means seeing our art for what it is and taking the advice of those who can see our work with clearer perspective.

Exception to the rule:

Of course, we don’t want to lose our individuality, our unique perspective that makes our work what it is, we want to advance it and become the best that we can be without losing our vision and our perspective.  The hard part is learning when advice is just an opinion and nothing more.  When that advice comes from someone we want to work for it’s important to give it ample consideration without losing what makes us unique.

2. Stack the odds in your favor

Vogue is never going to hire a product photographer to shoot a supermodel for their cover, and National Geographic isn’t going to send a fashion photographer to photograph killer whales.  So many people have asked me to introduce them at National Geographic but they have never shot anything that would remotely be considered for the magazine.  The first step to getting in the door at any magazine is having something to show them that they want.  I got lucky, and had just returned from shooting shark poachers on Cocos Island when I met with National Geographic.  It was easy by comparison to transition from showing them a portfolio to figuring out how we can work together.

Do you want to shoot fashion? Hire real models, professional models will make your job easier, get stylists, interesting wardrobe and unique locations where you don’t have to struggle to find a good angle.

Do you want to shoot wildlife?  Don’t waste time fumbling around the mountains, go to where the wildlife is impossible to miss! Go to Yellowstone, the Serengeti, or somewhere where you are guaranteed photos of what you are looking for, and where you’ll have time to try different shots.  Just remember, don't be so amazed with what you are seeing that you forget to look for new interesting ways to photograph it.  (more on this in section 3)

My point is, if you want amazing photographs find amazing locations.  It will make your job easier.  If you really have what it takes to push your photography to the next level, then it’s in these places that you will get your best work.  Stack the odds in your favor by giving yourself all the advantages you can.

Exception to the rule:

When I was first shooting fashion photography, I couldn’t afford the best models and locations.  I had to find places I could shoot that were close to home.  I learned to make any location work.  A corner of a building or a park just around the corner from my house had to make do.  I’m glad though that I didn’t have it easy, because now when I have a fantastic location I can really pick it apart, looking for the best possible angles just like I had to do in the beginning.

3. The harder it is, the less likely someone else has done it.

I was on a shoot in Corcovado National Park in Costa Rica.  My job was to get photos of the bull shark pups that used this river as a nursery and to photograph the ecosystem that made it ideal for them.   Countless hurdles had to be overcome just to get a usable photograph.  First I had to find the sharks, then I had to photograph them in murky brown water that was home to as many crocodiles as it was to sharks.   Photographers have been coming here to photograph the sharks since it's discovery that the sharks were here but I didn’t want to shoot the same images as everybody else.  I wanted a photo of a shark from in the river, looking up at the rainforest to give a sense of place.  I had tried getting in the water, but the sharks seemed too afraid of me to get as close as I needed them to in the murky water, and the crocodiles were too unafraid.  I needed a way to separate myself from my camera, but still be able to get the shot.  It occurred to me that I could re-wire my underwater camera housing to allow me to use it with a remote.  The problem being that the camera would be underwater where no radio waves could reach it.  I solved this problem by creating an antenna that would float to the surface.  This is the point where most photographers say, “it’s too much work,” and stick to shooting the cruising fins from shore.

This is why I think National Geographic really stands out from the rest of the magazines, they only use the work of those who go to great lengths to get the shot.  For some it’s sitting in a hide in the jungle for a month, for others it’s building camera equipment that doesn’t exist yet.   Look at Nick Nichols, his work stands out from the rest because he’s constantly coming up with new ways to photograph old subjects.  Paul Nicklen stands out because instead of shooting daunting subjects like leopard seals from the comfort of a boat he’s in the arctic water face to face with the huge and intimidating animal.

National Geographic photographers will use any means necessary to get the shot.  Climbing, abseiling, diving, and jumaring are all standard practice, but even more ubiquitous is tenacity, and a willingness to suffer to get the shot.  It seems like a lot of work for a photograph, but I guarantee your photo will stand out.

Exception to the Rule:

There isn’t one.  Always try to shoot in a new and interesting way.  Sometimes it’s good to get some of the standard shots first just so you have something to fall back on if the creative approach fails, but you should always try to do it differently.

4. Shoot the whole story

One good photograph is going to look good in your portfolio.  Without context though you’ll be resigned to shooting stock.  Putting together a story is one of the hardest parts of being a photographer.  It’s fairly easy to get a single good frame from a photo shoot, but a single frame isn’t going to get you shooting assignments.  A good way to know if you are shooting the whole story is to pick 12 images of your subject and see if people get the point without you narrating for them.  I’m still working on this myself, and I hope I’ll keep getting better at it as my career evolves.  Some people accomplish this by just shooting as much as they can, of everything that they come across.  I like to imagine what the article is going to look like, and even draw out a sketch of the images the way I want them to end up.  That way when I see a scene that is close to what I’ve imagined for the story I know that it will work.

