Taking Photographs
From the Jungle Crane

I watched and photographed the deployment of STRI's tower construction crane with great interest. The concept of using a construction crane in the jungle was the brain child of the late Smithsonian scientist and Assistant Director for Terrestrial Research, Dr. Alan P. Smith. He believed this type of readily available equipment would provide scientists with easy access to one of the most under-studied and species-rich environments on planet earth - the tropical forest canopy.

Smith and other STRI scientists hoped the crane would provide them with a safe platform from which they could spend hours studying the canopy flora and fauna without disturbing or damaging either.

Previous attempts at studying the canopy involved several "Rube Goldberg" type devices. One was a gigantic inflatable "Frisbee" that was flown to the jungle site by helicopter and dropped on top of the canopy. There one could crawl around in it on top of the canopy like a kid in a sandbox. Another method involved building suspended bridges high in the tree tops to create pathways from tree-to-tree. And, there was the original method using rock climbing equipment to climb one tree at a time.

The concept of using the crane was new and exciting. Once it was erected I spent time with different scientists, photographing them working from the gondola.

The gondola is completely enclosed with wire screen (with doors on two sides that can be opened to work on the outside). This is a necessary precaution since Africananized bees have heavily invaded Panama and a swarm of so called "killer bees" inside the gondola would be a disaster. It is equipped with special emergency equipment including escape ropes.

I hoped the crane would provide the ideal platform for photographing plants, animals and insects that spend all or most of their time in the upper reaches of the forest canopy.

Neither I nor the scientists were disappointed.

• Top: Here I am dangling above the jungle canopy, (100 feet off the ground), from one end of the canopy crane's 115 foot boom. Lee Weigt, senior molecular lab technician at STRI, who provided the rock climbing tools and expertise to get me into this position, also took this photograph. From here I was able to photograph scientists working inside the gondola and at the same time show their relationship to the surrounding jungle and the rest of the crane (see photos below).
• Above left: Working from the construction crane Smithsonian scientists Dr. Alan Smith (Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute), and Dr. Geoffrey Parker (Smithsonian Environmental Research Center), reach out to examine a leaf in the upper reaches of the jungle canopy.
• Above right: A unique view of the crane in use taken while suspended by a cable at the end of the crane arm.

• A Portfolio of Flowers, Birds, Insects and Other Animals

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