Visiting the waterfalls of Costa Rica
Took this image at the Peace Lodge, which is a hotel and wildlife sanctuary in Heredia, Costa Rica. I just thought the image was perfect showing all of the ama...
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Took this image at the Peace Lodge, which is a hotel and wildlife sanctuary in Heredia, Costa Rica. I just thought the image was perfect showing all of the amazing foliage in the rainforest as well as the sheer beauty of the region.
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Apr, 2022Views
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Contender in the Photography Awards
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Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was taken at The Peace Lodge, La Paz Waterfall Gardens in Heredia, Costa Rica. It's an amazing place! Not only is it a hotel, it's also a sanctuary for wildlife and various animals from around Central and South America. There are also waterfalls on the property, this being one of them.Time
It was about 4 PM in Costa Rica when I took this shot. We had been doing a few things around the property and had lunch, then decided to take the walk and hike to get to the waterfalls. There are a few places to stop and take photos and at this stop, this seemed to be a great place to take a shot. What was even better was there was a photographer at the bottom of the falls (on the bottom left) taking photos as well, and I thought it was perfect to show the scale of the waterfall in size compared to a person.Lighting
Well, a lot of the rainforest in this area can be quite dark due to the sheer amount of brush, trees, vines, and foliage in the area. Costa Rica is a very wet place and plants and vegetation have no problems really growing there! The afternoon sun had started to pass making things a bit darker but we were lucky that this day was a sunny one. We went in January when it should've been relatively dry, but due to a tropical storm/hurricane that had wound its way through the Gulf of Mexico and into the Eastern United States, it rained quite frequently during our trip. Sometimes natural light wasn't always a good option due to the weather.Equipment
Oddly enough, we had just bought a new camera before the trip. I wanted something that took amazing pictures, and was of good quality but didn't want to learn how to use a DSLR just a few days before going over there. I used a B700 Coolpix by Nikon, which I have to say has been a great camera thus far. I love the idea that it's crossing the line to DSLR yet is still classified as a point-and-shoot. We went to Costa Rica in 2018, before I really started exploring photography so all I had was the camera in my hands. No flashes, tripods, or anything else to take this image other than the camera!Inspiration
Oh boy! We have been doing family research for about 10 years on our family because we knew we had family from Costa Rica, but never knew the family story or who we really were. My mom, my godmother, and I decided to start digging into things and we discovered exactly who we were and what our family was all about. We actually took the trip to visit newfound relatives that lived in Costa Rica! We were just so thrilled to have found our family and to actually be where our family came from that taking as many pictures of our "homeland" and everything that makes it was required! Plus we live in Arizona, which is a dry desert, and had never seen a place with so much rain, humidity, and green vegetation before! The waterfall was just amazing and I think this photo shows just how beautiful Costa Rica is.Editing
I did! I've been working on editing photos now for about 6 years and am teaching myself to edit landscape photos as well as wildlife. For this image, I used Photoshop and Lightroom. I wanted to enhance the moodiness of the image, and make it feel more dreary and secluded. I also chose to lighten up the main focus of the image, the waterfall, and add details into the entire shot. I also chose to highlight the photographer at the bottom of the image to show how small we as humans can be in the grand scheme of things and made sure he was brightened up a bit. Since it was a jungle/rainforest shot I also went a bit heavier on the greens and browns in the image.In my camera bag
Well, I've only recently been working more on turning photography into more of a thing I do vs a hobby, and have had a lot of medical issues since this photo was taken. With that, unfortunately right now I'm still working with my Nikon Coolpix B700 but now I do have a tripod and a few other accessories to start taking even better shots! I'd love to eventually move into a higher caliber camera with a few lenses and a better tripod but for now, I'm working with what I have and loving it!Feedback
I'd definitely suggest checking the weather if you're heading into the jungle or the rainforest. Typically in climates like this, it can rain daily and definitely be more susceptible to tropical storms and hurricanes. Haha, having the right equipment is also extremely important, for example, a tripod. I think another thing is to have the shot of what you're trying to capture in your head before you take the shot. I knew I wanted the waterfall as a key focal point in the image and when the photographer showed up it was the perfect time to take it because I felt it added so much more to the image. I'd say have patience yet take advantage of spontaneity because things can change in your image rapidly but can result in an even better story.