Exception to the rule:

Sometimes a photo is so great that it tells the whole story all by itself.  That’s why we use the expression, “A picture is worth a thousand words.”

5.  Personal Work

When I get a new client I always ask them one question to get things started, "Do you want me to shoot your artistic vision, or do you want my artistic vision?"  Most of the time it ends up being a blend of the options.  Their view with my twist.  I've found that this blend of visions may work well for an add campaign, but the photography isn't the most memorable of my work.  It's important that I have the chance to fully put my own artistic vision to the test so that I can show people what I'm really capable of.  This is where personal work comes in.  I probably shoot more of my own curious ideas than anything else.  The majority of the time though, that's what people remember, and that's the work that makes me stand out.  Another benefit to shooting personal projects is that I get to do what I'm passionate about, and it's fun.  It keeps me interested in the career of photography.  I know a lot of burnt out photographers that haven't picked up a camera for fun in years.

One of my favorite fashion photographers of all time is Helmut Newton.  His work is easily recognizable, even by those who may not know his name.  You've seen it, we've all seen it. The photograph that made him his living we may not even realize was taken by the same person, but the photographs that got him that work will be remembered till the end of time.  It's personal projects that keep us moving forward, getting new work, and excited about our career.  To me it's by far the most important thing that I do.

Exception to the Rule:

Don't get so into your own work that you forget about step #1, and don't get in so deep on a project that you don't have time for your clients that make it possible!

I hope this gets you thinking in a new direction.  It took me a long time to go from just knowing these things to putting them into practice.  I still have a lot to learn myself (see step 1) and the day I think I've figured it all out is the day I need to start over.  Photography is art, and it's impossible to quantify exactly what makes it good or bad.  There is always a general trend, or a style that prevails over another.  It's good to adapt and to change with the ever changing market, but don't lose what makes you unique, and definitely don't lose what makes you love photography.

Why Beer is Important for Travelers

Why Beer is important for Travelers

The first thing you see when you arrive in a foreign country is usually a taxi. Whether exiting an airport or crossing a border, it's the taxi drivers that first make contact. The question here, is how much should you be paying? Pay too much, and they'll get used to ripping off uninformed visitors, pay to little and maybe you'll end up in an alley.

I forget where I first learned this trick, it may have been from some stranger while riding a chairlift, it may have been from a fellow traveler. The best thing you can do is to ask a local "How much will a local beer cost me?"

To give an example of why this works think of your local restaurant. To get a taxi ride to the restaurant it's about $10, or two beers. To eat, if it's a cheap place $10-$15 will get you an entrée. That's two or three beers.

Now let's think of it in terms of travel. In Mongolia a beer is $1500 Touareg. A taxi in Ulaanbaatar will run you $3000 - $3500 Touareg. So expect to pay about the same for a meal.

Get the drift? Try it out and let me know how it works for you!

The Forced Variable Technique

The Forced Variable Technique

Changing things up for progress

I wrote the following post in the early 2000’s when my career was just beginning, and recently came across it on my old blog. Still, I think it’s a great little post for new photographers to read through if they are looking to improve their skills.

Getting better at anything is hard work, especially when your ego tells you you’re already an accomplished adventure photographer. To help myself continue to learn how to be a better photographer, I introduced something new to my workflow, and I call it a "Forced Variable." Don't ask me where I got the name, that's just what I ended up calling it.

A forced variable is something that you always change when taking photos.  It could be never shooting the same location twice, deciding not to use zoom lenses for a day or shooting with your review screen turned off and not looking at your work until the end of the day. Using a forced variable makes things difficult at times but it is one of the best ways to continue learning how to be a better photographer.

This is something that I use in practice, and while shooting personal projects.  Personal projects are what get us our "real" jobs, and keep our portfolios moving along.  It's personal work that keeps me getting better at my job, and it's also one of the things that keeps me interested in what I do. Forcing myself to use that time to expand my knowledge and skill set is a natural step. I know in the back of my mind that I can always return to a great location, so it's not that I'm limiting myself, I'm expanding my library of locations by forcing myself to always look for something new and interesting. If I absolutely need that old location, it's there. The benefits of forcing yourself to lear are countless. Just think about that next job you have, and they want you to shoot directly into the sun. There's two ways you can answer them. 1. Gee, my photography class said never to shoot directly into the sun. Or 2. I have some great techniques I've been working on that I'd love to use for this shoot, would you like to see what it looks like?