Breathtaking Patagonia in five photos

Sunday 8 October 2017, 14:41 by Renske Spijkers | 6,240 views | 14 comments

This article was translated from Dutch with the help of AI. Read the original.

Over the past year, I made a wonderful journey through a vast area at the far southern tip of South America, namely Patagonia. It is a unique region with rugged landscapes and one of the most surprising areas in the world.

During this journey, I was particularly amazed by the combination of the rugged landscape, vast open pampas (grasslands) and enormous changes in elevation. It was a journey in which I wanted to capture not only the tourist attractions, but also the other side of this region.

I wanted to capture the contrast between the vast landscape and the famous high mountain peaks. I would like to take you through this breathtaking Patagonia using five photos.

Motivation

When I returned home after my holiday in New York in 2009, I was not entirely happy with the photos I had taken. I thought it was a shame that most of my photos did not look at all like what I had actually experienced in New York.

This holiday inspired me to keep improving my photography. You could say that it has become a hobby that got out of hand. Every year, I improve myself so that I can take perfect photos with the right exposure and the best composition.

Of course, there is always a technical side to it as well, and I also want to keep improving in that area.

I am more than happy to combine this photography hobby with my great passion for travelling. I prefer to capture photos of various landscapes and street scenes. It is relaxing to do this outdoors.

I also find that taking photos adds another dimension to the trips I make. This is mainly because I often receive enthusiastic reactions from the people close to me after the journey.

This gives me a lot of satisfaction, because it inspires people to travel as well. A win-win situation as far as I am concerned, and the reason why I enjoy photography so much.

1. Ruta 40 (El Chalten, Argentina)

In this photo, I wanted to show how vast the landscape we were driving through is. I deliberately included the road on the left so that you can experience what the surroundings are like when you travel along this route.

2. Torres del Paine National Park, Chile

Torres del Paine is one of Chile's tourist attractions. For me, it was a challenge to take a photo of these much-photographed peaks that was still slightly different. I did this by leaving the beaten track so that I could reach other places, and that can produce surprising images.

3. On the way to Fitz Roy, Argentina

Every traveller who comes here takes this photo. From the flat pampas, you suddenly see these rocks in the distance. Mount Fitz Roy. You also need some luck with the weather to see them.

4. Lake Pehoe, Torres del Paine

Weather conditions are often what make a photo turn out the way it does. In this photo, the weather changed completely in a few minutes. Strong winds, rain and thunder drove away the sun while I walked across an unsteady little bridge to the island in the lake.

4. Torres del Paine

Here too, the weather conditions create a special photo. It is always very windy in this place. This little tree can grow, but only in the direction of the wind...

Share: WhatsApp Facebook

About the author

Renske Spijkers motiveert en inspireert graag mensen met haar reisfoto’s. Ze waant zich graag buiten de gebaande paden zodat ze de schoonheid van de minder toeristische plekken, zoals de natuur als stad vast kan leggen.

5 tips for better travel photography
by Elja Trum
I'm Going on a Trip and I'm Taking
by Nando Harmsen
7 tips for creating a great travel photo story
by Michelle Peeters
Elinchrom launches new flash, the FIVE
by Elja Trum
Create fake travel photos using a television
by Elja Trum
5 tips to turn your holiday photos into great travel photos
by Nando Harmsen

Show every article in Inspiration

home

14 comments

kok.f@ziggo.nl wrote on Sunday 8 October 2017 at 18:46 | reply
Hello Renske, beautiful photos one by one, but as a series hopefully some constructive criticism. For a series I find them too much of the same, all more or less views through with a central composition. They are also all landscapes and you don't show the “life” in Patagonia. With only 5 photos you set yourself a huge challenge, but that also makes it fun. My advice would be to show a bit more variation, for example also a photo with more detail and not just overview photos. Playing a bit with your composition viewpoints can also help. By dealing more consciously with the interplay of lines you can bring tension into the series.
Translated from Dutch.

Iri wrote on Monday 9 October 2017 at 08:37 | reply
Hi Renke,

What beautiful photos! I really love that you show something completely different in each photo, yet still manage to capture the same atmosphere. I love it!
Translated from Dutch.

