Photo
Certified Photo Instructor
Photography is at the core of everything we do—after all, Sven Lindblad, our founder, began his career as a wildlife photographer. To help our guests take the best possible shots, a specially trained certified photo instructor joins every voyage to offer assistance with all of your photography needs, from camera settings to composition. Their goal is to help guests become better, more confident photographers—and to help them go home with amazing shots that tell the story of their journey.
Our photo instructors are also trained naturalists, which gives them advantage when it comes to photographing the natural world. They are well-versed in animal behavior and can coach guests as they prepare to photograph a bear fishing for salmon or a pod of killer whales on the hunt.
Photography is at the core of everything we do—after all, Sven Lindblad, our founder, began his career as a wildlife photographer. To help our guests take the best possible shots, a specially trained certified photo instructor joins every voyage to offer assistance with all of your photography needs, from camera settings to composition. Their goal is to help guests become better, more confident photographers—and to help them go home with amazing shots that tell the story of their journey. ...
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Meet our Photo Instructors
Naturalist/Certified Photo Instructor
Omar Adrian
Omar arrived at the Galapagos with his family when he just a year old. His father was a Naturalist in the islands and would take him exploring both on land and in the water, aboard the ships he was working on. At an early age, he learned all about the unique nature of the archipelago and the species that inhabit it. Omar got sea legs before getting land legs and being bare footed on the rocky Galapagos terrain was his natural way. He has happy memories of a childhood spent in Puerto Ayora, on Santa Cruz Island, where he went to an English language kindergarten and spent hours in the water and on the coralline sandy beaches abundant on the island. As he grew older, they moved to Quito, the capital of Ecuador, where continued with the rest of his education surrounded by the snow-capped Andes. They would return to the islands during summer vacations, however, and these visits grew longer as Omar grew up. He got to witness first-hand how his hometown grew from small rural village to commercial town. Eventually, Puerto Ayora got too big for the family’s tastes, so they moved to San Cristobal Island, the place that he considers home to this day. Omar became very interested in the development of society and cultural movements, so when the time came, he earned a degree in social communication and began to work as a journalist, in Quito. His final thesis for his degree was on the subject of “Reading in the Galapagos Islands”, looking at the fact that there are no bookstores in the Galapagos province, and what that meant for the population. He graduated in 2017 and entered the Galapagos National Park course for naturalist guides. He has also since become a professional diver and photographer, and has sailed thousands of nautical miles, learning, and teaching about the magical islands that he loves so much.
Naturalist/Certified Photo Instructor
Ivan Vasquez
Iván grew up in San Cristóbal, Galápagos, amongst a family of artists. From an early age, he explored different art tools to express his creativity and his admiration for the natural world, going from painting to music, and to then discover a camera which would later connect him with expedition vessels and wildlife videography and photography. He started a music band called Arkabuz and recorded two albums with inspiration from Galapagos. The band toured all over the country and received several prestigious awards, including best band in the country for 2008. Iván is an avid nature photographer and environmentalist. Since 2010, he started working on expedition vessels capturing the pristine wildlife of the islands. In 2015, he moved to California where he obtained a diploma in Film and Television Production, thus expanding his knowledge and opening possibilities in filming worldwide. After returning to the Galapagos, Iván started working for National Geographic – Lindblad Expeditions both in Galápagos and in Alaska. He started working as a video chronicler in 2021 and he became a naturalist/photo instructor in Alaska in 2023. As a result of his passion for sharing his knowledge of the natural world, Iván obtained a degree as a National Guide in Ecuador, as well as a Galápagos Naturalist License in 2025. Iván also promotes cultural development in Galapagos through a media production company that he started with his brother on San Cristobal Island. Named “Archipelago Films”, the aim of the company is to help develop film within the local community and provide communication services to local agencies, institutions and NGOs.
