28 Mar
2011

Posted in: Patagonia
By Ian Plant    3 Comments

Cerro Torre and Laguna Torre in twilight, Patagonia

Laguna Torre is a glacier-fed lake that lies below Cerro Torre, one of the most beautiful icons of Patagonia. “Cerro” means hill in Spanish, a word that does not quite do justice to this dramatic pointy granite spire. Rising 10,262 feet above sea level, this colossus of rock and ice rebuffed climbers until 1974 when an Italian expedition made the first undisputed ascent, 21 years after the conquest of Everest. All it takes is one look at Cerro Torre and you can easily see why.

"Torre Twilight" - Los Glaciares, Patagonia

Richard, myself, and our workshop students hiked into the backcountry and camped overnight at Laguna Torre, in order to be in position to photograph Cerro Torre in first light. We arose early in the morning, reaching high glacial moraines (rocky hills deposited by retreating glaciers) overlooking the lake in time for dawn twilight glow. This light occurs in the hour preceding sunrise (or, alternatively, after sunset), and is caused by light reflected from the glowing part of the sky immediately above where the sun is rising. Twilight glow is most powerful when the rest of the sky is dark, and therefore the glowing part of the sky is the only light source for the landscape, reflecting a soft, warm glow on the scene. Because the light is so faint, long exposures are required, sometimes as long as 30 seconds or several minutes. The result is an otherworldly glow, a mostly even illumination with just a hint of shadow and color.

I choose a wide angle view for this photo, including the sweeping curve of the lake shore and the moraines, in order to show the mountain and its reflection in their entirety. During the long exposure, slight ripples on the lake were smoothed out somewhat, making the reflection more distinct than it would have been during a shorter exposure. I waited until a hint of wispy clouds passed over the mountain massif, adding additional compositional interest to the scene.

Technical details: Canon 5D Mark II camera, 24-105mm lens (@24mm), ISO 100, f/16, 30 seconds.

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About Ian Plant  (275 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.