23 Mar
2011
Posted in: Outdoor Photographer Blog, Patagonia
By    19 Comments

Los Cuernos, Torres del Paine, Patagonia


My latest post to the Outdoor Photographer blog, The Power of Photography, discusses the link (albeit sometimes tenuous) between photography and reality, and how that link differentiates photography from other forms of art. The image below, taken in Torres del Paine National Park in Chile, appears in the post. I made this image on the final morning of my just completed Epic Patagonia photo workshop, which I co-led with fellow Creative Vision instructor Richard Bernabe. The night before, rain and clouds had moved in, and both Richard and I predicted a shut-out for our final shoot the next morning. We tried to stay upbeat, however, and I told our students that I’ve never had a workshop that didn’t end with a bang. I might have been exaggerating slightly. Nonetheless, we awoke the next morning to starry skies above. Racing to a location we had scouted the day before, mist and clouds moved in over the mountains, and it began to look like our earlier predictions might be right. Just before the sun rose, however, the clouds began to lift, and the famous Horns (“Los Cuernos”) peeked out. At sunrise, the mountains were bathed in beautiful light. A perfect way to end a workshop!

"Los Cuernos del Paine" - Torres del Paine, Patagonia

"Los Cuernos del Paine" - Torres del Paine, Patagonia

I used the rapid in the river as my foreground, zooming in with my wide-angle lens as the rocks were twenty feet away from me. I would have liked to get a bit closer but the water in the river was too cold, too deep, and moving too fast! Aside from the color and mood, I was attracted to the symmetry between the rapids in the lower left and the shape of the cloud in the upper right. These two elements, working together, form an abstract curve that leads the eye through the image.

Richard and I are beginning to plan next year’s Patagonia workshop. We plan on making a few changes, including making the workshop more “road-friendly” (this year we did some backcountry trekking, something that we will cut next year). We’ll be posting details for next year’s workshop within the next few weeks, so stay tuned!

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Technical details: Canon 5D Mark II camera, 24-105mm lens (@35mm), polarizer filter, 2-stop reverse neutral density graduated filter, ISO 200, f/11, 0.8 seconds.

About Ian Plant (334 Posts)

Ian Plant's photographs and instructional articles have appeared in a number of books, calendars, and magazines, including Outdoor Photographer and Popular Photography. Ian writes a regular blog column for Outdoor Photographer online, and he is the author of numerous instructional eBooks and digital processing tutorials. Ian leads several photo tours each year.


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19 Comments

  • Tom Schmitt March 23, 2011 at 7:27 pm

    Jezz, Ian, I am totally speechless. I find that one to be one of your very best !!

  • Hélio Cristóvão March 23, 2011 at 7:37 pm

    Awesome shot Ian, just awesome. beautiful tones and perfect comp. IMO.
    Just review your text here: “These two elements, working toget…”
    one can get curious about how this ends… ;)
    All the best,
    HC

  • Ian March 23, 2011 at 8:17 pm

    sorry, for some reason wordpress has been randomly deleting words lately . . . finished text has now been added!

  • Justin Reznick March 23, 2011 at 8:40 pm

    One of the best from here I’ve ever seen, spectacular Ian!

  • Younes Bounhar March 23, 2011 at 9:42 pm

    Wow, this is some phenomenal light! Brilliant shot.

  • Jackson Frishman March 23, 2011 at 10:00 pm

    You’ve outdone yourself with this one, Ian! I’ve seen a lot of shots of those peaks, but never with the massive cascade as a foreground. And perfectly composed and captured with magic light to boot: damn!

  • Josh Dobbs March 23, 2011 at 10:25 pm

    I have to agree with the other posters, this has got to be one of your best photos. When I seen the photo at first I didn’t know who took it and then I seen it was you. I felt honored to be able to view such a work of art. Great work, hopefully someday I’ll get the chance to do a workshop with you.

  • David Richter March 24, 2011 at 6:43 am

    Call made, I’m going back to bed! This is striking, Ian. Quite possibly the best of the best ever from Patagonia. The dramatic sky just blows your lights out and blends well with the cool aqua tones of the raging river. Kudos!

  • Andrew Szikla March 24, 2011 at 6:46 am

    Ian,

    It truly turned out to be a spectacular morning and an (o……c) finish to a GREAT workshop.

    Looking forward to more images when I get back home (still in Argentina for another week!).

  • Arild Heitmann March 24, 2011 at 7:34 am

    Ian, this is probably the best shot i`ve ever seen from Patagonia. The light couldnt have been better and your composition takes this to another level…

    Applause!

    -Arild-

  • Jason March 24, 2011 at 11:28 am

    Awesome shot; one of your best!

  • Josh Stamm March 24, 2011 at 12:51 pm

    Wow, Ian. The picture is absolutely sick. I could probably spend the rest of the day staring at it. Patagonia is well out of reach for lots of us. Thanks for sharing! More please! :-)

  • Los Cuernos del Paine by Ian Plant | Earth Shots March 24, 2011 at 8:01 pm

    [...] 10-day journey through Patagonia! More information about how the image was made can be found on my blog. Torres del Paine National Park, ChileEquipment: Canon 5DII, 24-105mm lens, tripodIan PlantIan [...]

  • David Kingham March 24, 2011 at 11:33 pm

    Totally epic Ian, by far the best shot I’ve ever seen from Patagonia.

  • Luke Austin March 25, 2011 at 12:36 am

    Jaw dropping Ian, you were rewarded for persevering.

  • Patrik Larsson March 25, 2011 at 4:04 am

    Great to see your picture. This image make me want more :)
    And I´m sure there is more.
    The clouds and colors are great. Saturated but not over the top.

  • Janous March 25, 2011 at 9:20 am

    That is an epic shot you created. If this is the only shot that you got from your trip I would deem the trip a success. Awe inspiring.

    I would love to hear the details that lead to this shot. Scouting, timing, pre-shots, various shots that may have panned out, and the like.

    Great stuff!

  • Ed March 26, 2011 at 1:43 pm

    i love i love i love i love it so so much!

  • Pat Ulrich April 5, 2011 at 11:44 am

    This is amazing, Ian! There are so many aspects of this image to get lost in. Beautiful work!


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