Wildlife Photography on the Galapagos
There’s little that can be said about the Galapagos that hasn’t been said already.
This archipelago is a nature lovers paradise. Landscapes like nowhere else that have been the focal point of ground breaking research and an environment that has given rise to endemic species which have captured the interest of millions of zoologists and the imagination of documentary watchers alike.
As a wildlife photographer this destination holds so much potential for incredible imagery with both a dramatic coastline and animals habituated to human presence allowing for many an opportunity.
One of the most iconic species found here is the marine iguana & immediately after stepping onto the harbour on Santa Cruz they are abundant. I knew immediately that i had to stop myself from getting trigger happy with these reptiles, instead ensuring to pull away for the alure of close shots and instead looking how the light fell and how the background can be worked into the image, so as to create something unique.
Here i had the most success while walking the coastal paths of El Muro de las Lágrimas, where strong waves created dynamic imagery which i managed to capture utilising high shutter speeds.
Another species i was desperate to photograph while on the Galapagos was the blue footed booby.
This bird proved a little harder to track down than the marine iguana, and it wasn’t until my second week here that I managed to get some images that I was happy with.
While on Isabella island i took a trip to Los Tuneles, which is primarily a snorkel tour exploring the old lava tunnels, which just so happened to provide an incredible opportunity to photograph this stunning bird.
Given how habituated to people these guys are, i was able to experiment with different types of photography here, utilising both my wide angle lens and my 100-400mm to try and capture some unique images.
The final species i was determined to photograph was the endemic Giant Galapagos Tortoise.
This species definitely gave me the hardest time, which you can read about here.
The Galapagos truly is an incredible destination. It is however fraught with a stigma that it’s incredibly expensive to get to and you have to do one of the expensive cruises to experience the wildlife here. My own experience was the opposite.
Each of the three inhabited islands, Santa Cruz, San Cristobel and Isobella had hostels which cost around £15 a night. From these hostels you can spend time exploring lots of incredible local spots that don’t require private tours or sailing, which is where typical costs compile.
On Santa Cruz, spending the morning walking to Tortuga Bay can bring about incredible sightings of marine iguanas, blue footed boobies and the special endemic finches that inspired Charles Darwins theory of evolution.
Isobella has both the Muro de las Lágrimas where you can find Giant Tortoise living wild, and an incredible snorkelling spot just besides the pier where you can swim with sea lions, penguins, turtles and eagle rays.
San Cristobel also has incredible snorkel spots where if you’re looking you can see manta rays just off the shore, as well as a plethora of turtles and sea lions.
Indeed there’s so many incredible spots to explore on this archipelago, don’t let outdated expectations of price stop you from getting there and experiencing it all for yourself!
