There may not be a more exotic area in the world than the islands of Galapagos. With a volcano that can erupt without warning, animals unique to the landscape, and turtles older than any human, it was a fascinating place to learn about, especially with the use of great camera work. 
The National Geographic Channel’s Galapagos, brings the viewer in immediately with gripping shots of its volcano erupting. The documentary begins by following a group of researchers as they are filming the volcanoes and the habits a a species of iguanas unique to Galapagos. The use of camera angles in this segment are very good. They use a great shot where the camera is behind one of the researchers who is filming a volcanic eruption with his own camera. It gives the viewer a great sense of the distance researchers keep from these eruptions as well as depicting how breathtaking this phenomenon is.
They also use great close-up shots when filming the iguanas. The iguanas don’t have nay fear of humans, and in turn, the researchers were able to get as close as they wanted to make for great documentary shots. They also move the cameras, following the iguanas to the mouth of the volcano to give the viewer a better sense of the iguanas’ journey.
Another great use of camerawork to bring the viewer closer to the action, is when the researchers are descending the volcano, they show landslides happening all around them. This shows how dangerous it is to be doing what they are doing.
The documentary transitions to Galapagos dolphins and trying to figure out their habits. They do a great job of showing the viewer how they about doing this by showing a unique way of filming the animals. They strap a camera to a long pole which they proceed to dip into the water to get a great shot of the dolphins swimming at top speed.
Another great use of camera work mixed with other editing features is when they show a slow motion depiction of a bird flying. They use very whimsical music as they show the bird slowly settling down onto the ground. This is something that many might not notice, but it is a great use of editing equipment.
Finally, they take the viewer to what the Galapagos is probably best known for, the tortoise. They discuss how old the tortoises can get (over 100 years), and talk about how Charles Darwin used to like to ride on their backs. They give the viewer a great perspective of how old these creatures are by saying Darwin himself may have ridden the back of some of the creatures they were showing on the film.
