Hi, I’m Sarah and welcome to this incredible adventure!

Twenty two years of photographing everyone’s happiest days in New England. Then one hummingbird in Corcovado looked me right in the eye and everything changed.

This is the real story of how I went from 40+ weddings a season to barefoot coffee on a jungle deck inside the rainforest, from perfect timelines to toucan breakfast clubs at 10 a.m., from “maybe someday” to “this is my life now.”

I still photograph a handful of dream weddings and portraits (because I love it), but most mornings you’ll find me chasing light, frogs and whatever the Costa Rican rainforest feels like showing me.

This podcast is me sharing those moments out loud, the same way I used to whisper them to the monkeys at sunrise.

One life. One wild yes. One heart finally wide awake.

Follow the wild on Instagram @sarahlutkewild

Prints & more: sarahlutkewild.com

#WildlifePhotography #CostaRicaWild #PuraVida

Early 2023. I’m driving through the bumpiest of dirt roads, overthinking every real estate listing and heading to the first of a long list… When I spot a flash of water through the trees.

I slam the brakes, scramble down a little slope and there it is… A perfect miniature waterfall singing over mossy rocks into a small pool. No sign. No trail. Just pure, secret jungle magic.

I stood there, shoes soaked, grinning like an idiot and knew in my soul: this is home.

Some decisions don’t need spreadsheets. They just need bare feet on river stones and water loud enough to drown out every doubt.

One photograph. One yes. And one place that chose me and I choose it, every single day.

Episode Wild Photograph: https://www.instagram.com/p/DHB8FAPRVnZ/

Follow the wild on Instagram @sarahlutkewild

Prints & more: sarahlutkewild.com

#WildlifePhotography #CostaRicaWild #PuraVida

Meet Larry.

He’s the Laughing Falcon who decided my mountain in Costa Rica is his stage and my coffee time is his cue.

Some days he’s a distant echo bouncing off the ridge. Other days he lands fifteen feet away, throws his head back and belts out that wild “ha-ha-ha-HAAA-ha” like the jungle hired him for comic relief.

I’ve started talking back: “Good morning, Larry.” I swear he answers.

A daily reminder that happiness doesn’t always whisper. Sometimes it lands on the branch in front of you and laughs loud enough to shake the leaves.

Episode Wild Photograph: https://www.instagram.com/p/DS4uOkjkabo/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

Follow the wild on Instagram @sarahlutkewild

Prints & more: sarahlutkewild.com

#WildlifePhotography #CostaRicaWild #LaughingFalcon

An early morning beach walk…

I’m creeping toward a quiet group of birds when a heron owns the top branch like a king on his throne. Next second: a Great Egret comes in like a missile and literally body checks him off the perch. The heron flips and flaps, wings flaring in the most graceful, accidental ballet I’ve ever seen. The egret slides in, calm as you like and claims the precious spot.

Sometimes the most stunning moments happen right after you get beautifully knocked out of the way.

One photograph. One wild reminder. One perfect sunrise.

Episode Wild Photograph: https://www.instagram.com/p/DRkiET7ETmo/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

Follow the wild on Instagram @sarahlutkewild

Prints & more: sarahlutkewild.com

#WildlifePhotography #CostaRicaWild #BirdsOfCostaRica

Every morning, right around ten, two collared aracaris drop out of nowhere onto the cecropia tree off my deck. Silent approach. Rainbow beaks glowing. Then the fruit starts falling and the show begins…

Two minutes of pure magic, then they’re gone like nothing happened.

This is my daily reminder that the best things in life don’t need an invitation. They just show up, eat breakfast, and leave you smiling for the rest of the day.

One photograph. One wild routine. One heart full.

Episode Wild Photograph: https://www.instagram.com/p/DRuHtMokXUX/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

Follow the wild on Instagram @sarahlutkewild

Prints & more: sarahlutkewild.com

#WildlifePhotography #CostaRicaWild #BirdsOfCostaRica

A few weeks ago, low tide, quiet beach…

I find a tiny tide pool just on the other side of the shore, holding nine Black-necked Stilts. All elegant, pink-legged, perfectly matched.

Then right in the middle, one tall, pure-white Great Egret stands calm and unbothered, like he was invited all along.

They don’t chase him away. He doesn’t try to change his feathers. They just share the same water, the same light, the same moment.

I stood there laughing and tearing up at the same time, because sometimes the most beautiful thing isn’t fitting in… it’s belonging exactly as you are.

One photograph. One quiet truth.

Episode Wild Photograph: https://www.instagram.com/p/DRpsW_2kUXE/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

Follow the wild on Instagram, X + Tiktok: @sarahlutkewild

Prints & more: sarahlutkewild.com

#WildlifePhotography #CostaRicaWild #NatureHeals

Welcome to Episode One direct from the jungle!

My first morning ever inside Corcovado National Park in Costa Rica. I’m soaked and standing on a trail in the early a.m. when a tiny emerald hummingbird flies up, hovers six inches from my lens and stares straight into my eyes for what felt like a lifetime.

In that single, silent moment every excuse I had for staying small just… disappeared. That one click of the shutter became the exact second I decided to move from one life to a new one, within the jungle.

Welcome to WildHeart Radio with Sarah Lutke Wild – short, real, beautiful stories from a wildlife and nature photographer who finally said yes to the life that was calling.

If you’ve ever felt something wild tugging at your heart, press play. This is where we stop ignoring it.

Episode Wild Photograph: https://www.instagram.com/p/DE5fmWnxJiW/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

New episodes direct from the Costa Rican rainforest. Subscribe now… The jungle is waiting…

Follow the wild on Instagram, X + Tiktok: @sarahlutkewild

Prints & more: sarahlutkewild.com

#WildlifePhotography #CostaRicaWild #NatureInspires