Gabby Salazar focused the lens of her camera. A patch of mushrooms were sprouting from the forest floor. A friend and fellow photographer saw something flutter by. It was a blue morpho butterfly. It’s one of the largest butterflies in the world. Salazar started snapping photos.


T e blue morpho landed on her friend’s cheek. He moved the giant butterfly onto Salazar’s nose. Its legs and antennas tickled. She could barely keep from laughing. It was a special visit with one


of the rain forest’s most beautiful animals. How did Gabby Salazar come to work in this faraway place? It all started with a camera her dad gave her when she was only 11 years old.


A Budding Photographer T at’s when young Gabby started taking photos in her neighbor’s backyard. T rough her camera lens, she saw the world diff erently. Colors were brighter. She


saw more details through her camera lens. Soon, she took her camera with her everywhere.


18 NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC EXPLORER


A black-naped monarch settles in its nest.


A Bright Idea Before long, Gabby knew that she wanted to be a photographer. In college, she made a life-changing decision to share her photos with the rest of the world. She thought: What if I show people some of the awesome plants and animals that live in their own area? T en maybe I can inspire them to take better care of the environment. So began Gabby Salazar’s career


as a conservation photographer. She uses her photos to encourage people to protect living things and the places where they live.


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