Anderson Ranch Arts Center Workshop Catalogs 2010-2014 | Page 11

Costa Rican coastline

May 5 - 13, 2013

Costa Rica Pura Vida! 
Andrea Wallace & Mariana Vieira
SKILL LEVEL: Open to all
CONCEPT: Costa Rica is a photographer’s paradise, a country that blends a history of peace
and preservation of nature with its rich, colorful culture. This Central American gem contains five percent of the world’s biodiversity.
Our Costa Rica itinerary is planned to maximize time photographing all that the country has to offer:  gorgeous rainforests, active
volcanoes and perfect beaches. We start our
adventure in the capital of San José, founded
in 1737, where we explore the colonial architecture, central market and museums. We
depart towards the Arenal volcano, stopping
at the artisan town of Sarchí, well known for
its colorful oxcarts and handmade crafts. In
Arenal, we enjoy views and hikes around this
active volcano, including a soak in its thermal
waters. Our next destination is the magnificent cloud forest of Monteverde, a lush wildlife refuge straddling the Continental Divide at
4,662 feet. The rain forest boasts an incredible
100 species of mammals, over 400 species
of birds and 420 kinds of orchids. Activities
include a guided evening hike to watch the
sunset and the animals that inhabit the forest.
The last destination of our trip is the beautiful
Manuel Antonio National Park, situated on the
coast of the Pacific Ocean. The park has sandy
beaches, rainforests, marshy woodlands and

Waterfall in Costa Rica

troops of monkeys, including the highly endangered squirrel monkey.

During this adventure, we are guided and
encouraged to create unique imagery of various
subjects. This workshop focuses on gaining
creative control of your digital camera, including using video and audio recording features,
understanding the principles of composition,
and having plenty of time and instruction each
day to put what you are learning into practice in
one of the world’s most environmentally unique
destinations. Technical concepts include natural light, flash, movement, color, macro photography, HDR, video capture, and general
concepts to achieve amazing landscape and
wildlife images. Once we capture our photographs, we take time to share our work and
processes with each other. This workshop is
geared to all beginning and intermediate digital
camera enthusiasts interested in gaining more
confidence and more creative control over the
features of a digital camera and the skills to
create better photographs.

Costa Ricans (ticos) have a favorite saying:
“Pura Vida!” It translates to “pure life” and
it used to describe the fullness and pureness of life that is the pride of this country.
The focus of this journey is to capture Costa
Rica’s Pura Vida in the photographic adventure of a lifetime.
FACULTY: Andrea Wallace is the artistic director
of photography and digital media at Anderson
Ranch. She received her MFA from the University of Colorado - Boulder. Before coming to

the Ranch, she worked as assistant professor
at Lake Forest College and Willamette University. She has exhibited nationally and internat