IamA wildlife photographer in the Peruvian Amazon. I've found all sorts of cool stuff, most recently a predatory glow worm. AMA!

Have you ever been in a situation where you felt you were in serious jeopardy of dying?

I think that the only time I was in serious jeopardy of dying is when I had dengue fever. I got dengue after a 19 day camping trip in the amazon. It feels like your bones are exploding. I tried to make my flight to Lima but I collapsed in front of the airport. I went to the hospital in Puerto Maldonado and then went back to Lima the next day. I spent 3 days in the hospital in Lima. I laid in bed for a week and it took me about a month to recover. The doctor in Lima said that I was close to dying when I got to the hospital.

How did you first get into wildlife photography? Do you have any formal training in things like biology or is it all from a photography background?

I started doing astrophotography about 12 or 13 years ago. Astrophotography is when you use telescopes to take photos of galaxies and nebula etc. Its really technically challenging and I learned a lot about photography doing that. After awhile I decided to turn my camera to terrestrial subjects.

After college I started traveling around central america and taking pictures. I eventually moved to Costa Rica and then Peru and Colombia. During a trip to the Amazon I had the chance to work in the amazon so I took it and the rest is history. I don't know much about biology or entomology but I like nature and bugs etc. and get to work with a lot of great entomologists like @Phil_Torres and @AaronPomerantz. I learn a ton from them.

If anyone's interested the folks over at /r/astrophotography take some amazing shots.

Well, everyone on that sub is absolutely loaded.

Some of them yes. Some have bloody amazing equipment. But it's a great place to see examples of stuff that doesn't need outrageous kit. This wide-field of the Milky Way was taken by /u/archioptic with something similar to this set-up, just with this lens instead of the one in the photo.

This is the post.

Camping under the milky way in the Amazon jungle:

https://twitter.com/JCremerPhoto/status/479822105299939328/photo/1

Hi, Jeff! Have you ever been in a situation where you had to choose between your personal safety and getting that perfect picture?

The amazon isn't as dangerous as people think. I think that the only time I had to choose between my personal safety and getting the perfect picture is when I was photographing a jaguar on the bank of a river with my friend Phil. The jaguar was looking at us through some plants and growling. It could have come at us and killed both of us in an instant. Got a good pic of him looking directly at us though: Jaguar Photo

Thank you! The jaguar is my favorite animal. I was going to ask what your best encounter with one was.

Gorgeous photo!

Thanks! I would say that this was my best encounter with one. It was the first time I ever saw a jaguar. I was going up river on a boat and saw him sitting on the river bank: https://twitter.com/JCremerPhoto/status/542732768242053120/photo/1

about the Decoy Spider, doesn't this mean that spiders know how to count?? he made exactly 8 legs..

Thats a really good question. Nobody knows :) The discovery of the spider brings up tons of questions such as how does the spider know what he looks like, and how can it make the drawing without stepping back and looking at the drawing.

Hi Jeff,
What's your go to setup, and would you have any advice for getting that perfect macro shot?

For good wildlife photos in that amazon I recommend two lenses:

1. Canon 800mm f/5.6
2. Canon MP-E 65mm f/2.8

You can photograph anything with these two lenses. I use them with a Canon 7D body I also use a twin flash on the MP-E for macro shots.

Soft diffused lighting is the most important thing for macro shots. The bigger the diffuser the better. I use this a lot: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/741844-REG/Lastolite_LL_LS2420S_Ezybox_Speed_Lite.html

What kind of setup do you have for mounting the macro lens? I assume you need a macro rail and all that jazz?

I don't really use a macro rail. I just try to get into the most comfortable position possible and then hold my breath. The MPE has such a shallow depth of focus that even breathing and your heart beat can change the focus. Sometimes I use a tripod with it but not often. I usually just grab the front of the lens and use by thumb to balance it and press my idex finger against a tree for the focus. Almost everything is hand held. It just takes practice.

