Sea Lions. Blue Footed Boobies. Albatross. Tortoise. Sea Turtles. Sally Crabs. Iguana. Frigate Birds. The list of animals you see in the Galapagos is too long to list here. It is an amazing place that will delight both the novice and experienced photographer.

When vacationing in the Galapagos Islands, you will be so overwhelmed with photographic opportunities that you will not know what to take a picture of first. Here are my suggestions for getting the best animal photos from on your trip:

Tip #1: Take a lot of Photographs

Animals move at the most inopportune times. Just when you are about to take your photo they jump up, roll over or fly away. To be sure you get a good picture take a lot of photos.  When animals move they may cause your photo to be blurry and you cannot always tell that a photo is blurry until you look at it on a bigger screen.

Tip #2: Focus on the Face

It is easy to get caught up in the large numbers of animals on the islands. I have dozens of pictures of 10 or more sea lions lounging on the rocks or sand. But it is this one, where the sea lion is by himself seeming to look straight at me that I like best. I think it captures the feeling that as I was observing him, he was just as interested in observing me.

Tip #3: Get Action Photos

The sea lion and the iguana walking across the sand reminds me of friends walking down to the water to take a quick swim. The picture is unusual because you will generally find groups of the same breed of animals together. You have to look around to find something that is out of the ordinary.

Tip #4: Look Closer

Find a place to sit or stand for 30 minutes and watch what happens. I was walking along a trail and came upon hundreds of birds standing on rocks. As I stood there I realized that most of the birds were sitting on eggs. The eggs were almost the same color as the sand and rocks so I really had to look closely to see the egg. As I was taking the picture a lizard came into view on the side.

Tip #5: Ugly Can Be Pretty

Iguanas are not the most attractive animals in the Galapagos but they sometimes have the prettiest coloring. The color of this iguana is sharp because of the sand background. I also like the contrast of the beautiful colors with what most of us would consider a less than attractive face.

Tip #6: Get The Story

I was standing in a soggy field looking around at the tortoises when a Vermillion Flycatcher landed on the back of one of the tortoises. I snapped several pictures happy that I was able to get such a great photo. When I showed my tour guide the picture, he told that in the Galapagos seeing a Vermillion Flycatcher was a good omen and that I would have much good luck in my life. Now, I make greeting cards with this picture on it to send to friends and family who are in need of a little good luck.

Tip #7: Remember Your Memory

Make sure you have enough memory on your camera card and bring at least one extra battery and your battery charger along with a converter if necessary (the type of converter needed depends on where you will be staying).  You don’t want to miss out on any photo opportunities.