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Costa Rica

Digital Photography in Nature: Capturing the Best of Costa Rica

Program No. 15114RJ
Learn to get the most out of your digital camera as you join experts to practice exposure, composition and wildlife and landscape techniques in the colorful landscapes of Costa Rica.
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PhotographyMicro Group
Length
9 days
Rating (4.89)
Activity Level
Starts at
2,549
Special Offer
Flights start at
700

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Itinerary
While we make every effort to ensure the accuracy of our published materials, programs are typically advertised more than a year prior to their start date. Read More.
While we make every effort to ensure the accuracy of our published materials, programs are typically advertised more than a year prior to their start date. As a result, some program activities, schedules, accommodations, personnel, and other logistics occasionally change due to local conditions or circumstances. Should a major change occur, we will make every effort to alert you. For less significant changes, we will update you during orientation. Thank you for your understanding.
Duration
9 days
8 nights
What's Included
23 meals ( 8B, 7L, 8D )
3 expert-led lectures
11 expert-led field trips
7 hands-on experiences
An experienced Group Leader
8 nights of accommodations
Taxes and customary gratuity
Road Scholar Assurance Plan
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Activity Note
Participants must book flights that arrive into San José no later than 4:30 p.m. if they plan to attend the program orientation. Some Road Scholar gateways require the use of overnight flights in order to arrive in San José by the suggested time. Please contact your Road Scholar Program Provider at 800-866-7111 or roadscholarprograms@holbrooktravel.com if you made plans to arrive a day early and would like assistance in booking a hotel. Hotel check-in from 3:00 p.m. Elevation approx. 3,800 feet.
Afternoon:
Orientation: 6:00 p.m. at the hotel. The Group Leader will greet everyone and lead introductions. We will review the up-to-date program schedule, discuss roles and responsibilities, logistics, safety guidelines, emergency procedures, and answer questions. Meals will feature local cuisine. Travel and transfers will be via air-conditioned bus unless specified otherwise. The bus does not have a restroom on board; however, there will be stops at least every two hours for program activities, meals, and/or basic rest stops to break up longer travel times. Periods in the schedule designated as “Free time” and “At leisure” offer opportunities to do what you like and make your experience even more meaningful and memorable according to your personal preferences. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions. Program activities, schedules, personnel, and indicated distances or times may change due to local circumstances/conditions. In the event of changes, we will alert you as quickly as possible. Thank you for your understanding
Dinner:
At the hotel, enjoy a welcome dinner.
Evening:
Continue getting to know your fellow Road Scholars, settle in, and get a good night’s rest for the day ahead. Prepare for check-out and transfer in the morning.
Activity Note
Getting on/off a bus about 56 miles, approximately 2.5 hours riding time. Getting on/off a motorized riverboat with covered top and open sides; no restroom on board, riding about 2 hours. Descend/ascend 3 flights of stairs with handrail to/from boat dock. Elevation at Sarapiqui approximately 220 feet.
Breakfast:
At the hotel.
Morning:
In this interactive learning session, we will get to know our cameras and their capabilities. The main variables are controlling light, setting the digital ISO, aperture, and shutter speed. We will also learn about using light and color to create pleasing images as well as composition. We will check out of the hotel, board our bus, and begin our transfer to Puerto Viejo in Sarapiquí. An en route stop at La Paz Waterfall will give us the opportunity to practice taking flowing water shots. Reboarding the bus, we'll continue with our transfer.
Lunch:
At a local restaurant.
Afternoon:
We'll disembark at the Puerto Viejo dock and board a river boat that will take us on a study cruise along the Sarapiquí River. The boat captain and our Group Leader will put their expert spotting skills to use by pointing out riverine wildlife along the way. Some of the animals we might see include caimans, turtles, iguanas, bats, monkeys, sloths, kingfishers, and Anhinga water birds. Practice your composition skills and creativity, using visual elements such as water and foliage, reflections on water, and backlighting to create interesting images. Reboarding the bus, we'll ride to the lodge and check in.
Dinner:
At the lodge.
Evening:
We will gather with our Group Leader for a sharing of best practices. The remainder of the evening is at leisure.
Activity Note
Getting on/off a bus; about 55 miles, approximately 2 hours riding time. Walking up to a mile on paved paths, unpaved trails, some inclines and uneven terrain, hot/humid conditions. Elevation approximately 180 feet above sea level.
Breakfast:
At the lodge.
Morning:
This morning we will board the bus for a field trip to Copearte, a garden run by a local artist and photographer with a passion for nature. The grounds have been designed to maximize opportunities for photography and feature ponds that attract wildlife as well as blinds from which participants can enjoy photographing birds regardless of weather conditions. A local expert will lead our exploration around the grounds as we keep a look out for wildlife and photography opportunities.
Lunch:
At the site.
Afternoon:
After lunch, we will transfer for about 30 minutes to visit a small family-owned project in the foothills of the Caribbean slopes. Our interactive learning session will focus on macro-photography: close-up photography of small subjects and nature. We’ll have expert instruction on composition in macro, color elements and how to use them, distracting elements and how to avoid them, and using macro-flash. We’ll ride back to the lodge after our field trip.
Dinner:
At the lodge.
Evening:
We will gather with our Group Leader for a sharing of best practices.
Activity Note
Early morning (pre-breakfast) photo walk around lodge grounds. Getting on/off a bus; about 40 miles, approximately 1 to 1.5 hours riding time. Walking up to a mile on paved paths, unpaved trails, some inclines and uneven terrain.
Breakfast:
Breakfast at the lodge.
Morning:
