Pantanal Photo Tour: Our first days in the South Pantanal

When planning my first photography tour to the Pantanal of Brazil, I had a big decision to make: Should I do the trip strictly to the north, or should I include both north and south? The north of Pantanal is known for the jaguars, but I decided to include both regions for my guests. Since we were traveling a long distance, I felt it was worth seeing more of the area. As it turns out, that was the right decision!

We spent 5 days in the south, photographing a wide variety of wildlife and some amazing birds. I am really excited to share some of these images with you all. 

At our first lodge, we arrived late in the afternoon and were welcomed by Blue and yellow macaw. I had seen these birds in Peru, but only from a mile away. Here, they were flying around the grounds and nesting just feet from the reception area. It was a photographic treasure trove of opportunity. I was using my Canon R5 MKII with the RF 100-300mm lens (with a RF 2x extender) and capturing some really fun images.

Unlike the macaw in Costa Rica, these macaw were less skittish around people, so we could all get really close to them.  

I mean...VERY close!

It was so nice to be able to photograph nice portraits of them, with clean backgrounds.

Not more than 10 minutes after we started photographing the Blue and yellow macaw, we had some Hyacinth macaw join us. Getting portraits of the birds is nice, but getting them in flight is so much better!

I turned on the pre-continuous shooting feature of the Canon R5 MKII and started capturing some Nanday parakeet that were in the area. These birds are endemic to the area, which made it even more special to get photos of them. I saw their pretty green exterior colors as they sat on nearby branches, but had no idea how truly colorful they were until I was reviewing the images on my MacBook Pro. When they spread their wings open, even more colors are visible. Just wow!

I was uncharacteristically up early the next morning and decided to go out to see if the birds were active. This Blue and yellow macaw was flying back towards it's nest and I caught this moment with the early morning sunlight lighting the wings of the macaw. Day two of the trip and I already had a favorite photo from this region! 

After an early breakfast, we went out for our first drive, looking for the Giant anteaters. It was not long before we came across one of them. We exited the vehicle and walked through the tall grass to grab images of this large animal. 

After getting back in the vehicle and driving for just a couple of minutes, we came across another Giant anteater, and this one was in really short grass. This was the PERFECT environment for a portrait! We all got down low to the grass for some really nice images.

We hit a heatwave, and it was REALLY hot, so we went back to the lodge for a break and some lunch. Late in the afternoon, we went out for another drive to see what we could find. Our guide spotted a Burrowing owl on a stump. We raised our cameras to take some photos, and seconds later, a second owl appeared! It was a long ways away, but we all had long lenses and were able to capture nice photos of these two. I took this photo with the Canon R6 MKIII with the RF 100-500mm lens, zoomed all the way out to 500mm. Another favorite!

On the way back to the lodge, we spotted a couple of Crab-eating fox in the fields. 

We were capturing photos of the two of them as they walked through the fields, and then they came right towards our vehicle. This one came especially close and wanted to check us out.

The next morning, I encouraged everyone to wake up early, to catch the early morning sunlight on the birds. Everyone was having a blast capturing the birds in flight, which made me really happy.

They were so close to us that it made it easier to catch images like these.

Once again, I was using the pre-continuous shooting feature of the Canon camera to capture images of the birds as they took off from the branches. For those that had this feature on their cameras, I helped set that up for them.

Pre-continuous shooting allowed me to capture this photo as the Nanday parakeet took off from a nearby branch. 

This beautiful Toco toucan came and landed right in front of us. This is the largest species of toucan in the world.

After taking off, I quickly reframed and caught the toucan as it flew away.

There were other birds as well. This Buff-necked Ibis flew by in that same morning light.

There were plenty of Yellow armadillo in the area. We even had one that would visit us at breakfast time each morning.

The Pantanal has a species of bird called the Greater rhea. It looks a lot like an ostrich, but it is not. It is actually the largest flightless bird native to South America.

Throughout the trip, we saw countless Capybara. It was a 100 degree day, so they were smart enough to stay cool in the water.

I took this last shot just feet from my room. I heard these two Hyacinth macaw in the tree above me, and had to capture them in conversation.

Again, this was just the first 2 days of our trip, and we were all blown away with the images we had captured.

On the next trip to the Pantanal (most likely in 2028), I will likely include both regions and one other location for even more variety. BTW, I have already started a list of people who are interested in joining me on the next trip to the Pantanal. Let me know if you want me to add your name to that list. I expect it to sell out very quickly.

More to come from this awesome trip in the next couple of blog posts.

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• Subscribe to the Jeff Cable Photography Blog by clicking HERE!

• Check out my upcoming photo tours to amazing places around the world. I have photo tours to Costa Rica, Peru, Galapagos, Africa, Iceland and more.

• If you are interested in purchasing ANY equipment, please click here to go to B&H Photo, as I get a referral from them if you enter this way. It does not change the cost to you in any way, but it helps me keep this blog up and running.

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Two new videos from B&H Event Space in New York!

As you may have seen from a previous blog post, I was back in New York City three weeks ago, making my first in-person presentations since the pandemic. It was so great to be back at my favorite camera store to see the updated Event Space, and to visit my friends there.

Neither of these presentations were live-streamed, but I had MANY of you asking if they would be recorded. Sure enough, the good folks at B&H recorded them, and they did me a favor by editing them and posting them faster than normal.  

In the first presentation, I share my images and stories from the Winter Olympics in Milan. The second presentation is all about lens selection, and is packed full of visual examples of why I choose a specific lens for each subject.  

