Costa Rica Workshop - December 2008Costa Rica Workshop, December 2008
Costa Rica never lets us down! As I arrived at Bosque del Cabo a couple days before the main workshop, I was a bit worried that the end of the rainy season had not arrived yet. But right on queue, the rains stopped and the workshop participants were treated to a lush tropical rainforest...full of life..... rivers to capacity, waterfalls raging, and more photographic subjects to focus on than all could hope for. On the drive up to the lodge, stops were made to photograph Howler Monkeys and a variety of birds. Within minutes of arriving at Bosque del Cabo, we had several people photographing the beautiful smaller Toucan found in the Osa..... the fiery-billed Araceri.
It's larger cousin, the Chestnut Mandabled Toucan, was also seen and photographed throughout the week. With many people already getting shots of the Howler Monkeys, the second mourning was spent with a group of White-faced Capuchin Monkey's as they camped out in the trees behind the resturant. Our late morning macro session was focused on getting great shots of the colorful Green and Black Pioson Dart frog (Dendrobates Auratus). With help from my two pro-photographer co-leaders, Mary Lindhjem and Andres Garcia Lachner, as well as help from several very photogenic Dart frogs, many workshop participants really got bit by the macro bug during this session. Frogs continued to be a theme into the night, as everyone was able to photograph the poster child of the new word tropics, the Red-eyed Tree Frog! Finding and photographing these frogs in the wild is one of the highlights for many people on this workshop. After seven years of doing this workshop, we have not missed with the Red-Eyes yet!
Well... this workshop description could go on for pages if I tried to include everything we saw and photographed. I will add another huge highlight from the Scarlet Macaw extension. We all were stunned and excited as we photographed large groups of Scarlet Macaws as they came into Date Palm trees to feed on the oil rich nuts. We must have spent 2 hours, and used up many, many Gigs of memory as we all worked on capturing this wildlife specticle. As one of the particpants (Dorit from Isreal)would say...it was "Awesome".
I'll leave this recent trips page with a couple testimonials from this years workshop participants:
Roy,
The trip to Costa Rica with you, Mary and Andreas was one of the best that I have ever taken. The opportunities were endless and best yet the photographic support was as good as it gets. You took the opportunity to teach and teach well. Flash photographic was really foreign to me and you help clarify a lot of things. You were open to questions without hesitation. You helped all of us to take our skills to the "next level."
Even when you were ill that evening you were thinking of the people that were on the trip with you. I'll be taking more trips with you in the future.
Perhaps Botswana in '10. Again many thanks for an absolutley awesome trip.
Gene Morita
Roy,
Ginna and I want to thank you, Mary and Andreas for an excellent photo outing to the Osa Peninsula and Savegre. We enjoyed the company, good food, fine accommodations and fantastic, inspirational photos.
The technical comments and tips were not lost on us, but most of all we appreciated the nudge to back up, loosen up, open up and slow down. Thanks so much for helping us appreciate the soft flowing flight of the magnificent Quetzal in the attached photo.
We will not hesitate to join you on another trip in the future.
Regards,
Rex and Ginna Short
Thank you so much for the hummingbird and quetzal workshop. From the moment I met you, I could feel your sincerity and eagerness to share your love of photography and your winning techniques. Your dedication to my becoming a better photographer on the tour and in the future touched me very deeply. All the hummingbird shots I took before you and the group arrived were bound for the recycle bin. After you taught me your techniques with finesse my recycle bin was empty.
Wendi Belkin
Thank you so much for the hummingbird and quetzal workshop.
From the moment I met you, I could feel your sincerity and eagerness to share your love of photography and your winning techniques. Your dedication to my becoming a better photographer on the tour and in the future touched me very deeply. All the hummingbird shots I took before you and the group arrived were bound for the recycle bin. After you taught me your techniques with finesse my recycle bin was empty.
Wendi Belkin
Dear Roy, Mary, Andres, & Kim,
Mark & I wanted to take this opportunity to thank you all again for your efforts and humor during the photography workshop at Bosque del Cabo. We enjoyed ourselves immensely. I feel very fortunate to have had my first "real" photography workshop with instructors as genuinely thoughtful and giving as you were. I was quite nervous actually and you helped me get photos that may do Bosque and the Osa some justice.
We met wonderful people; we ate scrumptious meals; Mark enjoyed his hammock (maybe not as much as I should have let him); we were surrounded by vastly creative instructors in a setting that lent itself to inspire creativity in the "students." I don't know what more anyone could ask for.
My non-photographer husband is wondering which Toft Photography workshop I will do next. If that isn't an endorsement, I don't know what is.
I hope the holidays have treated you all kindly and the new year brings only wonderful things for you all.
Thank you again, and take care,
Linda & Mark Kasenow
Dear Roy
What an "awesome" workshop! What I dreamed to learn, see, and photograph, I got in your wonderful workshop in Costa Rica. You are a lovely person with a lot of joy, great sense of humor, and who not only loves to teach, but also knows “how to teach”.
For me, who came from a very different climate zone, photography in the jungle was new and I learned a lot about how to handle the light and how to work with the different subjects.
I enjoyed very much my time in Costa Rica and you have won a new Toft groupie.
I want to thank you and your co-leaders, Mary and Andres, who gave me your knowledge and did everything possible to make this workshop an "awesome" one.
Dorit Bar-Zakay, Tel-Aviv, Israel Other Recent TripsClick on the thumbnail image to view a short report of my recent trip.
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