Inspired by Galen
As many fellow nature and adventure photographers out there, I love Torres del Paine! And as I’ve stated before, there’s a big challenge in getting an outstanding photo of the most famous peaks of Patagonia: the Cuernos del Paine.
On my third visit to the park, several years ago, I got up at 5 AM and jumped quickly out of the tent to photograph the sunrise light as it paints the mountains with warm colors. The Pehoe campground offers a wonderful combination of the Pehoe Lake shores, the brush-type vegetation and an impressive view of the Cuernos. So, among many other photos, I made this one:
Personally I thought this photo capture most of the essence of the place, even though it hasn’t been the best seller of the set, but it has been used in advertising.
But here’s my confession. The idea of this photo was inspired by Galen Rowell just a few years before, when I saw his own rendition of this place, in one of his books: Galen’s Rowell Vision, The Art of Adventure Photography.
Galen Rowell was a pioneer adventure photographer that rose to fame after a feature photo story in National Geographic in the seventies. From then on, his contribution to modern adventure and landscape photography, came both from his ideas and philosophy about environmental issues, as well as his photography techniques.
His love of nature and photography was born from his extensive and remarkable mountaneering career. Coming down to Patagonia and capture the light and the landscape was an natural milestone for him. And as such, many of his Patagonian photos enhance many pages in books and magazines.
This photo is just one of them, but the one that got deep inside my perception of the park, one that I couldn’t forget or let go.
