Meet Brandon A. Güell

Brandon is a Costa Rican-American field biologist, conservation storyteller, and award-winning wildlife photographer whose work bridges the worlds of science, photography, and conservation. Through immersive field experiences, compelling imagery, and natural history storytelling, he strives to inspire deeper connections between people and the wild places they explore.

Growing up between the United States and Costa Rica, Brandon developed a lifelong fascination with tropical ecosystems while exploring the country's national parks and listening to stories shared by his uncle, a Costa Rican park ranger. That early curiosity ultimately led him to a career studying and documenting wildlife across the Americas.

Brandon earned his B.S. in Ecology, Behavior, and Evolution from the University of California, San Diego, before completing his M.S. and Ph.D. in Biology at Boston University. His research has taken him from the subarctic islands of Alaska studying northern fur seals to the tropical rainforests of Costa Rica and Panama, where he spent six field seasons investigating the reproductive ecology of gliding treefrogs. During this time, photography evolved from a scientific tool into a powerful medium for conservation communication and storytelling.

Today, Brandon combines his scientific expertise with professional wildlife photography to share the beauty and complexity of the natural world. His work has been recognized internationally, including honors in the Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition, the British Ecological Society's Capturing Ecology competition, and the American Institute of Biological Sciences' Faces of Biology competition, among others. His photography has also been featured by prestigious organizations and publications including BBC's Planet Earth III, BBC Wildlife Magazine, and National Geographic.

When he isn't in the field, Brandon can usually be found paddling wilderness canoe routes, hiking, fishing, or exploring the outdoors with family and friends.