Very cool...I was actually hoping you'd say that. Carrying that stuff around seems like a huge pain. I've been doing some hobby wildlife photography in the last couple years and I'd like to start looking into macro a bit more as well. It's nice to know that it can be accomplished without all that equipment. I'm hoping to add the MP-65 to my collection in the near future...after I upgrade the 100-400...hehe.

Pro Tip: You can only use the the MP-E 65mm if you have the twin flash, ring flash or some other type of external flash set up. (added expense) Other than that the pictures will come out dark and blurry.

Any reason why you're not shooting full frame? I have the 7D as well and love it, but I'm looking forward to upgrading to a 35mm sensor.

Edit: Nvm, I saw you're also using a 6D

I dont shoot full frame because of the crop factor of the 7D. The 7D pixel density is also very high.

Can you be our new Unidan?

I would be happy to be the new Unidan :)

Have you yet to find something that made you say "what the f*** is that thing?"

Every day my friend. Glow worms, spiders, other insects, there is all sorts of WTF stuff in the jungle. Here is a WTF picture of a wax tailed plant hopper: https://twitter.com/JCremerPhoto/status/531676026003521536/photo/1

This pic of a tailless whip scorpion with babies on its back is also very WTF: https://twitter.com/JCremerPhoto/status/475400921758072832/photo/1

You said Predatory Glow Worm... that wasn't what I was expecting, I was expecting pictures of this:

Predator Glow Worm

But your pictures are cool too.

As a photographer, is it easier taking pictures of wildlife and plantlife than people? I always feel like people are expecting the picture in some way and it always comes off un-natural. But wild life and plants and inanimate objects can tell stories and give details into their lives much easier to me.

Maybe I just suck at taking pictures of people.

Every subject has its intricacies. Here is what I do to get a good shot of people. I hold the camera up and compose the pic and focus it. Then I just start joking around and acting like a dork.This brings out a natural smile and thats when I take the pic. Here is a picture of a tribal woman in a remote part of the amazon: https://twitter.com/JCremerPhoto/status/542739061153468416/photo/1

How do you travel and camp on longer jungle excursions? Is it full on survivorman-mode?

How much gamera gear do you carry with you? And as an avid photographer, the content of your camera bag is interesting too :)

On expeditions I usually travel in boats. We take everything we need with us. Food, water, medicine etc. We also bring satellite telephones in case of emergencies.

I carry tons of gear with me. Here is the full list:

• 3 Canon 7D DSLR
• 1 Canon 6D DSLR
• Canon 800mm f/5.6
• Canon 600mm f/4
• Canon 100mm Macro L
• Canon 100mm Macro
• Canon MP-E 65mm f/2.8
• Two Gitzo Carbon fiber tripods
• One Gitzo Basalt Explorer tripod
• TrailMaster Infrared Trail Monitor Camera Trap
• Three Canon Flash units
• Canon Twin Flash for macro photography
• Lastolite flash diffusers
• Lots of Cables, Cords, Batteries etc.

I carry everything in a Think Tank airport international bag.

Here is a pic of some of my gear: https://twitter.com/JCremerPhoto/status/542737123557007360/photo/1

Here is another pic of a boat that I was on in Manu: https://twitter.com/JCremerPhoto/status/509525718716669952/photo/1

I don't understand why you need 3 7Ds...

• One for my 800mm,
• One for the MPE-65mm
• One is broken but still kind of works (attacked by leaf cutter ants which ate all the rubber off the camera then it was rained on all night)
• 6D for full frame video and low light stuff

Its always good to have back ups as well.

What changes of the rain forest did you see in the last years?

Remote tribes in Manu are starting to come out and be contacted. When a tribe is contacted by outsiders they run the risk of getting sick and dying because their immune system isn't adapted to the diseases we carry. Lots of tribal people die because of this. Here is an interesting story about it:

• http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/lure-of-modern-tools-is-bringing-uncontacted-tribes-of-peru-into-the-open-9719765.html
• http://www.theguardian.com/environment/andes-to-the-amazon/2014/sep/05/discovery-fakery-indigenous-peoples-sharks

I also see more people moving into the Puerto Maldonado area. The illegal gold mining is also taking a big toll on the region. Here is a link to a pic of destruction caused from gold mining: https://twitter.com/JCremerPhoto/status/496118120332165121/photo/1

Do you have any photos of ocelots?

