© GUIDO STERKENDRIES / BARCROFT MEDIA
Dangling 53 metres above the rainforest floor this extreme photographer goes the extra mile in search of the world’s rarest species.
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© GUIDO STERKENDRIES / BARCROFT MEDIA
Travelling deep into the rainforests of Panama and Brazil, the Belgian ecologist and nature snapper spends up to two weeks at a time perched in a specially constructed canopy.
Photographing never-before seen species – including the tiny blue arboreal poison dart frog, howling monkeys and the near extinct Golden Frog – he is driven by a desire to shed light onto the precarious existence of nature thanks to reckless development by man.
Two blue poison dart frogs © GUIDO STERKENDRIES / BARCROFT MEDIA
“The rain-forest is a wild atmosphere where it’s more than 90% humidity so every time you go up n the canopy you’re sweating a lot,” said the 47-year-old.
“It takes about 20 minutes to get to the top because you need to do it slowly and stop to look at the wildlife all around.
“You need to move slowly and carefully because there are lots of dangerous animals up there like snakes and wasps.”
© GUIDO STERKENDRIES / BARCROFT MEDIA
For the past 10 years, Guido has witnessed the effects of deforestation and pollution has on the brittle eco-systems.
Targeting isolated and untouched areas in Brazil and Panama, Guido has ventured into some of the deepest and darkest territories on Earth.
© GUIDO STERKENDRIES / BARCROFT MEDIA
“In Brazil, we were cut off from civilisation by 70 miles of rainforest, rivers and impassable terrain,” he said.
“The particular patch of Panama where I discovered the blue poison dart frog, was one of the most stunningly unspoilt patch of earth I have ever seen.
“There weren’t even any farmers in the area. It was so beautiful to see all this life undamaged.
“The farmers often use chemicals to protect their crops, even chemicals that are illegal in Europe, but not there. It was perfect”.
© GUIDO STERKENDRIES / BARCROFT MEDIA
With the help of local tribesmen, Guido would find the perfect place to set up camp, before using a combination of ropes and pulleys to erect the canopy.
Naturally, venturing into the tree tops alone carrying a full complement of heavy photographic equipment, often made Guido’s life very hard indeed.
© GUIDO STERKENDRIES / BARCROFT MEDIA
“You need to be focussed on your safety and also your camera,” he said.
“It’s a big challenge to do it well.
“If something falls down you never find it again on the ground. So you need to tie everything up properly. You end up looking like a salami.”
Rope burns on Guido's fingers after falling eight meters © GUIDO STERKENDRIES / BARCROFT MEDIA
For Guido however, the results of his labour were worth the effort.
“A strong photo can tell more than a thousand words,” he said.
© GUIDO STERKENDRIES / BARCROFT MEDIA
“If men and all kind of short-term thinkers want to make fast ‘progress’ in those spots an ecological clash is inevitable. Not many photographers were able to bring out this ecological drama.”
Out of all the photography he took in the jungle, two stand out for Guido.
Poison dart frog © GUIDO STERKENDRIES / BARCROFT MEDIA
“The jewel in the crown was of the blue arboreal poison dart frog, because it was the first time it had ever been photographed,” he said.
But one of the most fun was when he came face to face with a very loud and extrovert howler monkey.
© GUIDO STERKENDRIES / BARCROFT MEDIA
“I love the picture of it howling very close to the camera,” he revealed. “It was about four metres away.
“It’s really amazing to see an alpha male doing his thing”.
Red eye tree frogs mating © GUIDO STERKENDRIES / BARCROFT MEDIA
For Guido the quest continues.
His next trip, in June, is taking him all the way from the delta of the Amazon to its source to observe the effects of a number of incidents of man-made damage to areas along the river.
© GUIDO STERKENDRIES / BARCROFT MEDIA
He explained: “I want to look at the differences of habitat on the river and see if the damage to the land is as terrifying as I saw from the airplane.”
Words by Ben Cooper
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