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
Jeff Litton
Jeff Litton is a dedicated advocate for our planet, igniting a passion within people to cherish our Earth. His circuitous journey involves leading individuals into the untamed wilderness, where he unveils the hidden splendor of the natural world. Jeff's career in the travel industry since 2009 encompasses roles as a naturalist, guide, filmmaker, photography instructor, undersea specialist, and National Geographic Educator. Through the captivating medium of film and photography, he shares the mesmerizing allure of nature with a global audience, showcasing his work in prestigious outlets like National Geographic magazine, the National Geographic Channel, and through his TED talk. He is also an environmental filmmaker, contributing his efforts to esteemed organizations such as The Nature Conservancy, Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary, and many others. His film projects have contributed to many successful campaigns including stopping whaling in the Southern Ocean, prohibiting the shark fin trade in California, and preserving 600,000 acres within the Rio Grande Watershed. Jeff's dedication extends to education, as he passionately imparts his knowledge to others. Graduating with honors from the esteemed Brooks Institute of Photography, he finds immense joy in teaching photography, film, and aerial cinematography. Hailing from rural California, Jeff remains deeply involved in conservation efforts to safeguard the ancestral homeland of the Nisenan Native Americans along a vital 9-mile stretch of the Bear River, standing as a steadfast barrier against the potential inundation caused by the construction of a new dam.
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
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
Kelly Coursey Gray
I like to remind people that there are very few big surprises left in life, but if you are out in nature, with an open mind and a lot of time, you never know what you will find. Born and educated in Western Pennsylvania, Kelly always loved the outdoors and all the creatures that roam the beautiful Allegheny Mountains. Always curious and creative, her interests ranged from science to art. Kelly majored in Art History at Allegheny College where she took photography and developed a passion that combined her love of nature, exploring and composition. After college, photography became a focal part of Kelly's life driving her to search for larger mountains and new horizons. While living in Colorado, she journeyed throughout the west, developing her enthusiasm for North American wildlife and the ecosystems that support it. Kelly has served as a Naturalist at sea in Alaska, the Pacific Northwest, Australia, and New Zealand for many years. Using her images and observations of wildlife Kelly crafts engaging presentations to share her knowledge and passion for the creatures she encounters during her travels.
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
Jamie Coleman
Jamie is from England. He grew up in Oxford, about as far from the sea as you can get in the UK, yet somehow decided he would work in marine biology and conservation. Ever since he reached his teens, he has dedicated time to this passion, working and volunteering in various roles on nature reserves and in aquariums. It was no surprise that in 2007, he left home to study marine biology at the University of Newcastle. As much as he loves working with people, he has a habit of ending up in isolated inhospitable havens, far from civilization. Ever since he spent two years on the Farne Islands, UK – an archipelago home to 150,000 seabirds and 5,000 grey seals he has developed an obsession for seabirds and seals. Most recently, he has completed his second stint (total 2 years) living amongst the seals and penguins of South Georgia working for the British Antarctic Survey. His work there mainly focused on long term population and diet monitoring of penguins, albatross and Antarctic fur seals, but he also worked on various tagging projects. He has also lived on an uninhabited island on The Galapagos tagging and monitoring Sea lions. He has successfully used his love for the environment to travel the world and avoid returning to the UK, most noticeably running a jaguar camera trapping project in the Pantanal, Brazil. Other roles include diving and coastal research in the Bahamas and Mexico, where he was researching marine protected areas and sustainable development. Keen to spend as much time at sea as possible, his work has always been interspersed with periods on board vessels in seabird and marine mammal observation roles.
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
Bernardo Jacome
Bernardo, known by his friends and family as Bernie, was born In the Andean city of Quito, located in the highlands of Ecuador. His grandfather, however, moved to the Galapagos Islands in the mid-70s, and worked as one of the first Naturalist Guides, living in the town of Puerto Ayora, Santa Cruz Island, to this day. Bernie did his schooling in Quito but would spend every holiday in the islands since the age of 5, when he learnt to swim and fell in love with the nature of this magical archipelago. By experiencing the contrast between life in a big city and in the small town of Puerto Ayora, he realized that his heart lay with the simplicity and beauty of a life surrounded by nature, and the ocean in particular, which led him to move to Galapagos permanently as soon as he could. As he grew older, he learned to sail, snorkel and eventually became certified as a PADI free diver, allowing him to explore further and deeper. In 2017, Bernie jumped at the opportunity to take the rigorous exam to get into a highly coveted Galapagos Naturalist Guide course run by the Galapagos National Park Service and is now overjoyed to be living his dream and following in his grandfather’s footsteps. When not in Galapagos, he also works with his father in Lita, a little village located in the north of mainland Ecuador where his family owns approximately 200 acres of protected rainforest, promoting the growing, harvesting and use of bamboo as a sustainable material for construction. Bernie is a huge fan of martial arts, music production, photography and surfing, and is always up for any marvelous adventure that comes his way, such as leading visitors through his beloved islands. His biggest wish is to raise awareness so that one day the human race will finally learn the importance of cohabiting in harmony with the other species that inhabit our planet.
Naturalist/Certified Photo Instructor
Lisa LaPointe
Lisa grew up in Michigan and Ohio, spending summers on and around the Great Lakes. Influenced by an upbringing immersed in woods and water, she completed a BS degree in Biology at the University of Michigan in 2001. Since then, she has lived, worked, and travelled on all seven continents, finding special connection with Antarctica. In 2013, Lisa began working on board ships, first as a naturalist guide on a dive boat in the Dominican Republic, then later as captain in southeast Alaska and southern California. She has also spent considerable time on expedition teams, from Iceland to Madagascar, and throughout the polar regions. Thousands of days at sea have nourished a passion for the marine environment, and a love for sharing it with others. She currently holds a USCG 200-ton license. In addition to lecturing and serving as a naturalist, Lisa is a professional photographer and photography instructor and leads photographic workshops to destinations around the world. When not working, Lisa can generally be found in the backcountry, exploring wild places from her Southern California home.
Naturalist/Certified Photo Instructor
Mike Greenfelder
Mike learned early on that the best way to escape Ohio was to become a marine biologist. During college at Wittenberg University he attended a semester at Duke University's Marine Lab — that time only confirmed his love for all things oceanic and maritime. After graduation, Mike promptly moved to Catalina Island in California where he taught marine biology to school kids. Since 1999, Mike has been working and traveling chasing his three loves: marine critters, photography, and birds. Before joining Lindblad Expeditions-National Geographic, Mike spent one and a half years as the resident biologist at the Jean-Michel Cousteau Fiji Islands Resort, a renowned vacation destination in the South Pacific. His days were filled with a great combination of guest education, research, environmental projects, and local school children education. Mike has also worked in the Amazon of Peru and Ecuador, the Pribilof Islands of Alaska, the cloud forest of Costa Rica, and the kelp forests of Victoria, Australia. When not working, Mike enjoys underwater photography, searching for endemic birds, and sunset chasing. 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
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.
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