5 Favorites From Patagonia

(© Ian Plant) I just recently returned from three weeks in the Patagonia region of Chile and Argentina, leading two back-to-back photo tours for Epic Destinations. Here are my five favorite photos from the trip.

The first photo is from Torres del Paine National Park in Chile. I found this composition of the moon setting over Paine Grande emerging from the early morning mist; I used the small piece of driftwood as a compositional anchor. Canon 5DIII, 18mm, ISO 100, f/13, 1/4 second.

One morning, my group hiked up to a backcountry lake in the Los Glaciares wilderness in Argentina, hoping for great sunrise light on the famous Mount Fitz Roy. Instead of going for a classic view, I framed the mountain with this attractive stand of trees as the first light of day painted Fitz Roy’s eastern face. Canon 5DIII, 18mm, ISO 100, f/16, 0.4 seconds.

One rainy morning, my group was rewarded with a brief break in the bad weather during peak sunrise light. I used this curving stream as a foreground element, leading to the distant mountains in the background. Canon 5DIII, 35mm, ISO 50, f/11, 0.4 seconds.

One evening in Torres del Paine, we photographed a stunning display of storm clouds at sunset. I used an ultra-wide angle of view with Canon’s new 11-24mm lens to simultaneously capture this incredible sky with lots of foreground. I took many photos as waves crashed against the shore, waiting for the perfect wave to complement the overall composition. Canon 5DIII, 11mm, ISO 100, f/6.3, 0.8 seconds.

On my last morning in Patagonia, I photographed this tranquil sunrise scene of Paine Grande and Los Cuernos (“the Horns”), reflected in the still waters of a small bay. I got really close with a wide angle lens to the driftwood in the foreground, in order to make it a more prominent part of the composition. Canon 5DIII, 12mm, ISO 50, f/14, 3.2 seconds.

The mountains of Patagonia are easily among the most beautiful in the world, and every landscape photographer should have this region on his or her personal bucket list. Each year, my company Epic Destinations runs several Patagonia photo tours. We hope to see you there sometime soon!

About the author: World-renowned professional photographer and Tamron Image Master Ian Plant (http://www.ianplant.com) is a frequent contributor to several leading photo magazines and the author of numerous books and instructional videos. You can see more of Ian’s work, and learn more about mastering the art of photography, with his free ebook Essential: Pro Secrets for Unleashing Your Creativity.