Santiago Bejerano brought the Galapagos Islands and their remarkable wildlife to life at a recent visit to the club. An Ecuadorian naturalist and wildlife photographer, Santiago has worked in the islands for over a decade. His photography of the Galapagos has been published and exhibited internationally.
He began his career by bringing visitors to the jungle and highlands of Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands where he worked as a naturalist. He now lives in Beverley but divides his time between UK and Ecuador, going back every year. Santiago advised that the best time to visit the Galapagos was between May and November. Being near the Equator meant sunrise/sunset were 6-6, with the best light at 5.30pm.
The Galapagos covers an area of 70 miles, and is a volcanic hotspot with several of the volcanoes on the islands still active. Santiago presented stunning images of spectacular eruptions on Isabela Island. Taken in 2005, he even managed to get to the rim of the crater, which gave a spectacular view of the lava fields, and the ocean.
What makes these islands truly unique is that they have remained isolated from predators for most of their history. The result is a unique and diverse range of animals that are totally unafraid of humans, from an amazing array of birds, to iguanas and giant tortoises. Santiago has no need for a big lens; he often uses a wide-angle zoom, with subjects often sitting just feet away. With no big predators, animals are quite tame and totally unafraid of people.
97% of the Enchanted Islands remains largely untouched by man, with many of the natural species still found on the island. Currents bring in many animals and sea birds - whether they want to or not! The water world also proved spectacular and unusual. Santiago showed the club underwater shots of penguins and wingless cormorants.
On land Santiago was spoilt for choice with backgrounds - red, black and white sand, and grass. Also black, red, brown and grey hardened lava bombs, spatter cones and cinder cones.
By simply following the tourist trails which starts on the beach it is possible to be just meters away from wildlife. Great Frigate birds nest near the trails and iguanas can be seen basking on the rocks. The colours looked vibrant - Iguanas turn a vibrant turquoise and red during the breeding season. Blue Foot Boobies whose feet matched the iguana were also ideal subjects. Santiago followed the trail into a forest – a good area to photograph one of his favourite subjects - mockingbirds.
Another favourite was Great Frigate Birds. Santiago showed an impressive image of the bird with a large red pouch. He explained how the males inflate their red-throated pouches to attract females that fly overhead. .
Santiago found using a 80 –200mm lens ideal because it so flexible, he often found the subjects would start walking towards him. e Lying down to get to their level had another drawback - bird poo on the ground. The resulting images were worth it though and, as Santiago remarked, clothes can always be washed!
Finally Santiago showed the club photographs of sea lions. These are very playful and Santiago just had to ‘point and shoot’. The blue skies and white sands made a ready-made ideal background.
Club president Colin Hucklesby congratulated Santiago on an excellent evening that had been alive with information. Santiago had provided an interesting insight into the natural history of the islands.