Reddit... sort of has a thing for ocelots.

In fact I do. There was an ocelot who used to come into the kitchen at the research center every night looking for food. I set up a camera trap and got his pic: https://twitter.com/JCremerPhoto/status/542753109504966656/photo/1

SO, nature guy... What is the most delicious thing to eat in the Amazon?

The fish in the amazon is pretty good. I like gilded catfish or jau (Zungaro zungaro) because it doesn't have many bones to pick through when you eat it. They also make soup from a dinosaur looking fish that has an exoskeleton. Its called a carachama. I have also eaten piranha as well as a beetle larva called Suri.

I've always wanted to explore an amazing place like the Amazon. What tips can you give to a wannabe explorer?

The amazon is an awesome place. I recommend going to the place that I work. :) The Tambopata Research Center. There is a ton of wildlife there and its on of the most remote ecolodges in south america. Its a really awesome place. The thing is that if you go visit the research center, everything is taken care of: Food, transportation, lodging, guides etc. You get all the benefits of an amazon expedition without having to plan it all yourself. Tambopata Research Center

I just listened to the Soundcloud bit in the link you provided! Wow!!!

That was recorded by @AShellinthePit. He does amazing work.

I've always had dreams of doing work as a biologist in the rainforest. I'm considering going back to school, and I've always been curious, how does one get a job doing something similar to what you are doing right now? I mean, who employs you guys? Government? Private organization?

There isn't much money in selling photos so I started my own company doing photo tours. People can come down and take a 5 day or 7 day trip to the amazon with me. I provide all the equipment and teach people how to make great photos: http://www.perunature.com/nature-photography-workshop.html

What has been the most surprising part about your career to date?

The most surprising part about my career is that I have actually been successful. I wasn't sure that I would make it when I started but I just took the risk and it worked out. I was already into photography and living in Peru when I decided to go pro so that made things easier. Finding Tambopata really helped too!

When you decided to "go pro" what was your approach? Where do you begin?

Long story short: Don’t become a professional photographer. There isn’t any money in photography.

Due to the low barrier to entry costs of becoming a photographer (low cost pro equipment, smart phone cameras etc) anyone and everyone can become a photographer. This coupled with micro stock photo selling sites such as Shutterstock as well as people using Flicker to sell their work makes for a market that is totally saturated with photographers and photos for sale.

Most of the photographers that I know, including myself, have other jobs on the site. I am the marketing director for a ecolodge in the amazon. Other people that I know have full time jobs as biochemists, aerospace engineers and computer programmers and do photography as a hobby on the side.

That being said, if you want to be involved in photography there are still lots of ways to go about it.

I started doing photography as a hobby about 12 years ago. I was really interested in astronomy and started taking pictures of nebula and galaxies. After that I started taking pictures of other things, ants, flowers etc. and just kept going. I owned a website that allowed me to travel all over and do lots of photography. I sold my website to an investor about 5 years ago and then sat down and thought about what I was going to do next. I knew that I liked photography and I always had the idea to give photo tours.

As with any business idea you have to look for a hole in the market or have a competitive advantage against the other people out there. I decided that I would take some of the money and invest in a gigapixel camera. I figured that the equipment costs were high enough that it presented a barrier to entry for a normal photographer and it was also a special niche that not a lot of people were in. My bet paid off and I built up a little bit of a name for myself by doing the gigapixel photography. That is when I was called out to the jungle to do some gigapixel photography out there. While I was out there I met with the owner of the company and we started talking and asked me if I wanted to do photo tours there. So now I’m doing photo tours in the Peruvian Amazon. Not a whole lot of photographers spend as much time in the amazon as I do. This is good for me because I am able to capture images of special subjects that the other competition doesn’t have access to. This is how my name gets to appear in all the different magazines and websites etc. I make the bulk of my money by selling photos, like a traditional photographer, but for teaching people photography and honestly I make most of my money at my day job.

