Costa Rica Howler May 2022 International Digital Magazine

Luis Felipe Murillo Castillo I'm a 27-years-old amateur photographer, aviation geek and coffee, and nature lover who works as an air traffic controller at Guanacaste Airport. In my free time I love to travel to places surrounded by nature and capture all their beauty. I simply go to the airport to do some “plane spotting”.

Arenal volcano photo opposite: On a calm February morning, at 5:50 a.m., 10 minutes away from the begining of my work shift, a bright sun started to rise from the east. I had to cover my eyes at first due to brightness, but something caught my attention…the sun had a “dent” — a big black shadow in a triangle form. And after a closer look, I realize that the “dent” was in fact the Arenal Volcano! That iconic landmark is 93km (58 miles) from my office. I stood speechless looking at the most beautiful sunrise I’ve ever seen, that honestly before that day didn’t think was possible.

Photos on following page: Manta ray While enjoying a hot summer at Cabuyal beach in Guanacaste, a couple of friends and I spotted a group of manta rays jumping out of the water in the distance. Surprised by this, we ran towards the shore to observe them closely. Luckily for us the manta rays got closer as well, and gave us a show like no other. Dozens of rays jumping out of the water and swimming by our feet ­— MAGICAL! And this one in particular didn’t mind to pose for the camera.

Miravalles volcano Sunsets are something we all await throughout the day due to the calm, and beauty they represent. And as a photographer, besides this, I love them due to the light they project on the surface. This image in particular, lighting up the Miravalles Volcano, and brings up the texture of the “scars” an active past left behind. The light also created a small rainbow with the drizzle that was coming down the clouds. At the bottom of the volcano are the wind turbines that "generate" clean electricity to thousands of Costa Rican homes.