Janneke wrote on Monday 9 October 2017 at 14:08 | reply
Beautiful photos sis!
Translated from Dutch.

CK wrote on Monday 9 October 2017 at 16:03 | reply
They are without exception colorful and crisp images, but photographically there is something to criticize. Photo 5 is a mess in the foreground, you have no idea what you are supposed to look at. And including the same mountain gorge twice in a series of 5 is a bit of a shame. Photo 4 is a classic scene with that little bridge so nicely in the middle, I know someone who would have loved to take that one. I find number 3 too easy. The background is not present enough to impress. A conscious choice not to stand exactly in the middle? Th; you might perhaps have gone a little further to the right.
Photo 2 also looks somewhat busy and messy in the foreground. You do want to have “something” there, quite rightly, but this doesn't work. The branches on the left also stick out in front of the mountain and that doesn't look right.
Photo 1 is fine, but that could have come from anywhere. Because of the extreme wide angle, the sky doesn't really come into its own.
Translated from Dutch.

Jennifer wrote on Monday 9 October 2017 at 16:28 | reply
Beautiful photos! I’m inspired 😄
Translated from Dutch.

geerjanssen wrote on Tuesday 10 October 2017 at 12:24 | reply
HDR photography with a lot of Adobe work, but it catches on!
It would be interesting if you could download and view the RAW version, maybe an option for the future?
Translated from Dutch.

Theotje wrote on Tuesday 10 October 2017 at 13:26 | reply
HDR with a lot of Adobe... writes Geerjansen. It can indeed be beautiful. What a pity to still make an impression with just a photo. And then only use the darkroom technique in Lightroom.
greetings Theo
Translated from Dutch.

CK wrote on Tuesday 10 October 2017 at 14:11 | reply
This is not HDR at all. Just in RAW and locally dodging/burning. Plenty of exposure latitude.
Translated from Dutch.

marianne wrote on Tuesday 10 October 2017 at 16:31 | reply
Hello Renske,

Beautiful photos !
I was there last year too, you never get tired of looking and taking photos. It's also about the breathtaking landscape here and much less about life there.
The last photo looks a bit too much like the second one.
Translated from Dutch.

wim van de meerendonk wrote on Tuesday 10 October 2017 at 22:09 | reply
I especially think the first one is a beautiful photo. And always nice to see. I was here in 2005 (about 3 months, I only have lousy photos from the early digital era, and unfortunately damaged slides (due to transport scratches), and I need to go back again!
Translated from Dutch.

Huub S. wrote on Friday 13 October 2017 at 11:31 | reply
Pretty nice photos, but it's a shame that it's a bit more of the same. There is so much diversity in Patagonia (I've traveled around there myself too), but I miss that a bit in this series of photos. Could the author perhaps also mention the camera settings and what has been edited?
Translated from Dutch.

Robert wrote on Saturday 14 October 2017 at 19:27 | reply
Nice Renske,....and you were of course also having a nice holiday!
With photo greetings Robert.
Translated from Dutch.

Raphaël De Vos wrote on Saturday 14 October 2017 at 23:23 | reply
Hello Renske,
Without a doubt indeed breathtaking photos where any criticism imo is partly driven by frustration at one's own inability. Few can match you!!!! Stunning.
Translated from Dutch.

Michelle Peeters wrote on Friday 20 October 2017 at 22:33 | reply
@Renske: too bad you don't respond yourself. You're the one who took the photos and can answer the questions!
Translated from Dutch.

Have your say

Please note: Articles older than a week can only be commented on by signed-in visitors.
Would you still like to comment? sign in or create a free account.

Become a better photographer every week

A practical photography tip in your inbox every week.
38,838 photography enthusiasts already receive the tips! More about the weekly mail. Or keep up to date via Facebook. Sign-up secured with Google reCaptcha.

Elja Trum

Photofacts; everything to do with photography!

Would you like to take better photos and keep up with what is happening in photography? Photofacts publishes articles that teach you something about photography — from a product announcement to a practical shooting tip or a look at a website. Photofacts covers photography every day and is a hobby project of Elja Trum's that got out of hand. The articles are written by a team of volunteer authors. If you would enjoy writing one or more articles for Photofacts, do get in touch.More about Photofacts

Photofacts is made possible in part by