Summary on becoming a pro (this pretty much applies to any business):

• Exploit barriers to entry
• Study and find weaknesses in your competitors business plans.
• Have access to interesting subjects
• Being a pro photographer isn’t so much about your ability to take a good picture (anybody can take a good picture) as it is in being a good businessman. Knowing how to study the competition, write a business plan and manage a business (accounting, advertising, etc.) are better skills to have than knowing what ISO to use when photographing a frog.

I met some Canadian photographers in Peru and they told me there are over 1,000 different birds in the Peruvian amazon, some of them unique to the area. Do you ever plan to explore the bird diversity of the amazon, or is this an area you don't find particularly interesting?

Birds are awesome and there are lots of people exploring the bird diversity of the amazon. Here is how they do it:

They string up a series of fine nets across trails in the jungle. These are called "mist nets" The come back the next day and birds are caught in the nets. This doesnt hurt the birds. The scientists pick the birds out of the net then record its species, take its measurements and but a band on it then let it go.

For amphibians and helps they use deadfall traps to catch the animals. Form this research they get this data:

As an idea of how incredibly diverse this national park and Tambopata is, at least 670 bird species have been identified in the area. Nearby Manu National Park has a bird list of 1,000 plus species but this also takes into account different sets of bird species that occur at elevations ranging from near sea level to 3,000 meters (9,000 feet). The bird list for Bahuaja-Sonene and Tambopata, however, encompasses a much smaller elevational gradient that is almost entirely lowland in nature and barely reaches the Andean foothills.

I was with some scientists when they caught this royal flycatcher in their mist net. They let it go with no problem right after I took the photo: https://twitter.com/JCremerPhoto/status/499992929201840128/photo/1

Mushrooms. What interesting species have you seen?

I took this photo of a bridal veil mushroom. They are very rare and smell like a dead body. They only last one night before moths eat them: https://twitter.com/JCremerPhoto/status/542759809431642112/photo/1

Hi Jeff!

First off, thank you for taking the time to do this AMA. I'm sure it will be a real treat.

My question is in regards to Amazon women: Is it true that, once a year, they find men to mate with so that their tribe of female warriors doesn't die out? If so, when does this ritual take place? And where does it the place?

Thanks for your time!

That is an interesting story. Ive spent time with lots of tribes all over the amazon but I have never heard of it before. If you ever find out let me know. I like doing whatever I can to save the amazon :)

Hey Jeff you're known in in the Atmospheric Optics world for the Tambopata River high sun Halo display! What did you think when you saw those Halos?

Wow! Where did you hear about that? That was totally awesome! The sun halos was much bigger than the pictures let on. It was from horizon to horizon with around 5 rings. It was totally amazing. It was like being on another planet. Totally cool!

How often do you come across coca / weed fields?

Never came across any coca or weed fields. But....

I was on a trip to a remote part of Manu and we were driving down a remote jungle road at night. There were tons of huge dump trucks carrying huge loads of bamboo. There were about 10 or 20 people sitting on top of the load of bamboo. Buried below the bamboo was cocaine and the people on top were protecting it. One guy stopped our car and asked where the police where. We told him that we saw a checkpoint a few miles up the road. They said thanks and disappeared into the night.

I also hear drug planes flying overhead at night and in the early morning.

Thanks for doing the ama! What's the worst experience you've ever had in the Amazon?

I would say that having dengue was the worst experience. Other than that its an awesome place.

Sorry for asking a gear related question, but how do you manage to power your equipment and deal with memory cards while away from civilization?

We usually bring gas generators or big solar panels on the trips. I download the memory cards to my laptop each day and back them up onto an external hard drive.

Maybe you can answer this. I traveled recently to la ciudad peridida in Colombia and had problems with my lenses fogging due to the humidity in the rainforest. Have you ever had this issue? How did you solve it?

