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PHOTO GALLERIES

Below are a few photos of some of the places I have had a chance to visit for work, for fun or both!I am particularly fond of the microfauna gallery as I have a soft spot for the hidden biodiversity of our planet.

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• GALÁPAGOS ISLANDS •

© Christine Parent. All rights reserved.

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• SMALL AND BEAUTIFUL •

© Christine Parent. All rights reserved.

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• NGORONGORO CRATER •

© Christine Parent. All rights reserved.

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• PUNTARENAS, COSTA RICA •

© Christine Parent. All rights reserved.

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Home        Photography        Expeditions & Workshops        About        Contact

HIDDEN    LIFE
IN    COSTA  RICA

FINDING AND PHOTOGRAPHING BIODIVERSITY

THE WORLD GETS BIGGER WHEN YOU OBSERVE THE SMALLER


Costa Rica is famous for toucans, monkeys, and scarlet macaws, and we'll find those too.

This small-group workshop is built around quieter encounters: the frog on a wet leaf, the moth at the light sheet, the spider guarding her eggs.

Based at Topanga Villa in Ojochal, we'll work across rainforest, mangroves, and coast, with time to shoot, edit, and rest between outings.

• Enter the Costa Rica Gallery

SMALL-GROUP FIELD PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOP WITH CHRISTINE PARENT, PH.D.

HOME BASE:
Topanga Villa, Ojochal, Costa Rica

DATES:
Main workshop: Dec. 12–18, 2026 (7 days & 6 nights)
Optional Corcovado extension: Dec. 18–19, 2026 (2 days & 1 night)

ONE-ON-ONE ATTENTION:
Limited to 10 photographers with 3+ experienced guides at all times.
Ideal for curious beginner-to-intermediate photographers who are comfortable with their camera and excited to learn in the field.

YOUR TEAM:
Christine Parent, Ph.D. — Tour leader, evolutionary biologist
Luke Harmon, Ph.D. — Herpetologist
Eugenio García — Main workshop guide; birds & reptiles specialist
Dionisio (Nito) Paniagua — Corcovado extension guide; Osa Peninsula specialist

PRICING SUMMARY:
Main workshop — $4,750
Companion registration — $2,200
Corcovado extension (optional) — $1,200
Full experience — $5,950 ($3,400 for companion)

PAYMENT SCHEDULE:
A $1,000 deposit reserves your spot. The workshop requires a minimum of 6 participants; if that minimum is not reached by Aug.15, 2026, the workshop may be canceled and deposits will be refunded. Once the workshop is confirmed, 50% of the remaining balance is due Sep. 15, 2026, with the final balance due Oct. 15, 2026.


INCLUDED WITH MAIN WORKSHOP:
domestic charter flight from San José to Quepos, scheduled workshop shuttles, meals during the main workshop, lodging at Topanga Villa, instruction, guiding, and image review.

EXTENSION ALSO INCLUDES:
Private shuttle transport to Sierpe, then boat transport to Drake Bay & La Sirena, lodging, meals, certified park guiding, and return flight from Drake Bay to San José.


WORKSHOP FEE DOES NOT INCLUDE:
• Airfare to San José international airport (SJO)
• Medical insurance (required), evacuation or travel insurance expenses
• Personal photography gear
• Alcohol, specialty drinks, souvenirs, laundry, and other personal expenses
• Companion activities

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What makes this workshop different

Led by a field biologist, who also happens to be a photographer

Christine Parent is an evolutionary biologist, National Geographic Explorer, university professor, expedition naturalist, and wildlife photographer. She has spent more than two decades conducting biodiversity fieldwork in remote places such as Ecuador (including the Galápagos), Peru, Chile, Costa Rica, Japan, the Solomon Islands, Tanzania, and the USA (mostly the Pacific Northwest and Hawai'i).Christine's specialty is creating spaces for people to notice the lives most of us walk past.

A luxury villa base, not hotel-hopping

We will be based at Topanga Villa, a private luxury estate in Ojochal with spacious rooms, beautiful gathering spaces, a pool, excellent food, and access to Costa Rica’s southern Pacific habitats.This gives the workshop a different rhythm: field sessions, chef-prepared meals, image review, rest, night walks, and time to build community without constantly packing and moving.

Macro, wildlife, natural history, and story

This workshop is especially strong for wildlife, macro and close-focus photography, but it is not only a technical photography workshop. We will work on fieldcraft, behavior, composition, lighting, storytelling, image selection, and how to capture a wildlife encounter that tells a story.Want a better feel for the wildlife and landscapes we’ll be photographing? View the Costa Rica Gallery.

Small group, one-on-one attention

The workshop is limited to 10 photographers. Photographers will be fully immersed into workshop activities with at least 3 guides at all times.The small group keeps the experience personal, flexible, and responsive to conditions.

