Photo map of Manaus. Click image for interactive map.

We take a lot of short trips. It would seem we have mastered the art of the city break. But sometimes, you have to get out of town, ANY town. Most of our trips involve spur-of-the-moment location choices. We keep a few 3-4 day options in our holster, and draw the one that matches favorable flight loads, workable weather, and the energy expenditure we’re feeling at the time. Are we up for getting ourselves out into the countryside, or do we want to step off the plane and onto public transit? Do we want to dip in and out of a centrally located hotel for short periods of time, or do we want to pack up and head out for a full day at a rip? Mindset and physical reserve come heavily into play when the trip materializes over the span of a couple of days.

But once a year or so, we actually plan a Big Trip. It is planned far in advance, well researched, and eagerly anticipated for months. I savor this process, because most of our travel doesn’t happen this way. I maintain a list of Big Trips. I don’t refer to these as trips of a lifetime, because that suggests that once I finish my list, I’ll never do anything that cool again. I’ll go to the big jetbridge in the sky believing that my next big adventure is just around the corner. All of these trips involve travel to remote areas to see incredible things, predominantly wildlife in their natural habitats. This year the Big Trip took us to the lungs of the planet, the Amazon rainforest.

In anticipation of the trip, I invested in a Canon EF 24-105mm zoom lens. I already had another zoom, my Canon 70-300mm, which would do the job for animals far away or high in the air. But I knew we would also be in close quarters at times in the jungle, so I wanted a wider option as well. The zoom took a little getting used to as a walking-around lens, as I had been more of a zoom-with-my-feet prime shooter in my street photography up until now. I had a couple of trips prior to the Amazon to get a feel for it, and it quickly became a workhorse lens for city shooting as well as wildlife. I also had ample opportunities for practice thanks to the birds in my backyard, which served me well. If you’re in the market for a lens for a specific trip or purpose, I highly recommend purchasing it well in advance of your planned use.

The Meeting of the Waters just east of Manaus.

The Amazon basin covers multiple countries, but for me, there was no other choice than big, beautiful Brazil. I love Brazil, having traveled in years past to Rio and Buzios, but I had never visited any other regions of this huge country. Manaus would be our entry point, followed by a 3-hour drive to Anavilhanas Jungle Lodge, up the Rio Negro to the west. A 5-hour flight took us from Fort Lauderdale to Manaus, where we spent the first two nights of our trip. On our full day in the city, we took a boat tour to the east to see the Meeting of the Waters, where the Rio Negro and Solimões River converge. This was a sight not to be missed, and we would be heading the opposite direction for the remainder of our trip. The day also included a visit to the pink dolphins, as well as some encounters with capuchin monkeys at lunch.

We returned to Manaus in a torrential rainstorm. After waiting on the boat for some time with no let-up in sight, we made a break for it. My security detail had wisely packed a poncho, which he gave to me to protect my backpack full of photography equipment. Turns out, a poncho is also a fantastic way to keep your camera hidden as you walk around some of the sketchier parts of Manaus so you can slink into the fish market for some fantastic environmental portraits. We sloshed our way on foot from the port and market back uphill to our hotel, pleased with the variety of photos taken during the day, and excited to pack up again for our ride the following morning to Anavilhanas.

Getting the job done at Manaus Moderna market.

We were collected at our hotel bright and early for the transfer to Anavilhanas Jungle Lodge. A 3-hour drive across the river then west brought us to the beautiful property. After checking in, we were all given a schedule of our tours over the course of our stay, a life vest, and snake guards for our legs. Game on. First on the agenda was a fabulous gourmet lunch (as all of our meals would be), then a quick change into our gear for a jungle hike. The highlight of the excursion was a goliath bird-eating tarantula, which our guide lured to the entrance of its lair for us to see. Then it was back to the lodge for a bit, followed by a night-spotting boat ride (in the path of an approaching thunderstorm), which introduced us to a tree boa on a branch and a sloth in the treetops. Photographing at night is hard. Photographing moving animals is hard. Photographing from a moving boat is hard. I got all three at once, so the photos weren’t the most impressive, but the experience absolutely was. I may not have gotten sharp images, but I got indelible memories, and that’s a win.

When you shoot in the jungle, you expect low-light conditions. The tricky bit is, you will go back and forth between dense canopy and riverbanks which are in full sun. Aperture and shutter priority modes can only take you so far, so there were times when I would go full manual for low-light shooting under the canopy only to emerge into full sun and forget for the first shot or two that I hadn’t switched back to Av. This is the best argument I have for “chimping” (looking at the shots you just took on the screen). That habit helped me catch my mistake after only a couple of shots, not dozens. Or worse, when I started to cull after I got home.

Over the next few days we canoed, visited a remote community on the riverbank, fished for piranhas, swam with pink dolphins, and took a leisurely cruise on an old-school Amazon riverboat. In between activities, we swam in the Amazon, enjoyed top-notch food and drink, and met some fantastic new friends. The guides were incredible, and educated us on the environment, the river, and the people and animals who live there. We were kept very busy with planned excursions, but there were some very memorable moments in-between as well.

Just a little piranha catch-and-release.

I had some extra time early one morning before our first tour, so I grabbed my camera and took a walk in the trees near the river just after sunrise. Soon enough, I heard the branches above me shake, and I knew: the monkeys had arrived. I stood shooting up into the branches as the sun came up, capturing the morning commute of the local squirrel monkeys high in the trees. It was perfect. I was exactly where I was supposed to be right then, no doubt about it. It’s always the unexpected, unanticipated moments that form my favorite images of every trip. In order to get them, you have to BE there, out in the world. Not planning, not wishing, just showing up.

One more night in Manaus, then it was back to the airport for the flight home. It was just one week, but not just another week. Sometimes you really make it count, and this was one of those times. All the anticipation did nothing to dilute my Amazon experience; it was everything I imagined it to be and so many things I didn’t. Spontaneity and preparation are not enemies. Go ahead and plan. Plan to put yourself in the path of those spectacular surprises.

Boarding Pass: MAO

Boarding Pass: BOG via CTG

Boarding Pass: MID