Los Cuernos at dawn
I have been to this part of Patagonia twice. The first time there were several breath-taking dawns. The second time none at all. ...
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I have been to this part of Patagonia twice. The first time there were several breath-taking dawns. The second time none at all.
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Oct, 2016Views
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Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was taken of the Cuernos mountains from the East bank of Lago Pehoé in Chilean Patagonia.Time
I was travelling with a small group of photographers and we got up well before dawn each day. We put on warm (and windproof) clothing, and set out for our selected site (unfortunately without breakfast) in order to be set up well before the sun appeared. We even considered praying to the appropriate local gods to ensure that the sun would appear. The first day we were lucky and had a spectacular sunrise, but on the third morning there were a few pink clouds but little of interest. I had packed up was walking back with thoughts of hot coffee when I saw the mist to the right of Los Cuernos start to light up. I forgot about breakfast, set up my tripod and got a Graduated ND filter adjusted to balance the lower part of the scene, which was in shadow.Lighting
Absolutely. The lighting was the key, but I was lucky that whilst the rising sun lit up the mist on the right, the mountains on the left stayed mostly visible, so the sun also lit up the patches of snow. I came back two years later, having got some nice shots of Fitz Roy and Cerro Torre, but didn't see a single sunset or sunrise to rival those from this expedition. Thus, I am convinced that at least some of the difference between professional and "enthusiastic amateur" photographers, is that the professionals can keep coming back until they get the light they want. Amateurs with a job and a family may not have this possibility.Equipment
The photo was taken in 2013 and then I used a Canon EF-S 15-85 mounted on a 60D DSLR. This lens has excellent quality despite not having an "L" designation. I used a tripod and a graduated ND filter. The shutter was fired with an infrared remote release.Inspiration
Patagonia is a paradise for photographers, with national parks in both Argentina and Chile, Cape Horn, the Beagle Channel and so on. If you can get there, and don't get blown over by the wind, there is no shortage of sights to provide inspiration. As I said above, I found the lighting was so spectacular that I forgot I hadn't yet had breakfast.Editing
I changed the aspect ratio so that the subjects filled the frame, slightly sharpened the hills in the middle ground and adjusted levels.In my camera bag
I now have a 70D with the EF-S 15-85 and a Tamron 10-24, as well as an EOS-R with an RF 24-105 F4 L, an EF 70-200 F4 IS, and a 50mm F1.4. Of course I also carry a tripod, spare batteries, polaroid, ND filters and so on. I also use a Canon G5X which can hang inside my anorak and be operated one handed when mountaineering. The problem is a question of weight, so choosing what to take is always an issue. On this trip to Patagonia I had 6.5 kg of camera equipment. However, we also spent 5 days camping, carrying our tents, clothes and all our food, which weighed over 16 kg. Thus, I was carrying about 23 kg in total which is rather more than the suitcase one checks-in on an aircraft. Quite a lot for a grandfather.Feedback
This is copied from another report: The key issue isn't the gear you have (it is all now excellent) but getting to the places with the views. This image was taken on a photographic expedition, so standing around waiting for the right light wasn't an issue. However, if I visit exotic places with family, or go on trekking or climbing expeditions with a group of people who are not photographers, then I can't hold everyone up until the light is right, and sometimes not even for long enough to screw on a polaroid filter. Thus, although I don't have a solution, I would keep in mind that mixing photographic expeditions with other sorts of travel is problematic.
