Dingy flying over Lago Grey

A few days ago we took the boat up to the face of Glacier Grey in Torres del Paine. Most of the trips had been canceled that day due to 80km winds that were racing down off the Patagonian Ice cap, and onto Lago Grey. It was a hectic journey on the boat with everyone staggering back and forth on the upper deck or hiding under the roof to shelter from the spray and winds that would often take us of our feet. Literally.

At one point I managed to make my way to the back of the boat, and to my surprise I could see the dingy that was attached to the back of the boat almost flying in the sky. I know, it looks like it's been superimposed, but my workshop amigos will vouch for me on this one. It really was taken in one go. A lovely rainbow in the sky, a 17mm lens to get it all in, and an air born dingy.

I'm always intrigued by what is round the corner. I could have never anticipated this shot.

Now, if only my workshop amigos had captured me whilst I was outside trying to save my camera bag from disappearing over the edge of the boat in a pretty awful storm. I thought I had managed to rescue my bag whilst maintaining a degree of dignity (I got completely soaked!). I returned to the cabin where everyone hadn't seemed to notice, only to discover later on at dinner that everyone on the boat had been watching me with mouths agape, wondering when I was going to go overboard along with my camera bag.....

Horses below the Horns of Paine, Patagonia Workshop ’08

Today we had pretty bad weather in Torres and I think it’s always tempting to put your camera away and write the day off in terms of any photographic potential. But we were coming through the park, heading towards Lago Grey where we were going to photograph the ice bergs in the lake and I saw these horses. The Cuernos (Horns) of Paine were shrouded in rain and low lying cloud but occasionally we would get a hint of them.

Weather gives drama to an image. It can hold back light in certain areas and bring forth light in others. I love the moody light on the mountains in this shot.

But it’s only part of the story. You need a good composition also. Using a 70-200 lens with 1.4 extender for a focal length of 280mm, I got the composition I was after (I had tried my 400mm lens but it was too much for the scene). The horses were constantly moving across the pampas, so it took a bit of running up and down the road side in order to position them directly below the Horns of Paine.

Return to Patagonia

In just less than a weeks time, I'll be back in the southern hemisphere, probably standing at the waters edge of the Straight of Magellan looking out onto a windy sea. I'll of course be back in Punta Arenas, the gateway to the Chilean side of Patagonia.

The destination of my trip is Torres del Paine, an impressive national park situated on the edge of the southern patagonian ice cap.

I'll be conducting a photo workshop here for a full week with a small group. It's going to be a week of photography with lots of chat about the surrounding landscape, photographic techniques and above all else, a group of folk being able to immerse themselves in their passion with no distractions.

Containing granite spires, turquoise lakes such as Lago Pehoe (shown above - yes it really is that colour) plenty of wildlife - Falcons, Eagles, Guanaco - a relative of the Llama and if we're fortunate the Andean Puma, we're set for a great photo adventure.

At the moment, I've had to reduce this trip down to an annual one with the intention that I'll do another one next April. But I'm also thinking that next years trip may be extended to include Los Glaciares national park in Argentina. This I feel would make for an excellent trip because of the mountains of Cerro Torre and Fitzroy and not forgetting the Perito Moreno Glacier. Plans are still tentative, but this is what I'm currently thinking at the moment and when I have firmer plans, I'll be posting them up on the site.

This time though, I'll be away for just under a month.

I have some goals to try and achieve this time round. I'm hoping to climb to the Torres mirador for sunrise. The Torres spires are at the top of a strenuous four hour hike. If the weather is on my side, the towers will be basking in the glow of the sun rise because they face east. I've missed this shot a few times before so I'm under no illusions as to how difficult it is to get it. My plan is to camp just below the mirador for a few days and see what happens each morning.

The remainder of my personal time will be used up going back to the northern part of Los Glaciares national park, to camp and trek below the mountains of Cerro Torre and Fitzroy.

I'll be checking in from time to time on my blog, and intend to upload some posts during the trip so stay tuned!

Until then, adios amigos!