Did you know that we have an image bank? Here you can find wildlife and nature photos from Brazil. Whether it is for your business, your next project, a scientific paper, a book, or for private use, here you will find the images that fit your needs. By acquiring our photos you also help us to continue our conservation projects and activities.
We provide our photos for free to non-profit organizations, projects with educational purposes, and other projects with limited resources. To request free images, please fill out the form by clicking on the link below.
ABOUT OUR PHOTOGRAPHIC PROJECTS
We believe that pictures have the power to change the course of history. The use of nature photography as an artistic manifestation, with a focus on awareness, has been increasing progressively over the last years. For this reason, nature photography has been increasingly used as a tool for environmental conservation.
Our specialty is the photographic and audiovisual production of photos that show local fauna and flora, capturing the essence of each unique region. We explore beautiful landscapes, wild animals, and the macro environment. We use special techniques that we learned from former hunters (e.g. tracking techniques) and new photographic technologies.
We have an image bank of high quality photos from various Brazilian ecosystems with a searchable database. In addition to our own projects, like photographic books, we implement projects for private companies that are interested in showcasing a specific conservation unit or want to engage in environmental education.
GALLERIES OF COMPLETED PROJECTS
SOORETAMA BIOLOGICAL RESERVE (Location: Sooretama, Espírito Santo, Brazil)
The Sooretama Biological Reserve is part of the Linhares-Sooretama forest complex which encompasses more than 50,000 hectares of protected forest. The conservation area is cut by a 25-kilometer section of the BR-101 highway that fragments wildlife populations, kills dozens of animals on a daily basis and causes intense noise, air, soil and water pollution in the region.
VALE BOTANICAL GARDEN (Location: Vitória, Espírito Santo, Brazil)
The photographic project was carried out in only 15 days in the Vale Botanical Garden, in Vitória - ES. A team of specialists photographed the plants and animals o the park in their natural environment. Among the photographic highlights are the caiman, the blacksmith tree frog, birds such as the anhinga and the turquoise honeycreeper, and small mammals such as the Brazilian squirrel and the big-eared opossum, as well as insects and plants. The resulting product was an art exhibition commemorating the first 10 years of the Botanical Garden and an institutional video.
DUAS BOCAS BIOLOGICAL RESERVE (Location: Cariacica, Espírito Santo, Brazil)
The photographic book and the documentary about the Duas Bocas Biological Reserve were the first project completely financed with the help of sponsors. Our team was able to carry out field work in one of Espírito Santo’s most important preservation areas. The book shows the diverse natural and socio-environmental aspects of the reserve, which is over 100 hundred years old. The Últimos Refúgios Institute was able to take pictures and videos of rare species like the king-vulture and the puma.
ITAÚNAS STATE PARK (Location: Itaúnas, Espírito Santo, Brazil)
“Últimos Refúgios: Parque Estadual de Itaúnas” was the second project of the Últimos Refúgios Institute. The project began in 2009 and was finalized in 2011, with the launch of a photographic book and a socio-economic documentary about the state park. The book contains photographs that show the beauty and biodiversity of the region. The documentary reveals the socio-environmental situation of the small village located at the outskirts of the park.
TERRA INSTITUTE (Location: Aimorés, Minas Gerais, Brazil)
From 2011 to 2012 Leonardo Merçon, president of the Últimos Refúgios Institute, worked as wildlife photographer for the renowned photographer Sebastião Salgado, implementing an independent project at the Terra Institute, located in Aimorés, Minas Gerais. The institution, created by Salgado and his wife, reforests and manages the first degraded region to be recognized as a Private Natural Heritage Reserve (RPPN).
STATE PARK PAULO CESAR VINHA (Location: Guarapari, Espírito Santo, Brazil)
The photographic book “Últimos Refúgios: Parque Estadual Paulo Cesar Vinha” was launched in 2009. It is the result of the final graduation project of Leonardo Merçon who graduated as Graphic Designer from the Federal University of Espírito Santo. However, the project was way more than an academic work because it ultimately led to the foundation of the Últimos Refúgios Institute
