Jumping Jaguars!

January 8, 2025 by mstantonphotos, posted in Brazil, Pantanal, Photography, Travel, wildlife, wildlife photography

In July I had an amazing adventure to the Pantanal in Brazil with the hope of seeing, and photographing, the amazing Jaguar. This area of Brazil is home to Jaguars along with many other interesting creatures such as the world’s largest living rodent, the capybara (AKA capy-bapy-boo-boo), which is actually really freaking cute!

This trip consisted of a lot of time in small boats, cruising up and down the various rivers and tributaries, on the lookout for wildlife. It typically did not take much time before the amazing boat drivers and guides would spot wildlife along the banks, in the trees and also in the water.

There would often be many small boats on the lookout for jaguars throughout the area, with visitors hopeful to have a good sighting of the amazing creatures. If there were no jaguars in the proximity, there was always a plethora of other wildlife such as the caiman and so, so, so many birds who were also delightful photographic models.

But, the Jaguars were my absolute favorite, being a very proud childless cat lady and all. It was ridiculously amazing to be so close to jaguars in the wild. Some were on the hunt and some were just relaxing on the banks.

Sometimes, the jaguars may have also had something to say. Unfortunately, I do not speak Portuguese, let alone the Jaguar dialect of Portuguese, so their statements will remain a mystery. Until we meet again!

If you like my photography you can find more at my website – Melissa Stanton Photography

Indonesia – Sometimes Things Don’t Go as Planned

June 24, 2024June 27, 2024 by mstantonphotos, posted in Asia, Indonesia, Photography, Travel, wildlife, wildlife photography

And that’s Ok!

In February I embarked on an exciting trip to Indonesia with the main purpose being to photograph Orangutans in Borneo. Coming from Ohio, this was quite the long adventure and I broke it up a bit with a few days in Singapore as well on the way. I did make it to Indonesia and specifically Kalimantan. On this trip I learned that only part of the island of Borneo is Indonesian, and that is referred to as Kalimantan. I actually learned a lot on this trip as I have not traveled in Asia much. Did you know that Indonesia has over 17,000 islands? Remarkable.

We boarded a Klotok, which is a traditional Indonesian river boat, for the Orangutan adventure. We then headed into the area which is the National Park.

_{Doesn’t this orangutan kind of look like they are clutching their pearls??? Like, “Oh, my… visitors!”}

We enjoyed a leisurely ride on the klotok with an amazing crew through the jungle of Kalimantan to our first orangutan encounter.

And then, we went to the orangutan viewing area. These creatures are amazing and I doubt the photos do them justice, but it was otherworldly (hot, extremely hot) and marvelous to be able to observe them in their home.

This last photograph is what did it for me. There is such expression in their eyes, it is remarkable!

Back on the boat, after a torrential downpour where we all managed to get completely drenched, I apparently decided to be a klutz. I slipped and dislocated my knee. I didn’t know that was what had happened at the time, but I suspected as I have been plagued with knee issues since an injury in my early teens.

This resulted in a boat ride to the ER back outside of the National Park, where I got to exercise my vast understanding of the Indonesian language from Duolingo – “Saya suka kucing.” It means I like cats, and while it was not necessarily helpful in the ER, it did get a laugh out of the doc when he asked if I spoke Indonesian and I responded thusly. I don’t know that I will ever forget these Indonesian words, thanks Duolingo! I am thankful and feel very lucky to have the manager of our lodge, Rimba Ecolodge, and our friendly local guide Phil to translate where I was severely lacking.

Small note, because everyone asks, the ER was quick, efficient and cost about $35 USD for X-ray, diagnosis and meds.

I did continue on the trip, but was unable to go out for more orangutan photography due to my knee. I stayed at the lodge where they were extremely hospitable and helpful, getting me ice and making sure I was OK. They were very generous with their time and I did manage to make a couple friends at the lodge.

saya suka kucing y’all!

And now, I am still healing while deciding if I am going to risk the next adventure on a still somewhat injured knee.

While I may not have been able to photograph as much as I’d like, I did have an amazing adventure and seeing the orangutans was a phenomenal experience. I would absolutely try a re-do of this trip some day! And I hear there are some cute fuzzy elephants somewhere around there too…. hmmm.

I would like to thank the trip organizers, friends, mentors at Tom Bol Photo Workshops as well as Indonesia Photo Workshops for making this trip! I would also like to thank the staff at Rimba Orangutan Ecolodge for being so hospitable when I was hobbled! I am grateful to know you all!

To see more photographs, please visit Melissa Stanton Photography

Hummingbirds of Ecuador

January 14, 2024January 16, 2024 by mstantonphotos, posted in Uncategorized

In late July I travelled to Ecuador to photograph birds, specifically hummingbirds, and even more specifically hummingbirds which look like they are wearing little, tiny, fluffy pants. Or pantaloons. They are so cute it is ridiculous!

Having a love for all that is myth, legend and lore, I had read a little bit about the hummingbird as viewed by Incas. For while the Condor may be the uncontested king of the sky, the hummingbird was the messenger to the heavens and the worlds beyond. The hummingbird had the ability to travel between life and death, between the physical and spiritual.

