Panama stands as one of the most biologically diverse places on Earth. This tiny country, which is roughly the size of South Carolina, plays home to more bird species than the entire United States and Canada combined. It harbors species found nowhere else on the planet, ecosystems that range from Caribbean islands to 10,000-foot cloud forests, and wildlife photography opportunities that will redefine what you thought was possible in the neotropics. The biological richness is no accident. Panama is the literal bridge between North and South America, a geographic bottleneck where species from two continents converge, collide, and create something extraordinary. There's a reason the Smithsonian maintains nine different research facilities in this small nation.

Our Ultimate Panama workshop is designed to immerse you in this extraordinary diversity by exploring three distinct ecosystems over twelve days: the lowland rainforests surrounding the legendary Panama Canal, an archipelago of islands the Smithsonian calls "the Galápagos of the Caribbean," and finally the fog-shrouded cloud forests of the highlands where evolution has produced species found on no other mountain range on Earth. This isn't a tour. This is an intensive photography workshop designed to elevate your technical skills while positioning you to photograph some of the most sought-after wildlife subjects in the Americas.

We begin in the heart of Soberanía National Park, where the calls of keel-billed toucans mix with the roars of mantled howler monkeys. Over the span of three days, we will photograph one of the densest populations of snail kites in the world, three different species of monkeys that ill allow for frame-filling portraits nearly impossible to find anywhere else. We will search for tiger and cocoi herons, toucans, spectacles caimans, waddled jacanas, green iguanas, and so much more.

From the lowlands, we fly west to David, Panama’s second largest city. Here we will head across the continental divide in purpose built expeditionary vehicles and down to the Caribbean slope. This time of the year is the absolute peak activity for amphibians in the region, and it’s impossible to consider photographing Panama’s diversity of frogs without a trek out to Bocas del Toro with its impossible array of different colored poison frogs. Every island, every hill, every side of every creek seems to harbor its own unique color variation of these incredible amphibians. Bocas del Toro is more than just amphibians, however. This archipelago, which was named by none other than Christopher Columbus, also holds the densest concentration of sloths in all of Central America, and it’s not uncommon to find as many as 10 in a single hour of searching. And while on the islands, we will also make multiple trips out to one of the most important seabird rookeries in the Caribbean where we will photograph red-billed tropic birds, brown boobies, magnificent frigate birds, and others.

Our journey culminates at 8,000 feet in the mountains. The cloud forest is truly a world apart, with oaks and elms from temperate zones intermingling with tropical palms, while epiphytic bromeliads and orchids drip from every surface not covered in moss. We'll work from purpose-built photography blinds and multi-flash hummingbird setups to photograph species found nowhere else: fiery-throated hummingbirds, volcano hummingbirds, and the spectacular flame-throated warbler with its flame-orange throat blazing against moss-covered branches, to name just a few. This is also home to the resplendent quetzal, and while we will be there outside of their nesting season, we will search for them every day we are in the forest. The cool temperatures and perpetual fog create an otherworldly atmosphere that's as much a part of the photography as the wildlife itself.

This workshop represents a masterclass in multiple disciplines. If you have every wanted to learn how to use flash in wildlife photography, you will walk a way with a deep understanding of fill flash, off-camera flash for birds and macro, as well as multi-flash hummingbird setups. From the snail kites to the red-billed tropicbird colony, there will be multiple sessions dedicated to mastering birds in flight.

On this workshop we will operate from boats and blinds, trek across continental divides, traverse the Panama Canal, island hop in the Caribbean, hang out with venomous snakes and poison dart frogs, explore the cloud forest in Land Cruisers, and experience the full breadth of one of the most biologically diverse regions in the world. This workshop is the culmination of 12 years worth of scouting and exploring Panamá. And by the end of trip, you will return home with a portfolio of images that most photographers will never have the opportunity to capture.