In 2013 I was working in Canada and getting a bit fed up with the Arctic wind chilling me to the bone. For crying out loud, I was born in the Caribbean and was aching to find my way out of the snow and into something more familiar. A good photographer I knew, Michael Bertelsen, was organizing two week-long trips to Costa Rica one right after the other, so I told him I will take a place in both of them and make it a two-week trip for my heat-starved self. On this trip our main focus was supposed to be flash-photography, and I was pretty excited because usually my subjects had to be shot without a flash which made life that much more difficult for me. Having enough light for once seemed like a refreshing change. We were supposed to start by shooting frogs in a little family-owned lodge with a private protected area, then work our way to the border with Nicaragua to the Laguna Del Lagarto Lodge where the renowned photographer Bence Mate had several blinds set up.

Together with Michael we were a team of five photographers ready for whatever treasures Costa Rican nature would be willing to unveil. Usually that's the maximum for me. The less people on a tour, the better. You don't get in each other's way, don't make as much sound, you don't compete for shots and if you have any questions, the leading photographer can give you enough time for consultations.

Anyway, as we were driving on very tricky mountain roads past coffee plantations slowly bleeding into the jungle we encountered our first wildlife. A band of coatis was walking on the side of the road like it was nobody's business. We stopped and tried photographing them.

Then one of us made a fatal mistake. The man had a small packet of cookies on him and he gave a piece to one of the coatis. Big mistake. In seconds the whole band was mugging him for cookies, and when he hid the packet in the pocket of his pants, the coatis got up on their hind legs, grabbed his pants and started pulling them off. The rest of us were doubling over in hysterical laughter like the heartless bastards we were. In the end the poor man had to dive into our car through the window to escape them. We applauded that trick because he dove in like a Hollywood stuntman and it was both awesome and hilarious.

Whenever I pick a photography trip the things I use to guide me (aside from group number, reviews and other obvious things) are whether or not I like the photography of the organizer and their local connections network. The latter is essential as this trip proved. Michael had great local connections. He knew local spots where we could find absolute gems. That's what lead us to a stop with a waterfall and a restaurant surrounded by bird feeders. 

This time around, unfortunately, we weren't able to get any good images as the light hit the scene too hard and the background was too busy, but we did get to see species we wouldn't encounter later on. Bird watching in Costa Rica would probably drive me insane, there are just so many birds to find! To my chagrin I learned that we wouldn't be returning here with the second group, so I wouldn't get a chance to try and get better results. 

We moved into the Central Volcanic Mountain Range and stopped in a lodge at the base of a volcano. This lodge was surrounded by lush green vegetation and had a nice path to hidden little waterholes teaming with life. This was the mating season for the red-eyed tree frog so during our night walks we were mostly looking for this gem. It is just such a beautiful frog.

The frogs were everywhere - in the water, on large leaves around us, high above our heads in the trees. It was a good testimony to the forest's health and I was quite happy. The mating pairs would hook up in the water and then the larger female would carry her new mate up into the safety of large leaves above to lay their eggs.

Photographing amphibians is tricky. Whenever I shoot them in studio settings I always keep an eye out for any signs of discomfort and take time-outs for the animal to rest. The flash generates enough heat to make them uncomfortable after a few shots and the frogs would either close their eyes or escape. Shooting in a terrarium doesn't hurt them, but with no glass to protect them and no sealed environment to keep humidity up like in the wild you have to work quick and know when to quit. Remember, if not properly handled, frogs and other amphibians may suffer great harm and even die during filming, which is unacceptable. When we were shooting them at night we had one shot, two at best. After that the animals would pull a semi-translucent lid over their gorgeous eyes. The lid itself had a gold net pattern and looked pretty, but it was not what I wanted.

I am addicted to this frog, so here's two more images to show off its rainbow of colors.

Walking in Costa Rican brush at night is a dangerous thing. Venomous snakes there live literally everywhere - on the ground, in the trees at face-level and high up in the canopy. But that night we encountered something just as dangerous.

We all had tripods with us but it soon became clear we didn't need them. Since we were crawling around the same pond, we rested our tripods against the same tree and left them there. It was pure luck that I shown my flashlight over the tripod when I came to get it. There was enough light for me to see the metal gleaming and I could have just grabbed it without the extra light. Had I done that I would have gotten a fistful of bullet ants and they are not named that for nothing! After my initial startled response I took a closer look at the legendary heavily armed insect. I was fascinated. These ants were enormous and the largest ones, about an inch long, were soldiers standing guard on nearby leaves as the worker marched over our tripods. Honestly, I cannot imagine how some tribes are able to use them during initiation and withstand the pain from a glove filled with these guys and I am happy to remain ignorant in that regard. No ant-gloves for me, thank you!