Photographing these birds is both fun and challenging, as there are so many different ways to capture their beauty. Different birds have different wing speeds and this would change the amount of movement that would show in the photos for unique results.

With all these options, combined with a fast shutter and an abundance of data storage, I once again managed to take far too many photographs on this trip. But hey, who’s counting anyways. It is fun to keep going though the files and find images that I had completely forgotten about. And so, so many birds that I will need to figure out the names to match the bird.

Just look at those little orange pantaloons!!

More birds to come!

A Visit to the Westman Islands

September 12, 2018 by mstantonphotos, posted in Iceland, Westman Islands

On my recent trip to Iceland I spent two days on the main island of the Westman Islands, Heimaey. I did not know much about this island before my visit, but I can say that this place is full of friendly people who are truly a community.

The only way to get to the island is by ferry, and after arriving and checking into the hotel we went to walk around the island. Shortly after we set out a car pulled over and a woman got out and asked if we speak English. She asked if we wanted to see puffins and stated she had some in the car and we were welcome to get in the car and join her in taking these puffins to be counted.

Now, let me say, in most places I would not get into the car of a stranger. But this is Iceland. Not only Iceland, but a small island of Iceland only accessible by ferry. So I figured why not.

We got in the car with (I hope I am spelling her name correctly) Vigdis, her son and her son’s friend. She began to explain to us a fascinating tradition on the island. During this time of year baby puffins – also called pufflings – would coast into town in search of food.

However, there would be no food and they are in danger of not only starvation but also other city dangers. So, during this time of year the brave and noble children of the town are allowed to stay up late and catch the pufflings and then take them to be counted, weighed and measured and then released back to the sea so that they can find food and survive. There were currently three pufflings in the back of the car that had been caught.

We arrived at the center to count the pufflings. They are taken out of their boxes and then the children who caught the bird proudly take their picture holding their bird.

I also spoke to one of the employees at the center, who explained that they had noticed the puffin population on the island decreasing several years ago so they had established this process in order to not only help the puffins, but also see if there was any correlation between weather conditions and the puffin population over time. They are studying to see what type of conditions may cause a change in the number and size of the pufflings born that year. This year is a good year and the count has been record breaking!

After this, the next step is the most fun one, in my opinion. We drove to the local golf course which had a platform looking out over the ocean. There were many children coming back and forth with their cardboard bird boxes. We went up on the platform and I was asked if I would like to release one of the three birds the children had captured. Of course!! I watched the two expert children to see the proper bird releasing form. Hold the body, loosen the wings, and then throw the bird up and out so that it can swoop gracefully to the sea.

When it was my turn, I followed the instructions and hoped like crazy the bird would not crash into the cliffs directly below us. Thankfully, he coasted gracefully down to the sea and is hopefully snacking away happily now. I am so appreciative for this very unique experience.

The next day, we had a puffin and volcano tour with Ebbi from Eyjatours. And hey, guess what? He showed up with a puffling in a box!

Ebbi was great and took us on a tour of the island and provided us with a good amount (as in, more than I can remember) of the history of the island. He also introduced us to the island sport of Sprangan. This is the art of swinging from a rope on a cliff in order to obtain bird eggs for eating. He gave us a demonstration and I can honestly say he looked like quite the expert to me.

He also told us about the volcanic nature of the island and that one of the newly formed Westman Islands is the newest island in Europe!

I truly enjoyed my visit to this island. The people were so friendly, and the puffin experience was totally unexpected and totally amazing!

A Trip Through Romania Part I

July 4, 2018July 4, 2018 by mstantonphotos, posted in Romania, Travel, Europe, Photography, Travel Photography, Romanian, People, Buildings, Architecture

From the end of May through the first week of June, I spent two weeks travelling through several parts of Romania.

I can honestly say that Romania has some of the friendliest, most laid back people as well as some amazing scenery and history. We started off in Cluj-Napoca and were lucky enough to see a rainbow over the city before a heavy downpour of rain came in. Thankfully, we made it inside right before it got too bad!

After Cluj, we headed to the Maramures region and captured images of local scenery, buildings and wildlife. OK, so the horse wasn’t really wild life but he was there and made sure to stare right at us as we were watching for the beautiful morning light. There are also many haystacks of varying shapes and varieties in this rural area.

Additionally, we able go to a local village on a bright and sunny Sunday morning to see the residents heading to church for Pentacost dressed in their Sunday best. A simple Buna Ziua! and a smile were enough to get many reactions.

We also paid a visit to the memorial museum for communist victims. This sobering museum is housed in a former prison and dedicated to those who were victims of communism and of the resistance in Romania.

Travelling on to the Bucovina Region, we encountered some beautiful scenery and friendly locals who did not mind stopping to model for us on our evening walk around Vama. The town of Vama was lovely and peaceful and made for a great place to sit out on the porch and relax and enjoy watching the moon rise in the evening.

We continued to travel on, meeting many individuals from a blacksmith, a copper smith and two women who hand paint eggs with extremely steady hands and a patience I would never be able to maintain. One of the women is passing this art form and tradition down to her daughter who is also currently creating these beautiful works of art.

I will be sharing more memories and photographs from this trip here and on my photography page under Romania.

All in all, it was a lovely trip.

Oh yes, and there was Palinka…

Tag: Travel