We will have an early morning (pre-breakfast) photo walk on the lodge grounds. For our next photography learning adventure, we will ride to a family-owned farm in the Rio Cuarto area, for an opportunity to take close-up photos of these beautiful but endangered birds. The macaws are semi-wild and free to come and go. We’ll return to the lodge after our field trip.
Lunch:
At the lodge.
Afternoon:
During a walking field trip in a private rainforest reserve we'll focus on photographing birds and wildlife in nature. We’ll have expert direction on the use of tripods and telephoto lenses as well as the use of fill flash to add life to our bird photos. We’ll also learn about controlling the background to emphasize the subjects of our shots. We’ll then attend a lecture on tropical rainforest ecology.
Dinner:
At the lodge.
Evening:
We will gather with our Group Leader for a sharing of best practices. Prepare for check-out and transfer in the morning.
Activity Note
Early morning (pre-breakfast) photo walk around lodge grounds. Getting on/off a bus; about 145 miles, approximately 5 hours riding time. Elevation at San Gerardo de Dota approximately 7,000 feet.
Breakfast:
At the lodge.
Morning:
We will have an early morning (pre-breakfast) photo walk on the lodge grounds. We’ll then check out and board the bus for our ride to San Gerardo de Dota. We will have photo opportunities and rest stops en route, including a stop at Cartago town to experience its market and historic buildings.
Lunch:
At a restaurant en route.
Afternoon:
Upon arrival in San Gerardo de Dota, we’ll check in to our hotel with time to freshen up and relax. Before dinner, we'll learn about the history, development and conservation of the Savegre Valley during a presentation by a local resident.
Dinner:
At the hotel.
Evening:
We will gather with our Group Leader for a sharing of best practices. The remainder of the evening is at leisure.
Activity Note
Early morning (pre-breakfast) photo walk around the grounds. Getting on/off a bus; 1 mile, approximately 10 minutes riding time. Walking a few miles; undulating, uneven forest trails with some inclines, and paved garden paths.
Breakfast:
At the hotel.
Morning:
We will set out with cameras on a walking field trip along local trails in search of the Resplendent Quetzal and other high elevation species.
Lunch:
At the hotel.
Afternoon:
We will have some “down” time before our next activity. Later in the afternoon we’ll ride to a local garden for an interactive learning session on bird photography. Every detail of the grounds has been designed to intentionally maximize the observation of birds and create the most spectacular photographs. Birds that have been spotted her include the Spangle-cheeked Tanager, Golden-browed Chlorophonia, Sulphur Winged Parakeet, and more
Dinner:
At the hotel.
Evening:
We will gather with our Group Leader for a sharing of best practices. The remainder of the evening is at leisure.
Activity Note
Early morning (pre-breakfast) photo walk around the grounds. Getting on/off a bus; about 24 miles; approximately 1.5 hours riding time. Walking up to 2 miles over unpaved, irregular terrain. Elevation at Cerro de la Muerte is about 10,941 feet.
Breakfast:
At the hotel.
Morning:
We will board the bus and set out for Cerro de la Muerte in Los Quetzales National Park. Cerro de la Muerte is the highest point in the Costa Rican section of the Inter-American Highway. The name means “Mountain of Death,” since in the past crossing the mountains from the Valle Central meant a three or four day journey, on foot or on horseback, and many ill-prepared travelers succumbed to the cold and rain. However, the peak is now easily accessible since the highway runs close by. We will have photo opportunities around the area including sub-alpine paramo habitat, highland peaks, macro plants, and flowers. Our interactive learning session will focus on landscapes, depth of field, shutter speeds, and use of polarizing filters. We’ll also learn more about composition of foreground, middle ground, and background frames. As a special element, we’ll learn about photographing moving objects and water.
Lunch:
At a local restaurant.
Afternoon:
We’ll continue our interactive session this afternoon to focus on moving water photography as well as capturing clouds and sky dust (weather permitting). We’ll return to the hotel in the late afternoon.
Dinner:
At the hotel.
Evening:
We will gather with our Group Leader for a sharing of best practices. Prepare for check-out and transfer in the morning.
Activity Note
Early morning (pre-breakfast) photo walk around the grounds. Get on/off a bus; about 95 miles, approximately 3 hours riding time. Walking up to a mile on uneven terrain.
Breakfast:
At the hotel.
Morning:
We will have an early morning (pre-breakfast) photo walk on the grounds. We will check out and begin our ride back to San José. En route, we will stop for a field trip to Paraíso del Quetzal lodge. Located in the lush mountainous area of Cerro de la Muerte, the 197-acre lodge hosts more than 140 species of animals as well as many species of plants. The vibrant grounds offer a rich environment to practice hummingbird and landscape photography as well as photographing exotic flowers.
Lunch:
At Paraíso del Quetzal.
Afternoon:
We will reboard the bus and continue with our ride into San Jose with check-in at the hotel upon arrival. We’ll have some time to freshen up before meeting with Group Leader for a final briefing.
Dinner:
At the hotel. Share favorite experiences and enjoy camaraderie with new Road Scholar friends during our farewell dinner. We will also have a presentation of our photos.
Evening:
At leisure. Spend our last evening in Costa Rica with new Road Scholar friends, finish packing, and get a good night’s rest for departure tomorrow.
Activity Note
Participants with independent travel arrangements and/or scheduled on later flights can keep their hotel rooms until check-out time on this day. Hotel check-out 11:00 a.m. See your program’s GETTING THERE information regarding transfers.
Breakfast:
At the hotel (dependent on flight time). This concludes our program.
Morning:
If you are returning home, safe travels. If you are staying on independently, have a wonderful time. If you are transferring to another Road Scholar program, detailed instructions are included in your Information Packet for that program. We hope you enjoy Road Scholar learning adventures and look forward to having you on rewarding programs in the future. Don’t forget to join our Facebook page and follow us on Instagram. Best wishes for all your journeys!
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