EDIT: Added punctuation

Not many problems with humidity. Most of my gear is weather sealed. I do use desiccant though.

Do you speak to the people much? If so, usually on Spanish or in another language?

Thanks!

I speak fluent Spanish.

Do you have any photography tips and tricks that you wouldn't mind passing on to a very amateur photographer that just got a camera way too advanced for him because he couldn't resist an impulse buy on Black Friday?

Pro Tip: Just take lots of pictures. After a while you will find out what you like to take pictures of. You should also look at good photos from good photographers and figure out how they took the picture and what you like about it.

Here is another pro tip: If you want to get some good pics go to an exotic place and take pictures.

Why do all these spider photos say "Phil Torres" and not you?

Anyways, I love Peru -are there quite a lot of mosquitoes in the amazon? How do you deal with getting bit by a million species of insects??

Phil was the guy who discovered the spider. Its his discovery so he used his pics in all the press releases. He's a good guy.

What is your opinion of Eaten Alive and do you think it contributed to conservation awareness in the Amazon? Follow-up: I imagine you may have run into the Discovery Crew and Tamundua posse in Puerto given your proximity - what were you impressions?

I saw some stuff about Eaten Alive and I think that its a bull shit publicity stunt done just for ratings. I think that it hurts conservation more than it helps. I'm surprised that they didn't get in trouble by SERNAMP. I have also met Paul Rosolie. He isn't a cool guy.

Hello Jeff! Thanks for doing this AMA!

What was the hardest (or most challenging?) Photograph you've taken while out in the field?

Thanks in advance!

This photo of a puma was pretty difficult to get. They are extremely rare in the amazon. I took this off a moving boat at with my 800mm lens and Canon 7D. He was there for about 10 seconds before he wandered back into the jungle. I couldn't believe that he looked directly into the lens when I took the shot: https://twitter.com/JCremerPhoto/status/485647207790829568/photo/1

Have you ever stayed with any tribes? I've always wondered when watching nature documentaries how they get in touch with the tribes people and arrange those types of visits.

I have stayed with Matsiguenka, Yine, Ese'eja and Huaorani tribes. Here is how you can visit them:

• http://huaorani.com
• http://www.manulodges.com

If you had to leave the Amazon to shoot elsewhere, where would you go?

OR, what's one place you'd NEVER want to travel to shoot?

I would move to Palau. The weather there is nice and I could go scuba diving everyday taking pictures.

I have no urge to go to Iraq and do photography although lots of people do. I used to want to be a war photographer when I was younger but now I just want to chill.

What was your most pleasantly unexpected experience while working in the Amazon?

Finding jaguars or a new species is always a pleasant surprise.

I recognise the decoy spider and machu picchu photo from smarter every day. Got any cool stories that Destin didn't mention in his videos?

Seeing the jaguar was pretty cool. I saw that when Destin was with me. We also filmed the sound producing "organ" of a cicada with a high speed camera and a macro lens. That looked pretty cool.

The adult male cicada possesses two ribbed membranes called tymbals, one on each side of its first abdominal segment. By contracting the tymbal muscle, the cicada buckles the membrane inward, producing a loud click. As the membrane snaps back, it clicks again. The two tymbals click alternately. Air sacs in the hollow abdominal cavity amplify the clicking sounds. The vibration travels through the body to the tympani, which amplify the sound further.

Have you had any dangerous encounters with either wildlife or tribal natives?

No dangerous encounters. The native people are all really nice. I have been with Matsiguenka, Huaorani, Ese 'eja and Yine tribes.

Hey Jeff!

I've been working in television (camera op/engineer) for the past 10 years, and have started to get into still photography as a hobby. I'm obsessed with wildlife. I've tried to do research on the best approach for capturing wildlife, but haven't had much success.

How do you approach your subject matter? Do you go in search of specific animals? Do you set up in a blind type situation and wait for stuff to come by? How important is camo or disguising your scent?

Sorry for the barrage, but I'm very interested.