Naturalist/Certified Photo Instructor
Anna Mazurek
South Carolina native Anna Mazurek fell in love with traveling and photography while studying abroad in England during college. Since then, she’s been to 53 countries and lived in five. She is a freelance travel photographer and writer currently based in Austin, Texas. Her previous clients include the Wall Street Journal , Facebook, Rolling Stone, AFAR magazine and Google. She has a Master’s degree in photojournalism from the University of Missouri and a Bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of South Carolina. She also teaches part-time at School of Journalism and Mass Communications at Texas State University. She managed student photo trips in Asia for five years and currently runs summer photo trips for National Geographic Student Expeditions. She doesn’t like to sit still and spends her time exploring the remote corners of the world including Mongolia and Easter Island. Some of her travel highlights including climbing Kilimanjaro and photographing the Dalai Lama at his temple in McLeod Ganj, India.
Naturalist/Certified Photo Instructor
Alex Harper
Alex Harper is based in Southern Nevada, where he spends most of his time as a freelance naturalist, science communicator, birding guide, speaker, and writer. He serves on the board of directors for the Las Vegas-based Audubon chapter, as well as multiple committees for various organizations related to wildlife and habitat conservation. Alex did not imagine ending up in Las Vegas. He grew up between the mangrove bays and Florida Everglades in the Miami area. His free time as a kid was often spent getting bitten by lizards, climbing trees, and staining his clothes in estuarine mud. From an early age, he gravitated towards marine mammals, reptiles and amphibians, and birds. It would be birds that ultimately captivated his curiosity and became the primary focus of his interests. Over the course of his professional career, he has conducted bird population counts across the western United States for the National Park Service and the renewable energy industries, been a birding guide on the Pribilof Islands of Alaska and a remote Amazon lodge and counted migratory hawks in the Florida Keys. The desire to share the beauty of the natural world gets Alex out of bed in the morning. He believes that there is no shortage of opportunities to be moved by the natural world, to experience awe and wonder in it, and that it is through connecting people with nature that we can value it enough to preserve its functioning ecosystems. For this reason, he owns and operates Nature in Mind, a business that brings wellness and science together for kids and adults of all ages. Alex loves to swap stories and learn from his colleagues and Lindblad guests. Alex enjoys hiking, trail running, photography, reading, writing, and practicing mindfulness. He is grateful and proud to step foot on Lindblad ships to keep him wild.
Naturalist/Certified Photo Instructor
Brooke Juhala
At 6-years-old, Brooke knew she wanted to be an Expedition Photographer. So much so, she insisted her mother sign her up for drawing classes - just in case her camera broke in-the-field. Ever since, her love for storytelling has inspired her to pursue a life of adventure. Raised in Washington state, Brooke has since called many places “home.” After graduating from Northern Arizona University, Brooke moved to Thailand which led her to journeying solo through Bali and then backpacking alone for 16-days in Nepal, traveling by foot from Jiri to Gokyo Ri. Upon returning stateside, Brooke began leading cross country road trips for TrekAmerica. In 2016, she moved to Portland, OR where she guided for a local kayaking company, as well as REI as an Outdoor School Instructor. Here, Brooke became immersed in human-powered objectives. As she dove deeper into the adventure sports cultures - her photography portfolio began to expand. Now, Brooke is an internationally published Photojournalist and Filmmaker based in Seattle, WA. Her work has been featured by Rock & Ice, Climbing Magazine, and BBC. Outside of her creative endeavors, Brooke utilizes her technical outdoor skills by volunteering with Olympic Mountain Rescue. She looks forward to visiting some of the world’s most incredible destinations with her fellow teammates and guests of Lindblad Expeditions, and she’s keen to share her photography passion and experience to help make your journey even more memorable.
