Wild Encounters: Tarsiers

 
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For this Wild Encounter, I have chosen one of the cutest animals on the planet, the Tarsier. At sunset, watch these tiny alien-looking carnivores wake, before they leap across the forest, spending the night foraging for insects. Tarsiers are considered the smallest primates in the world. Join us in 2021 on our expeditions to North Sulawesi in Indonesia and Bohol in the Philippines to see these shy forest dwellers up close and personal.

 
 
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Capture Info

Photo was taken on our 2011 Indonesia Expedition by Thomas Baechtold

Camera: Nikon D700 / Lens: Nikon 70-200mm f2.8 / Flash used / ISO: 800 F-stop: f4 Shutter speed: 1/250

It is challenging to get a good photo of these tiny, shy forest dwellers because they come to life at night. So it is essential to have a good zoom lens and to use a high ISO setting with a tripod to shoot natural light or to use a fill flash (like in this case). To capture the best images, you must patiently wait at the base of their host fig-tree until they first emerge at sunset, before they head out into the forest to forage. I have been able to get some nice natural light shots when they first emerge using a high ISO number, but it is easy to end up with an out-of-focus image, as there is very little natural light.

My advice for capturing a shot like this is to ask your local naturalist guide where the animals will most likely first emerge from their tree hollow and sit, as that will be the spot where they will spend a few minutes waking, before leaping into the forest. Use a small f-stop like an f-4 or f-5.6 to make your main subject (Tarsier) stand out. Ensure you have the focus set on the eyes.

Thomas Baechtold