Costa Rica in July/August

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tarat

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Hello,
Thinking of joining one of Dennis V's trips to Costa Rica in July/August through Backcountry. Wondering if anyone has done this trip with him in particular versus Steve? First time doing a trip like this. Was it super rainy in July/August? Did you feel you got enough hours of shooting in? How was Dennis as a teacher? Thanks in advance for any words of wisdom/honest feedback!
 
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tarat said:
Hello,
Thinking of joining one of Dennis V's trips to Costa Rica in July/August through Backcountry. Wondering if anyone has done this trip with him in particular versus Steve? First time doing a trip like this. Was it super rainy in July/August? Did you feel you got enough hours of shooting in? How was Dennis as a teacher? Thanks in advance for any words of wisdom/honest feedback!
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Can only comment on weather. It rains... Not as much as October, but probably about 1/2" per day.
 
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I'll comment on the rain - yes, it will rain somewhere on the peninsula each day and no, it's never really been an issue. It's very scattered most of the time and we've been running them that time of year forever :) There are often days we don't see any rain at all (that, and it's more common after sunset).

The benefit is that it gives you a better chance of overcast conditions and great light - when it's sunny all day, it's more than a little challenging to shoot in the rainforest. Too much mixed light. So, we stack to deck a little by going in July / Aug.

As for Dennis, obviously I think he's great BUT I know that you are looking for unbiased opinions so that's all I'll say - hopefully someone else who has been with him will comment. :)
 
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Steve said:
I'll comment on the rain - yes, it will rain somewhere on the peninsula each day and no, it's never really been an issue. It's very scattered most of the time and we've been running them that time of year forever :) There are often days we don't see any rain at all (that, and it's more common after sunset).

The benefit is that it gives you a better chance of overcast conditions and great light - when it's sunny all day, it's more than a little challenging to shoot in the rainforest. Too much mixed light. So, we stack to deck a little by going in July / Aug.

As for Dennis, obviously I think he's great BUT I know that you are looking for unbiased opinions so that's all I'll say - hopefully someone else who has been with him will comment. :)
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Hello,

Thanks Steve! Appreciate you weighing in. Glad to hear this has been the time of year for your group for some time.
 
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tarat said:
Hello,

Thanks Steve! Appreciate you weighing in. Glad to hear this has been the time of year for your group for some time.
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Yup, it's a great time to go IMO. Plus, if you want things like red-eyed tree frogs, you really have to go during the wetter season. They get really high in the trees at other times of the year.
 
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I should have added that the green season is better in all respects for everything, especially photography. I actually skip the high season altogether.
 
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Sunshine Hours and Temperatures Map for Every Region of Costa Rica

Average high and low temperatures are shown for every month in each region of Costa Rica along with average hours of sunshine per day on this weather map.
costa-rica-guide.com costa-rica-guide.com

This is the best source of weather for Costa Rica for trip planning. We have been traveling to CR since 2011 and going to different parts of the country each time. Be aware that during the "dry" season that the rivers will be very low and travel to photograph wildlife can be greatly restricted. Cr has been suffering from an extended drought which has caused problems with power generation and resulted in Intel shutting down its fab plant.
 
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Calson said:

Sunshine Hours and Temperatures Map for Every Region of Costa Rica

Average high and low temperatures are shown for every month in each region of Costa Rica along with average hours of sunshine per day on this weather map.
costa-rica-guide.com costa-rica-guide.com

This is the best source of weather for Costa Rica for trip planning. We have been traveling to CR since 2011 and going to different parts of the country each time. Be aware that during the "dry" season that the rivers will be very low and travel to photograph wildlife can be greatly restricted. Cr has been suffering from an extended drought which has caused problems with power generation and resulted in Intel shutting down its fab plant.
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Thank you!
 
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I was with Dennis while on a photography tour by another pro at Crocodile Bay . He is a very good guide and can spot things that extremly difficult to see. Although his main job was as a guide he was very helpful with any photo questions.
 
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tarat said:
Hello,
Thinking of joining one of Dennis V's trips to Costa Rica in July/August through Backcountry. Wondering if anyone has done this trip with him in particular versus Steve? First time doing a trip like this. Was it super rainy in July/August? Did you feel you got enough hours of shooting in? How was Dennis as a teacher? Thanks in advance for any words of wisdom/honest feedback!
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I can let you know after the July 5-12 one…I'm going. Haven't been with Dennis…but if he's got Steve's seal of approval that's good enough for me.
 
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I spent a fabulous week with Dennis in July 2022.
He knew every inch of Osa and could find the critters where we saw fenceposts and trees.
He helped me and everyone position ourselves and find the best settings for challenging shots.
He is a great with a strong desire to help us be successful. His good humour kept the whole trip happy. I loved being with him and strongly recommend him as a Tico guide to wonderful Costa Rica!
 
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RayBC said:
I spent a fabulous week with Dennis in July 2022.
He knew every inch of Osa and could find the critters where we saw fenceposts and trees.
He helped me and everyone position ourselves and find the best settings for challenging shots.
He is a great with a strong desire to help us be successful. His good humour kept the whole trip happy. I loved being with him and strongly recommend him as a Tico guide to wonderful Costa Rica!
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Thank you so much! Very helpful
 
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RayBC said:
I spent a fabulous week with Dennis in July 2022.
He knew every inch of Osa and could find the critters where we saw fenceposts and trees.
He helped me and everyone position ourselves and find the best settings for challenging shots.
He is a great with a strong desire to help us be successful. His good humour kept the whole trip happy. I loved being with him and strongly recommend him as a Tico guide to wonderful Costa Rica!
Click to expand...
I had the same experience with Dennis last August. He was very knowledgeable about the area as he is from there; in fact one day features a stop at his family's farm which has been converted to a sloth sanctuary so its very easy to get some good captures. Our crew had a great time with him and he made the whole experience informative and fun in bringing back many great images!!
 
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Frontranger said:
I had the same experience with Dennis last August. He was very knowledgeable about the area as he is from there; in fact one day features a stop at his family's farm which has been converted to a sloth sanctuary so its very easy to get some good captures. Our crew had a great time with him and he made the whole experience informative and fun in bringing back many great images!!
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Thank you for that info. Much appreciated! Glad you enjoyed your trip
 
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tarat said:
also, wondeing if the entire group flies together from San Jose to Osa (for Backcountry trip) and how this works with heavy bags/camera equipment?
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Yes, I heard they sometimes will weigh the baggage and passengers! This was not the case when I flew. They are careful to load the plane so that the center of balance is OK. I was happy to see that. The whole experience was quite flawless in terms of transportation.
 
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