Without further ado...here are the two new videos: 

Photographing the Winter Olympics in Milan

Click on the image above to watch the video

How To Choose the Best Lens for Each Subject Matter

Click on the image above to watch the video

I hope that you enjoy them and learn a few things!

Oh, one more thing! I will be back in NYC in May of 2027 for the next BILD Expo. If you have not been to this show, you have to go. I believe that it is now the largest photo show in the world, and it is amazing. 

I hope to see you there.

 __________________________________________________________

• Subscribe to the Jeff Cable Photography Blog by clicking HERE!

• Check out my upcoming photo tours to amazing places around the world. I have photo tours to Costa Rica, Peru, Galapagos, Africa, Iceland and more.

• If you are interested in purchasing ANY equipment, please click here to go to B&H Photo, as I get a referral from them if you enter this way. It does not change the cost to you in any way, but it helps me keep this blog up and running.

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You're Invited: Celebrate the Opening of the Jeff Cable Gallery at Allure Interiors

I’m excited to announce that a collection of my fine art photography is now on display and available for purchase at Allure Interiors in Dublin, California.

Allure Interiors is known for helping homeowners throughout the San Francisco Bay Area create beautiful, inviting living spaces with thoughtfully curated furniture, décor, and artwork. I'm honored that my photography has been selected to become part of their showroom.

To celebrate the opening of the Jeff Cable Gallery at Allure Interiors, we’re hosting a Wine & Cheese Reception on Sunday July 26 from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. Allure is located at 6694 Amador Plaza in Dublin, CA and everyone is invited!

Please stop by to enjoy some wine and cheese, explore my latest collection of museum-quality fine art photography, and chat with me about the stories behind the images. Whether you're looking for a statement piece for your home or office, or simply want to spend an enjoyable afternoon surrounded by beautiful art and furniture, I'd love to see you there.

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• Subscribe to the Jeff Cable Photography Blog by clicking HERE!

• Check out my upcoming photo tours to amazing places around the world. I have photo tours to Costa Rica, Peru, Galapagos, Africa, Iceland and more.

• If you are interested in purchasing ANY equipment, please click here to go to B&H Photo, as I get a referral from them if you enter this way. It does not change the cost to you in any way, but it helps me keep this blog up and running.

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Podcast Interview on "Beyond the Lens" with Richard Bernabe

Before I left for almost a month in Costa Rica and Richard Bernabe left for the same amount of time in Botswana, we sat down together and he interviewed me for his "Beyond the Lens" podcast. He asked me some very unique questions, and I really enjoyed talking about how I got started in this business. The first part of the interview is about my relationship with Steve Wozniak, the co-founder of Apple Computer, and how he influenced my career in photography.

You can check out the interview in any of the following places:

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/beyond-the-lens-with-richard-bernabe/id1613598927?i=1000773987052

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/0wdXpdjbeRfzmCRDopLtAo?si=3fc17120937d4060

Website: https://beyondthelens.fm/2026/07/02/episode-119-jeff-cable/

I hope you enjoy listening to this.

 __________________________________________________________

• Subscribe to the Jeff Cable Photography Blog by clicking HERE!

• Check out my upcoming photo tours to amazing places around the world. I have photo tours to Costa Rica, Peru, Galapagos, Africa, Iceland and more.

• If you are interested in purchasing ANY equipment, please click here to go to B&H Photo, as I get a referral from them if you enter this way. It does not change the cost to you in any way, but it helps me keep this blog up and running.

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I have two LAST MINUTE OPENINGS for my Costa Rica Photo Tour next week!!!

Are you the type of person who likes to make last minute plans? Feeling restless at home and want to get out and see the world? Are you wanting to jump on a plane in the next 4 days and head to one of the greatest photography regions in the world? If so...I have a rare opportunity for you!

I just heard from a guest who has to postpone their trip to the rain forest for medical reasons, and I have TWO SPOTS available for next week. This is the first time in 10 years of running photo tours that I have an opportunity like this.

The tour goes from June 22 to July 1st.

You can find all the details HERE.

If you are interested, please email me ASAP and I will help get you down here to the Osa Peninsula on time to join next week's photo tour!

Just to give you an idea of what we capture down here, here is a selection of what we captured in the last week, on the first photo tour.

Leaf cutter ants

Roadside hawks

Hummingbirds

Howler monkeys

White-faced monkeys

Red-eyed tree frogs

All kinds of bugs...

...and other frogs.

Lizards

Dart frogs

Snakes (under a controlled environment)

Scarlet macaw

Sloths

Owls

Brown-footed boobies

Countless other birds, like these Terns.

Bottle-nosed and Spotted Dolphins

Sea turtles

More birds

Two different days focusing on macro (close-up) photography.

Tiny creatures making big pictures

If it is small and cool, we photograph it!

Iguanas

This is just a sampling of what we see down here. We also see Spider monkeys, Squirrel monkeys and Toucans. 

Once again, I only have two spots open. First come first serve!

__________________________________________________________

• Subscribe to the Jeff Cable Photography Blog by clicking HERE!

• Check out my upcoming photo tours to amazing places around the world. I have photo tours to Costa Rica, Peru, Galapagos, Africa, Iceland and more.

• If you are interested in purchasing ANY equipment, please click here to go to B&H Photo, as I get a referral from them if you enter this way. It does not change the cost to you in any way, but it helps me keep this blog up and running.

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