Open to travel companions

Photographers are welcome to bring a travel companion. Each photographer will have a private room, which may be shared with a companion at a reduced rate.Companions are invited to enjoy the villa, meals, pool, gardens, and relaxed group time. They may also join some scheduled outings when space and logistics allow, but the photography instruction, field coaching, and image review sessions are designed for registered photographers.Alternative activities for companions may also be offered during the workshop. These activities are not included in the registration fee and can be arranged separately.This is a good option for partners or friends who want to experience Costa Rica, enjoy the setting, and be part of the trip without participating fully in the photography workshop.

This workshop is for you if:

• You love wildlife, and are especially curious about the small, strange, overlooked things.

• You want to improve your field photography without being buried in gear talk.

• You like natural history as much as camera settings.

• You want a mix of field time, learning, good food, comfort, and adventure.

• You are excited by frogs, insects, spiders, lizards, fungi, plants, birds, mammals, and the occasional complete surprise.

• You are comfortable with uneven trails, night walks, humid conditions, and the reality that wildlife does not take requests.

You do not need to be an expert photographer. In fact, this is your opportunity to learn and develop your skills. You should be comfortable using your equipment and interested in learning and sharing.

What you’ll learn

Finding the Unseen
How to slow down, scan vegetation, read edges, search leaf litter, notice behavior, and find small subjects without trampling the place you came to see.
Macro & Close-Focus Technique
Working distance, backgrounds, depth of field, diffused flash, natural light, tripod vs. handheld approaches, and practical field settings.
Camera Traps & Hidden Wildlife
How to think about elusive mammals, reptiles, and birds: where to place camera traps, how to read signs, and how to photograph animals you may not see directly.
Ethical Wildlife Photography
How to photograph small animals responsibly, minimize stress, avoid habitat damage, and put the welfare of the subject first.
Image Review & Storytelling
How to choose, edit, sequence, and refine images so they become more than isolated wildlife portraits.

Most importantly, we will focus on transferable skills: ways of looking, listening, searching, tracking, photographing, and asking questions that you can use at home or anywhere you travel as you continue your own journey of biodiversity discovery.

Above: Photos taken at Topanga Villa

The setting: Topanga Villa, Ojochal

Our home base is Topanga Villa, a private luxury property in Ojochal, between the mountains and the sea. After humid field sessions, night walks, and early mornings, you will return to a place where you can eat well, rest, edit, swim, talk, and recharge.Each photographer will have a private room. A travel companion may share the room at a reduced companion rate. Because every room at the villa is unique, rooms will be assigned based on guest preferences in the order bookings are received.Our base is surrounded by primary forest with a trail system leading to a small river with its own private swim hole and waterfall. Birds, insects, tropical flowers, reptiles and amphibians are all within walking distance. Topanga Villa will offer a soft landing for our field-based workshop.Workshop atmosphere: curious, generous, comfortable, field-focused, and intentionally small.

meet your guides

Christine Parent, Ph.D.Workshop Leader · Evolutionary Biologist · National Geographic Explorer · Wildlife PhotographerChristine is an evolutionary biologist, National Geographic Explorer, professor, expedition naturalist, and wildlife photographer. She has spent more than two decades doing fieldwork in places like Ecuador (including the Galápagos), Peru, Costa Rica, Chile, Japan, the Solomon Islands, Hawaiʻi, and Tanzania.As The Snail Hunter, Christine combines science, photography, and storytelling to help people notice the overlooked lives around them — frogs, insects, snails, spiders, lizards, and the small dramas most travelers walk past. She is fluent in English, French, and Spanish, with a good level of German.

Luke Harmon, Ph.D.Evolutionary Biologist · Naturalist · Workshop Co-LeaderLuke Harmon is an evolutionary biologist, professor, naturalist, and educator whose work explores how life diversifies across the tree of life. He brings deep scientific knowledge, years of teaching experience, and a generous, curious approach to field learning.On this workshop, Luke will help find reptiles and amphibians (his favorites) and connect wildlife encounters to bigger evolutionary stories such as why animals look, move, behave, and diversify the way they do. He brings humor, field experience, and practical support to the group.

Eugenio GarcíaCosta Rican Naturalist Guide · Wildlife Expert · Local Field LeaderEugenio García is a Costa Rican naturalist guide with deep knowledge of the country’s wildlife, habitats, and field conditions. He brings the local expertise that makes a trip like this work: where to go, what to listen for, when to look, and how to move through the forest with care.Eugenio will help guide the field sessions, find wildlife, interpret Costa Rican ecosystems, and connect the group to the hidden life of the rainforest, coast, and forest edges.

Workshop highlights

• Seven days & six nights at Topanga Villa

• Maximum 10 photographers

• Option to invite a travel companion

• Chef-prepared meals

• Rainforest field sessions

• Night walks for nocturnal life (frogs, insects, etc.)

• Macro & close-focus photography sessions

• Telephoto (birds, mammals) sessions

• Friendly image review and editing sessions

• Beach & coastal landscape session

• Mangrove, estuary, and coastal forest excursions

• Light sheet / insect attraction sessions

• Natural history talks woven into the field experience

• Optional 2-day Corcovado extension

PLANNED ITINERARY & SCHEDULE

Above: Map of Costa Rica including planned visit sites for the workshop.