The ant stood on a leaf menacingly, but the leaf kept moving in the slight breeze and I had trouble focusing. Plus, every time the ant detected my presence, it got agitated. Insects are highly sensitive to CO2 levels and when photographing them you must remember not to breathe on them because they will be alarmed, thinking there's a predator nearby. I decided to leave it be, returned to the frogs and warned my colleagues about the ants. We were happy to spend more time with amphibians while the ants moved on.

Little did I know that my own bungalow (a very cozy little house with a panoramic view through a glass wall) was surrounded by ants. Thankfully, they were leaf-cutters, not bullet ants!

The jungle night was just as full of life as day, maybe even more so. The day in this little place was quite eventful too. There were several feeders around the property. There was one right where we took our meals and one was a blind. Birds swarmed both of them and they hardly cared about the people there. Chachalacas were the largest and since they were so big and pushy but not too good looking or interesting, I was a bit annoyed when they would scare off the smaller and prettier birds. But they had a sort of ancient feel about them, I could see the dinosaur ancestry shine through now and again.

Two species, however, could not be intimidated. Both have character and some amazing traits. The Montezuma Oropendola has a wolfish quality about it, the way it moves is like a war-head honing in on a target. It has a distinct call which is always followed by the bird swinging its body down to almost hang upside down. During these acrobatic exercises I would often hear a sound like a plastic bag was being crumpled up. I know it came from the birds, but whether it was made by their plumage or vocal cords I do not know.

The other no nonsense bird was the Aracari (pronounced as arasari). These guys always came in packs, they were pushy and noisy and with their edgy appearance resembled pirates. I absolutely love these bandits. Every time they descended upon us I was grateful they mostly concentrated on bananas, but I had a feeling they were entertaining other... less vegetarian... possibilities.

The other no nonsense bird was the Aracari (pronounced as arasari). These guys always came in packs, they were pushy and noisy and with their edgy appearance resembled pirates. I absolutely love these bandits. Every time they descended upon us I was grateful they mostly concentrated on bananas, but I had a feeling they were entertaining other... less vegetarian... possibilities.

I got to see the amazing glass frog up close. I was impressed by the little critter not just because it was so strange and see-through, but because it is one of the most devoted parents in the world. When the female lays her eggs on some leaf it is the father who is left to guard them until they hatch. There is a snake there that feeds on frog eggs specifically and when it finds his brood, the glass frog male will actively defend his babies even against an opponent much larger than himself. So when you look at the heart of this frog through his transparent skin, you know that that's one of the bravest and loyal hearts out there.

I know that there are very cool images where a glass frog is lit up with a flashlight, but for some reason when I got those images myself I did not like them. Too artificial, I guess.

My favorite turned out to be this one. I really love the tiny frog and the mushroom and the moss. I think it was the cutest thing when this etheral amphibian climbed up on that toadstool. I was completely fawning over it. Best part was that this was its natural environment, so the authenticity was preserved.

Here in this lodge I met another amazing animal. It was the eyelash viper. These vipers are very common all across Costa Rica and they live everywhere - from the ground under your feet to the tops of the sky-scraper trees. These snakes have their fate decided for them at birth, though. One brood may have babies in all three color variations - brown, green and yellow. There are even red and pink vipers, but the most commonly mentioned ones to me were the first three. Anyways, the brown babies will usually stay on the ground, the green ones would occupy the bushes and trees at mid-level and the more flamboyant snakes will  climb higher to hide among blossoming epyphites and tree canopies.

The eyelash viper is a pit viper and has large needle-like teeth that fold back when the mouth is closed. It also has large sensory pits (hense the name) which helps it hone in on its prey by detecting heat. The name-giving eyelashes, though a cool feature, do not serve any purpose aside from breaking up the outline of the snake's head and maybe a little extra protection for the eyes. The first viper I saw was a calm animal which was set on proving what a good stealthy ambush predator it was. Still, at one point the viper did raise itself into a threatening pose. 

The other one that I met much later was a very angry snake. This time around though, I was able to calculate the striking distance based on the snake's body length and the length of the section it lifted to threaten me (never did better math in my life!) and get pretty close with my Macro lens and flash (do not try this at home, kids!). I would not attempt this with a less patient snake no matter how crazy my mother thinks I am.

TO BE CONTINUED...