Naturalist/Certified Photo Instructor
Nathan Kelley
Nathan Kelley developed his love for nature as a kid at his family’s cabin in Northern Wisconsin. Family fishing trips, camping, hiking and a trip to his first National Park in the Everglades, all vigorously shaped his passion for the natural world. After graduating with a degree in Cinema and Photography from Southern Illinois University in the heart of the Shawnee National Forest, he moved to Southern California to work as a camera operator and photographer in a wide range of projects including work for the National Geographic Society. Now living in Juneau, Alaska he has found the place his heart always belonged. His photography has also been exhibited in galleries and in publications. A strong desire for adventure led him to travel around the world learning new cultures and photographing the beauty in the diverse natural world we live in. Living and working in Southeast Alaska has allowed him to fine tune his creative eye, while educating his guests on photography tips and the ecology of the place he calls home. Nathan hopes his photography, knowledge and passion will inspire others to explore and stand up for the planet.
Naturalist/Certified Photo Instructor
Doug Gould
Travel and adventure were an integral part of Doug’s upbringing in a small town on the south shore of Long Island, New York. Growing up on the Great South Bay, his family claims Doug learned to sail before he learned to walk. Whether it was camping, sailing, birding, traveling across country or spending most of fifth grade living in Europe, Doug’s formative years left him with a love of wildlife, the outdoors, and a desire to keep moving. After receiving a B.A. in dramatic arts from the University of California, Santa Barbara, Doug mixed a short career in the film and TV industry with two summers working for the Catalina Island Harbor Patrol, which led to his owning the third largest private marine rescue company in California. Doug sat on the Board of Directors of the Vessel Assist Association of America for three years and has lectured extensively to the marine assistance industry about safety and risk management. In 2003, he volunteered to work for Oceanites as a member of their Antarctic Site Inventory wildlife census team (aka: a penguin counter). This opportunity included numerous trips to the Antarctic Peninsula over the span of three seasons. The Antarctic Site Inventory focused on gathering data about the impact of tourism on Antarctic wildlife, and helped to develop some of the Antarctic Treaty recommendations that govern tourism today. Since 2011, Doug has worked full time as a naturalist, photographer and expedition leader, working primarily in the polar regions. In 2015 he joined Lindblad Expeditions, and continues to share his enthusiasm for travel and adventure as an expedition leader and certified photo instructor.
Naturalist/Certified Photo Instructor
Chelsea Mayer
Chelsea is a naturalist, photographer, and videographer whose love of animals is the through line in her life. She grew up on the southern California coast in Huntington Beach, and throughout her teenage years she volunteered at an animal shelter and a wildlife rehabilitation center. In 2011 she graduated from UCLA’s School of Theater, Film and Television with a Bachelor of Arts in Film Production. After a few years of working on films, Chelsea turned her sights seaward, leaving Los Angeles in favor of a career on the open ocean. Nearly every day for three years, Chelsea had the privilege of observing the marine mammals of southern California, working as a naturalist, photographer and deckhand aboard various whale watching boats in Orange County. More recently, Chelsea moved to San Diego, and trained to be a scuba diving professional. She works as a divemaster on a liveaboard vessel that does scuba diving trips to the Channel Islands, and great white shark cage diving at Guadalupe Island. She loves working on boats because she gets to meet interesting people from all over the world and share her enthusiasm for nature and conservation. Chelsea is a US Coast Guard-licensed 100-ton Captain, PADI Divemaster, American Cetacean Society Naturalist, and Girls Who Click Ambassador.
Naturalist/Certified Photo Instructor
Patricio Maldonado
Patricio, better known as Pato amongst his friends, was born in the Galápagos Islands. His family moved to the islands from the mainland and settled on the island of Santa Cruz over thirty-five years ago. Pato had an enchanted childhood in the islands, where his keen interest in the wildlife of the Galápagos was born initially through catching lizards and observing how they lost their tails. His experiences in the islands have led him to teach visitors about the need to protect this rare and unique environment. Pato underwent all his primary and secondary studies in local schools on Santa Cruz, and after graduation he moved to Quito to attend college, where he studied hotel management. This was an adventure that lasted for only two years, since city life was too hectic for Pato, who missed his idyllic islands. He learned that the Galápagos National Park was opening a guide course and looking for new, fresh-minded applicants. He passed the entrance requirements and the intensive three-month course, and now finds himself in his dream job of leading visitors along the trails of the islands. He has taken such joy in this line of work that he is continuously striving to improve his understanding of the Galápagos Archipelago, to better share it with others. He is now continuing his studies, taking a new direction – a distance learning course in ecology. Pato loves music, especially Andean music, and the first time he set foot aboard a Lindblad Expeditions-National Geographic vessel it was actually as a musician with a local band! He received his Photo Instructor certification in a multi-day training workshop. Developed and taught by National Geographic and Lindblad Expeditions photographers, the workshop helped him develop additional insight and skills necessary to help you better understand your camera and the basics of composition — to better capture the moments at the heart of your expedition.