Thanks for your questions. A lot of people think that I set up a blind and just wait there for the animal. In reality I just wander around the jungle and photograph things that I bump into. The best way to photograph wildlife is by being out in the field a lot. It just takes time.

I wear camo but thats just because I like to wear camo. I don't think that its necessary although I wouldn't want to walk around wearing bright colors. I don't do anything to disguise my scent either. Fun fact: Obsession for men cologne attracts jaguars.

Can I come and live with you forever?

Only if this is you: http://s54.photobucket.com/user/fatblack_2006/media/KingMagazine.jpg.html

You are travelling around the world and allowed to take only 1 camera and 2 lenses, what do you choose?

If I were traveling around the world I would take a 5DMKIII a 100-400mm for general wildlife and a 24-70mm for people and landscape shots.

• any malaria or dengue situations?
• Canon or Nikon ? ;D

Just dengue. I shoot Canon. :)

The video game series Fallout took a small tarantula-hawk, made it human sized, called it a Cazador, and has scared thousands of people with it.

What strange creatures have you seen that would be the stuff of nightmares if they were life sized?

This pic is pure nightmare fuel. Its a picture of a tailless whip scorpion (the size of a persons hand) covered by newly hatched babies. They are harmless but look crazy. It is very WTF: https://twitter.com/JCremerPhoto/status/475400921758072832/photo/1

Here is a closeup of the babies: https://twitter.com/JCremerPhoto/status/475400987415703553/photo/1

What do you do to past the time while waiting for your next shot?

I live in Lima when I'm not in the jungle. I do normal stuff. Go out to eat, go to the mall etc. I also like lifting weights and doing jiu jitsu.

Are you in this video with /u/MrPennywhistle? (Smarter Every Day) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RrWnZ7VySac

I don't think that I was in that one but I'm in this one:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kfLH5_RWZH4

and this one:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kOLpSPEA72U&list=UU6107grRI4m0o2-emgoDnAA

and this one:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ZZzcw9ifDQ&index=37&list=UU6107grRI4m0o2-emgoDnAA

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Just read the manual and start taking lots of photos. You will figure it all out. This is a pretty good book: http://www.amazon.com/Tony-Northrups-DSLR-Book-Photography/dp/0988263408/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1418237796&sr=1-1&keywords=photography

You got to name any of the critters you discovered?

I haven't been able to name any yet. It takes a lot of time and research to confirm that they are new species.

My daughter wants to be a wildlife photographer when she gets older. Could you offer any advice (things to study etc) I could pass on to her?

Pro Tip: Get a degree in finance or something that makes tons of money. Then be a wildlife photographer for a hobby. You don't really need to study anything specific to be a photographer. Just lots of practice. Actually, I have heard that learning how to paint helps people learn composition.

Hello Jeff, thanks for the AMA!

How long is a average expedition (time&distance)? And how long does it take to make a good picture? Do you use techniques to lure animals?

An average trip lasts 5 - 7 days. I have been on some that are 10-19 days. It takes around 1/125 of a second to make a good picture. You just have to be in the right place at the right time with the right equipment. I never bait the animas.

Hey Jeff. Peru has always been the once place I've wanted to visit most, I'd love to spend a couple of months there! Are there any areas / experiences / anything you would advise taking part in / seeing? How accessible is the Amazon? The glow worm pictures are amazing!

The amazon jungle is very accessible. There are tons of companies that offer trips to the region. This is the company that I work with: http://www.perunature.com

Hi Jeff! I've really enjoyed your work, thanks for doing an AMA.

I was curious if you think insects are intelligent? How do you think they perceive the world?

You would have to define "intelligent." I have no idea how they perceive the world but each insect does it in a different way. I would ask @AaronPomerantz or @phil_torres about it.

Hey jeff! Have you ever been in a risky situation with snakes??

I almost stepped on a fer de lance one time. Three other people walked over it without seeing it. I came about 2 feet from it and stopped right there and started backing up. Those are very venomous.