Photographing the Versicolored Emerald in a Moment in the Tropical Light

It happens in an instant. Deep in the humid air of the Amazon, surrounded by vines and insect noise, a shimmer of green slices through the shade. A Versicolored Emerald (Chrysuronia versicolor) hovers before a yellow blossom, motion suspended, wings invisible. For a second, everything aligns—light, color, movement—and then it’s gone, leaving only the echo… Continue reading Photographing the Versicolored Emerald in a Moment in the Tropical Light

White-banded Mockingbird singing

I am standing in a patch of late-afternoon light, camera ready, when a flash of green lands just meters away. A Versicolored Emerald (Amazilia versicolor) perches boldly on a branch, turning ever so slightly as it preens, giving me perfect angles for a photo. Then, from somewhere deeper in the bushes, another sound rises—clear, deliberate,… Continue reading White-banded Mockingbird singing

Extensive preening of a Versicolored Emerald

This morning, in front of the shaded veranda of a small pousada just outside Manaus, the rainforest decided to offer me a front-row seat to a private grooming session. Perched barely three meters away on a low branch was a Versicolored Emerald (Chrysuronia versicolor), resting as if the world had slowed just for him. His… Continue reading Extensive preening of a Versicolored Emerald