DAILY ITINERARYDay 1 — Dec 12: Arrival at Topanga Villa
Guests take a chartered flight from San José to Quepos, followed by a shuttle down the Pacific coast to Topanga Villa in Ojochal. We’ll settle in, gather for introductions and orientation, and ease into the workshop with time around the villa.Day 2 — Dec 13: Finding the Unseen
We’ll begin close to home, learning how to read habitat, scan vegetation, search edges, install camera traps, and notice the small clues that reveal hidden wildlife. Evening session: night walk and macro photography.Day 3 — Dec 14: Coast and La Cusinga
We’ll visit the coastal forest and shoreline around La Cusinga, just north of Arco Beach, with opportunities for landscape, wildlife, plants, textures, and natural-history storytelling.Day 4 — Dec 15: Open Day
Time to practice what we have learned on your own or schedule a one-on-one session with Christine. You will also have time to enjoy the villa, partake in other activities that the area has to offer (beach exploration, zip lining, ATV rides, museum visits, town exploration, spa treatments, etc.).Day 5 — Dec 16: Sierpe River and Mangroves
We’ll travel to Sierpe for a boat-based outing through the river and mangrove system, looking for birds, reptiles, monkeys, river-edge wildlife, reflections, and rainforest views from the water.Day 6 — Dec 17: Rainforest, Macro, and Field Technique
A field-based day around Topanga Villa focused on rainforest photography, small subjects, lighting, backgrounds, and ethical wildlife practice, followed by final image review and discussion back at the villa.Day 7 — Dec 18: Departure for Main Workshop Guests
Main workshop guests return toward San José after breakfast.Extension Day 1 — Dec 18: First Day in Corcovado
Guests joining the optional Corcovado extension leave early by boat from Sierpe toward Drake Bay and La Sirena for a deeper rainforest experience.Extension Day 2 — Dec 19: Optional Corcovado Extension Continues
The extension adds time in the Corcovado National Park, with field time in lowland rainforest. We leave the park early p.m. in time to catch return late p.m. flight from Drake Bay to San José.

Optional Extension: corcovado national park

Above: Photos from Corcovado National Park, Costa Rica

DATES: December 18–19, 2026 (2 days & 1 night)
COST: $1,200/person

For guests who want to add a wilder ending to the workshop, the optional Corcovado extension takes us from the comfort of Topanga Villa into one of Costa Rica’s most extraordinary rainforest landscapes.On the morning of December 18, we will leave Topanga Villa and travel south toward the Osa Peninsula. The route will take us by road to Sierpe, then by boat through the mangroves and coastal waters toward Drake Bay, the gateway to Corcovado National Park. From there, we continue into the Corcovado experience with our local guide and park logistics.This extension is different in feel from the main workshop. Topanga Villa is our soft landing: beautiful rooms, chef-prepared meals, space to rest, edit, and gather. Corcovado is the wilder add-on: simpler lodging, early starts, boat transfers, humid trails, and the possibility of unforgettable encounters with rainforest wildlife.The extension package includes private boat transport, lunch, dinner, breakfast, overnight lodging at the station, and several guided walks. On the first day, we will have two guided walks, starting when we land in the park until sunset. On the second day, we will head out at approximately 6:00 a.m. for a pre-breakfast guided walk, and another walk before noon, when the forest is most alive.This is a chance to look for the larger hidden life of Costa Rica: mammals moving through the forest, birds calling from the canopy, reptiles on the vegetation of the trail edge, tracks in the mud, and the layered sounds and signs of a living rainforest. The highlights might include tapirs, coatis, anteaters, collared peccaries, toucans, scarlet macaws, howler monkeys, white-faced capuchins, spider monkeys, army ants, basilisks, tree anoles, kingfishers, crocodiles, to name a few.The Corcovado extension is open to both photographers and companions at the same per-person price. Space may be limited, and the exact logistics will depend on final boat schedules, park access, and guide arrangements.

Nito (above) will guide our walks through the Corcovado forest. Nito is regarded as one of the best naturalist guides in Costa Rica and is known worldwide for his ability to find and interpret wildlife that most people would miss. With deep local knowledge, sharp field instincts, and years of experience in the Osa Peninsula, he brings the forest to life, from tracks and calls to birds, mammals, reptiles, insects, and the hidden stories unfolding all around us.

ready to join us?

Space is limited, and rooms at Topanga Villa are unique. A $1,000 deposit reserves your spot, and accommodations will be assigned by preference in the order deposits are received.If the workshop minimum is not met by Aug. 15, 2026, deposits will be refunded. Once the workshop is confirmed, the remaining balance will be paid in two installments.Reserve your spot early for the best choice of rooms!

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Feb 2026: Galapagos expedition with adventure canada.

you can see some of the photos of the 2026 expedition here.

Mar 2027: details coming soon.