The Critters of Costa Rica

Alyce Bender uses the new Tamron 90mm F2.8 Macro lens for mirrorless to capture up-close photos in the Central American rainforest.

Author: Jenn Gidman

Images: Alyce Bender

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The Critters of Costa Rica

At any given time, you’ll find Alyce Bender tracking limpkins, caribou, or wild stallions, ready to create new images to add to her ample wildlife portfolio. “Often when we say ‘wildlife photography,’ we think of elephants, moose, bears,” she says. “Those megafauna are such a small percentage of life on this planet, though. It’s the reptiles, the amphibians, the insects that make up the bulk of life on Earth. I enjoy seeking out and documenting the ‘wow’ factor of these smaller species that are all around us. Recognizing their importance has also helped me become a better naturalist.”

On a recent 72-hour getaway to lush Costa Rica, Bender photographed some of the country’s tiniest inhabitants. She test-drove the new Tamron 90mm F/2.8 DI III VXD Macro lens for her Sony mirrorless camera system, a versatile mid-telephoto 1:1 macro lens that offers close-focusing ability, with an MOD (Minimum Object Distance) of 9.1” (0.23m) and stellar image quality in a compact, lightweight, extremely portable package. “I call this my Goldilocks lens,” Bender says. “It fills a sweet spot for macro photography, allowing me to get close for the details, but not too close. I can work with very small species like ladybugs or tiny frogs, but also with larger subjects like lizards and pit vipers.”

With its 1:1 magnification, quick focusing, and a maximum F2.8 aperture that allowed Bender to capture sharp photos even in the deepest shade of the Costa Rican rainforest, the 90mm Macro proved a rugged companion as she trekked through the jungle and around local zoos, where some of her subjects posed for her from captivity. “This lens is so compact and lightweight, and I especially love how it takes those little points of light in your background and turns them into these beautiful round bokeh balls,” she says. “In a tropical environment like Costa Rica, I can place my small subjects in front of those light halos, enhancing my compositions.”

90mm, F2.8, 1/125 sec., ISO 250

BENDER’S QUICK TIPS

Include the environment.
Highlight where your subjects are from—these creatures don’t exist in a vacuum. For instance, some of the snakes I encountered mainly hang out on leaf litter. That may not seem like the most glamorous backdrop, but it accurately reflects the snake’s true habitat and adds context to its story.

90mm, F2.8, 1/400 sec., ISO 640

Know your lighting limitations.

I usually carry a small LED panel with me in the dense, dark rainforests of Costa Rica, or at least a flashlight in my backpack. Sometimes my guides come through for me as well. For the shot here of the harvestmen arachnid—not actually a spider!—my guide had a handheld UV black light on him that we shone on the arachnid to fluoresce it and show it from a different perspective.

90mm, F3.5, 1/125 sec., ISO 800

Selectively focus.

Choose a captivating focal point, like the animal’s eye, especially on larger creatures like lizards. I loved the intricate scale pattern around the eye of the neotropical anole you see here, as well as how the color of its eye contrasts with its green body.

90mm, F3.5, 1/500 sec., ISO 400

Keep things ethical.

When working with animals, especially potentially dangerous ones like the poison dart frogs and eyelash vipers of Costa Rica, safety should always take precedence. The animal’s well-being is paramount. Take the poison dart frog, for example. If you use supplemental lighting for too long or place it too close to the frog, it can actually dry the frog out—especially if you use traditional lighting over LED lighting, which produces more heat.

90mm, F5.6, 1/80 sec., ISO 800

Knowing the species you’re photographing also helps. Animals can become stressed if you work with them for too long, and they don’t have facial expressions that necessarily reveal that stress. The red-eyed tree frog is nocturnal, so I try to photograph it in deep shade. I’ve used supplemental lighting in cases like this, but only for a few minutes before the frog returns to its habitat. I also know that this particular frog’s eyes will turn into black slits if too much bright light is used, or their color will fade to a pastier green. Do your homework so you know how each species reacts and when to pull the plug.

To see more of Alyce Bender’s work, check out her website and Instagram.

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