Genovesa Island
The 5:30am wake-up call was early but thirty-five photographers and early risers braved that early morning hour to head for the beach at Genovesa Island. The goal was to photograph the nesting great frigatebirds, red-footed boobies and swallow-tailed gulls as part of the May Photo Expedition.
The slight overcast provided soft light on the photographer’s subjects as they wandered from one incredible photographic opportunity to another. The male frigatebirds were screaming their whirring chant as each female passed by, trying to attract one to join them at a nesting site for mating possibilities. The cameras clicked at each passing of a tempting female as the males raised their bright red pouch toward the sky.
The morning quickly flew by as participants on a natural history walk joined in to witness one of nature’s truly great spectacles. Many compact flash cards were filled with new and wonderful imagery, until the early risers made their way back to the ship to get ready for kayaking and snorkeling. Even though the photo expedition participants were up early to take advantage of the many opportunities available for photography, they weren’t about to miss another chance to kayak or snorkel in the splendid waters of Genovesa’s sunken caldera.
As one snorkeler described it: “we were snorkeling close to the underwater cliff face. The big wall looked just like jewels, as the dappled sun lit it up. You know it was a great snorkel because no one wanted to get out of the water when our time was up!”
Some photographers opted for an afternoon kayak around the caldera instead of heading up Prince Phillip’s steps to the mesa-like top of Genovesa. More frigatebirds looking for mates greeted everyone as photographers and naturalists came out at the top of the steps and red footed boobies were in abundance and hard for the photographers to pass by. Out along the trail, there were large numbers of mated Nazca Boobies, some with new chicks less than a week old, providing plenty of new photographic opportunities. A single waved albatross sitting atop an egg was a surprising highlight at the end of the trail.
A beautiful sunset welcomed everyone back to the ship just in time to join in a big BBQ on the teak deck of the ship. A great ending to a fantastic day. But it wasn’t over yet because everyone headed to the top of the ship to view the stars of the southern sky—for many a first look at the Southern Cross.
The photographic opportunities are nearly limitless in Galápagos. Beautiful landscapes, natural history facts and new friends to share your photography with provide the perfect spot for a Photo Expedition.
The 5:30am wake-up call was early but thirty-five photographers and early risers braved that early morning hour to head for the beach at Genovesa Island. The goal was to photograph the nesting great frigatebirds, red-footed boobies and swallow-tailed gulls as part of the May Photo Expedition.
The slight overcast provided soft light on the photographer’s subjects as they wandered from one incredible photographic opportunity to another. The male frigatebirds were screaming their whirring chant as each female passed by, trying to attract one to join them at a nesting site for mating possibilities. The cameras clicked at each passing of a tempting female as the males raised their bright red pouch toward the sky.
The morning quickly flew by as participants on a natural history walk joined in to witness one of nature’s truly great spectacles. Many compact flash cards were filled with new and wonderful imagery, until the early risers made their way back to the ship to get ready for kayaking and snorkeling. Even though the photo expedition participants were up early to take advantage of the many opportunities available for photography, they weren’t about to miss another chance to kayak or snorkel in the splendid waters of Genovesa’s sunken caldera.
As one snorkeler described it: “we were snorkeling close to the underwater cliff face. The big wall looked just like jewels, as the dappled sun lit it up. You know it was a great snorkel because no one wanted to get out of the water when our time was up!”
Some photographers opted for an afternoon kayak around the caldera instead of heading up Prince Phillip’s steps to the mesa-like top of Genovesa. More frigatebirds looking for mates greeted everyone as photographers and naturalists came out at the top of the steps and red footed boobies were in abundance and hard for the photographers to pass by. Out along the trail, there were large numbers of mated Nazca Boobies, some with new chicks less than a week old, providing plenty of new photographic opportunities. A single waved albatross sitting atop an egg was a surprising highlight at the end of the trail.
A beautiful sunset welcomed everyone back to the ship just in time to join in a big BBQ on the teak deck of the ship. A great ending to a fantastic day. But it wasn’t over yet because everyone headed to the top of the ship to view the stars of the southern sky—for many a first look at the Southern Cross.
The photographic opportunities are nearly limitless in Galápagos. Beautiful landscapes, natural history facts and new friends to share your photography with provide the perfect spot for a Photo Expedition.