Naturalist/Certified Photo Instructor
Eric Guth
Eric began work with Lindblad Expeditions-National Geographic in 2006 as a means to see the world, work with great photographers and engage his environmental studies degree beyond the classroom. His initial years with the company were spent working the waters of Southeast Alaska and Baja California. His move to the National Geographic Explore r in 2008 helped earn him the experience and knowledge needed to establish himself as a trusted boat handler, naturalist and respected photographer in nearly all the environments Lindblad-National Geographic travels. Eric’s extensive exposure to and long time passion for exploring/photographing glaciated areas has recently earned him the title “Ice Man” in media outlets the world over. While not at sea he is in the mountains searching for glacier caves, secluded vistas and other remote landscapes in which to photograph.
Naturalist/Certified Photo Instructor
Walter Perez
Walter was born in a very small town on the mainland of Ecuador. His first trip to the Galápagos was when he was 12 years old, visiting friends and aunt, who had moved to the islands. From the first moment he saw the Islands, he fell in love with them and knew then where his future home would be. In high school, Walter excelled in agricultural studies. When he went on to university, he combined this interest with studies in chemistry. While there, Walter focused on chemical agronomy, writing his thesis on the unique landscape of the Galápagos. After receiving his degree, Walter left mainland Ecuador and promptly moved to the Galápagos. There he held a variety of jobs before accepting a position as a crewmember aboard a tourist vessel. Soon thereafter he learned how to dive, becoming a PADI Dive Master. In 2005, Walter leapt at the opportunity to take the Galapagos National Park Service entrance exam to become a Naturalist. After much studying and hard work, he realized his dream. He received his Photo Instructor certification in a multi-day training workshop. Developed and taught by National Geographic and Lindblad Expeditions photographers, the workshop helped him develop additional insight and skills necessary to help you better understand your camera and the basics of composition — to better capture the moments at the heart of your expedition. Walter is author with professor Michael Weisberg of Galápagos: Life in Motion. Published by Princeton University Press in August 2018, this lavishly illustrated hardcover book features Walter’s detailed, close-up photographs of Galápagos animals in action as they feed, play, fight, court, mate, build nests, give birth, raise their young, and cooperate and clash with other species.
Naturalist/Certified Photo Instructor
Brady Clarke
Brady Clarke grew up with an irrational fear of the ocean and a strong dislike for biology - being a naturalist on expedition vessels was far from his plan. As he entered the first year of his undergraduate degree at the University of New Hampshire, a professor ignited a passion for marine science and storytelling leading to his decision to pursue a Bachelor of Science in Marine, Estuarine, and Freshwater Biology. From there, his newfound passion led him to the Pacific Northwest to work for marine science organizations, expedition companies, and nonprofits where he focused on visual storytelling to inspire action. In 2023 Brady moved to New Zealand to pursue a Master's Degree in Science Communication and Natural History Filmmaking from the University of Otago. There, he used filmmaking to amplify the voices of conservation groups, indigenous communities, and research teams, bringing their stories into the spotlight. His films have reached thousands worldwide, been showcased in museums and theaters, and won numerous awards at film festivals. From leading expeditions and wildlife tours to filming conservation stories on remote islands, Brady has dedicated his life to telling stories that would otherwise go unnoticed and inspiring others to care for our planet.
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