Navigating nature, one is overwhelmed by the sense of delicacy that happens in each interaction between human and nature. In my first time into a tropical rainforest and, more specifically, into any true wilderness, I explore the ways humans respond to nature. Despite our capacity to react to the wild with awe, fear, and hundreds of other emotion, here I track, at least on the one-on-one level, the gentle ways that people treat living flora and fauna.
In order to showcase the frog’s full beauty, a herpetologist gently nudges a red-eyes tree frog to expose the colors on its sides—bright blues and yellows to complement its green skin and namesake eyes.
Immersed among trees, the wanderer stops to admire the canopy overhead. The forest envelopes those who enter it, injecting itself through its roots over the carved trails that humans use in order to experience its magnificence.
Bright footsteps on the narrow trail, mostly overgrown by the plants surrounding the area.
During a night expedition, a conservationist holds steady to allow other photographers to capture shots of a frog peeking out from his boot. Jumping from the ground to the boot, the frog seeks shelter on the very visitors who first startled it with flashes and cameras.
Spotted in shallow water, this turtle was picked up and demonstrated to students during a forest walk. Despite being handled gently, the turtle was shy and retreated into its shell in order to keep itself safe.
