In March, Penny and I went to the Galapagos Islands to celebrate our 50th wedding anniversary. In addition to being the trip of a lifetime, this was a photographer’s dream. There is a fascinating variety of wildlife, much of it seeming quite happy to pose.
We toured six islands in the southwestern part of the archipelago, where we saw amazing birds, sea lions, iguanas, and tortoises. We bunked aboard the Galapagos Legend but zipped to the islands in Zodiak-type inflatable boats, where our guides helped us explore and learn about the wonders we were seeing.
Our trip was in the rainy “low”season. But we lucked out and had only about an hour of rain during our whole 11-day trip. We found the ocean water was warm and the islands full of green foliage–things that are not necessarily so during the high season in the Galapagos.
We were on a Road Scholar tour and I was a bit worried that being with a group, I would not be able to stop long enough to compose my shots. But this was not the case. For almost all of the photos I took on land, I used my Olympus EM1-Mark III with the Olympus 75-300mm zoom lens. This gave me plenty of range, especially considering that the animals were not at all camera shy.
Each island had its own character. Where we might see Frigatebirds and Red-footed Boobies on one, the next might be teeming with marine or land iguanas. Not to mention Blue-footed Boobies and Pelicans.
I also tried my hand at underwater photography with a rented Olympus TG-6 camera. I got a few interesting photos that way too.
Because there are so many photos, I’ve organized them chronologically by the days they were taken. This post covers the first two days on the islands.
Days One & Two
Birds
Sea Lions
Landscapes
Underwater
The first two islands we visited are sharply different. The first was North Seymour Island, a rocky island in the central part of the archipelago. It was a great first stop because it gave us a chance to see Magnificent Frigatebirds in the midst of mating season.
The next day we sailed to Bartolomé Island. In contrast to Seymour, Bartolomé is a barren islet in Sullivan Bay. We hiked lava fields replete with intricate designs formed by intense heat and rapid cooling. We climbed almost 400 steps to reach a gorgeous view of Sullivan Bay with its dramatic volcanic cone known as Pinnacle Rock. We also did some snorkeling in the bay, so it was a full day.
Birds
One of my favorite photo subjects is birds. What better place to photograph them than the Galapagos? And wow! On our first day there I was deep in my element. North Seymour Island is one of the main nesting places for Magnificent Frigatebirds. Frigates are known as the pirates of the sea. Because they don’t have waterproof wings, they will follow boats to “steal” food from the decks and even harass other birds into dropping their prey. The males inflate red pouches on their necks to impress the girls. In this case I think size really does matter, as does the brilliance of color.
But the males don’t completely steal the show. You can sense a regal haughtiness in the ladies as well. As we hiked, we saw the Frigates perched in tree branches, so it was sometimes hard to get an unobstructed shot. But with patience (and, admittedly, a bit of editing) I captured the birds and am happy with the results.
The other beautiful birds we saw on North Seymour are Red-footed Boobies. We were enthralled by their bright red webbed feet and the red rings around their eyes. Depending on habitat and mating patterns, Red-footed Boobies have different colored wings. The ones we saw had grey and white plumage with dark heads, which complemented their beautiful eyes.
I have also included a photo of a perched Pelican in the gallery below. I took that during our visit to Bartolomé Island on day two. Stay tuned for more Pelican shots from later in our tour.
Select photos for enlargements.
Sea Lions
Although the Galapagos sea lions were plentiful throughout our trip, I had the most fun photographing them on North Seymour Island. The rocky beach and active surf make an excellent backdrop for portraits of these very photogenic mammals. They are seldom shy and seem more than happy to strike a pose. However, don’t get too close! They have been known to bite people who find them “cute” enough to pet.
These sea lions remind me a lot of seals but they are not true seals. Galapagos sea lions are able to rotate their hind flippers under their pelvis, allowing them to ‘gallop’ across land. On rocky terrain, they can run faster than a person.
For some of these photos I used the Live Neutral Density feature of my camera. This emulates a neutral density filter without the need to attach one to the lens. These ND shots were handheld.
Landscapes & Lizards
These landscape photos are all from Bartolomé Island, which is located in the central part of the archipelago. The allure of this island is not so much the wildlife but the extraordinary designs left by lava formations. Also, if you are willing to climb the hundreds of steps, there is a wonderful view of Pinnacle Rock. This feature makes Bartolomé one of the most visited islands in the Galapagos. Yes, I enjoyed the view from the top. But the thing that fascinated me the most was seeing an aptly-named Lava Cactus isolated in the midst of barren lava flows. I can’t think of a better demonstration of how life will grab hold of any substance and opportunity to thrive.
I also saw lava lizards and land iguanas on these two islands, and have included a couple of photos here.
Underwater
Here are some of the photos I took while snorkeling. This was my first try at taking photos underwater and I was using an unfamiliar rental camera. I am even reluctant to put them in this post. But they were a learning experiment.
