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Capitalizing on Costa Rica's Climate

by Scott Setterberg December 11, 2019

Capitalizing on Costa Rica's Climate

Costa Rica is a magical land of spectacular natural beauty teeming with jaw-dropping waterfalls, dense jungles, lush rainforests, misty cloud forests, shimmering beaches, towering mountains, active volcanoes, and hundreds of species of exotic wildlife.  Costa Rica's tropical climate is largely responsible for the incredible natural beauty and produces seven months of rainfall and year-round high humidity.

In stark contrast to creating Costa Rica's natural beauty, the humid climate also generates a detrimental effect on man-made structures, causing mold to form quickly, wood to disintegrate, paint to peel rapidly, and problems with rust. Although extremely destructive, it also presents endless prospects for dynamic photographs of texture, and that's the focus of this post.

The following examples, as well as the featured image above, were photographed throughout the tropical paradise of Costa Rica and this type of travel photography highlights another aspect of the country's magnificent beauty.  

This rusty, dilapidated train bridge in the small city of Barranca perfectly showcases the harmful nature of the warm, moist climate on steel and wood while simultaneously providing an outstanding Costa Rica landscape photography opportunity.

Barranca Train Bridge, Costa Rica
In Heredia, near the capital city of San Jose, I found this cracked concrete wall splattered with black mold, vivid color, and tremendous texture. 
 
Heredia Wall, Costa Rica
This staircase in Drake Bay leads to a hilltop bar with ice-cold beers and magnificent views of the multi-colored Pacific Ocean.  Years of moisture combined with high temperatures created the deterioration on the cinderblock walls and a stunning visual sensation.

Drake Bay Staircase, Costa Rica
While waiting for a boat ride to Costa Rica's lush Osa Peninsula, I walked around the sleepy small town of Sierpe and found this colorful concrete wall that provided a fantastic abstract photograph.  

Costa Rica Texture
Costa Rica's mixture of immense natural beauty and climate-induced decay create unending opportunities for landscape, abstract, and nature photography.  We capture this diversity on all our Costa Rica photography tours and you can too by clicking the link above and booking your spots today.



Scott Setterberg
Scott Setterberg

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