Photography and Travel II: New Phototravelers tell their stories

We have already introduced our first Phototravelers, and, after a successful initiative, we decided to ask several photographers Can you travel through photography? again.

We received very personal answers, where they told us about their passion for traveling and how photography has been their way of connecting with their favorite spots in Chile and their audiences.

In this article, we present you again new Photo Travelers, people dedicated to travel around Chile, who tell us their passions, their most memorable places, and the stories behind their favorite pictures.

Get to know them!

Jake Rich

An Australian photographer and filmmaker Jake Rich loves adventure and has traveled southern Chile extensively.  All his travels and photographs can be seen at @jakerichtravels.

How do you define your passion for photography and traveling?

My passion for photography and traveling is a privilege.  I am fortunate to have a solid education, which allows me to learn and develop my photography skills and travel to places in the world that I never imagined or dreamed of visiting.  I see my work as a great privilege and hope that through my lens and the images I share, I can encourage others to explore and invest their time in the world of travel and adventure.  After all, I believe that life is short.

Can you travel through photography?

Of course!  One of the reasons I love to capture images is to promote visibility.  An image can have a profound impact on our motivation.  I remember seeing a picture of an amazing landscape in New Zealand and I immediately made it my mission to one day walk in the same mountains and capture them through my camera.  I have that picture hanging in my apartment and I see it every day as a reminder of the wonderful adventure that awaits me.

Choose 3 photos and tell me the stories behind them

I spent the week exploring the Puyehue region in southern Chile and the weather had been quite wet, perfect for hiking and exploring waterfalls, but not so good for skiing.

That particular morning, I woke up to a clear blue sky.  The perfect start for any photo adventure.  I rented a snowboard and it was there where I could see everything.  360 degrees of incredible landscapes.  Being completely alone, with no other soul in sight, I used my drone to capture this image.

Following the image and the story above, this photo shares another side of the Puyehue’s beauty and the surrounding mountains.  Captured during the first light, the reflection is a smaller mountain with the beautiful Casablanca Volcano in the distance to the left.

One of my favorite days was when I discovered the source of this waterfall.  First, we approached the owner of the land where the waterfall connected and, to our surprise, he graciously allowed us to enter his property and showed us its mouth.  From there I was able to stand right on the edge of the cliff, fly my drone and capture this image of the waterfall.  In my eyes, this image tells the story of that adventure.

Lena Bam

@Lena_Bam is a Russian photographer and camerawoman who, after long trips around the world, found her place to live in the Chilean Patagonia.

How do you define your passion for photography and traveling?

When I first arrived in Patagonia, I fell in love with the gaucho culture, its authenticity, and the freedom to ride across the pampas on horseback.  My passion for photography allows me to express the feelings of the places I am and the local life.  I like to explore places and feel them to communicate it in my work.

Can you travel through photography?

Sure, behind every image there is a story, emotions, and many things to tell.  I like when people capture that, what you felt when you took the picture.  That is the magic of being able to communicate without words.

Choose 3 photos and tell me the stories behind them

Simple moments of country life.  My friend the gaucho brings the horses back home while a spectacular scene takes place where the lights and fog are the protagonists at dawn.

Sunrise from Rio Serrano’s Lookout: Los Cuernos del Paine always surprise with its colors and mystical formations.

Details of local life.  Ruben from the Lazo de las Torres del Paine ranch spends his years in this beautiful place.

Sébastien G. Mora

Sébastien is a young Chilean publicist and photographer whose visual works stand out for their special aesthetics. He is part of the photo studio, Estudio Fe, where he works on advertising campaigns, but in his account @xsebastien he shows his particular view of the most beautiful spots in Chile.

How do you define your passion for photography and traveling?

Photography and traveling have become my own way of looking at life, moving around has turned me into who I am, what I want and what I aspire to in life.  How to see the world and learn from this unparalleled wealth called “nature”.  Without a doubt it is a unique state of freedom in which thanks to photography I can capture each of the places I visit in our beautiful Chile from north to south. Thanks to photography I can tell the world how wonderful our country is.

Can you travel through photography?

Whenever you want and your imagination allows it, you can travel.  In my case, traveling with my photos is, without a doubt, reviving stories that I try to capture in each one of them.  It is that tireless search of portraying places to be immortalized in time and share with people the beauty that exists in nature.

Choose 3 photos and tell me the stories behind them

John Gardner Pass, Torres del Paine

An exhausting day, with wind and rainstorm that made my journey heavier and heavier, until I reached the highest portion where I had to cross with the help of other kids due to the weather.  It is that moment of joy, immensity and, in the background, the children who gave me that moment that I managed to immortalize in this picture.

Valley of the Condors, Maule

Without a doubt one of my favorite places in our country.  Its size, vegetation, and mixture of colors make it a landscape from another world.

Lake General Carrera, Puerto Guadal.

One winter night by the bright full moon, with a friend we decided to go down to the lakeside with my camera and his guitar to enjoy this beautiful landscape.

Rodrigo Martinez

Rodrigo is a professional tour guide, specialized in photography and nature in Patagonia and Antarctica.  His place of work is the Torres del Paine National Park and his pictures can be seen at @PhotoExpeditionPatagonia.

How do you define your passion for photography and traveling?

For me, photography has been a dream since I was a child.  When I was a child, together with my grandfather and my father, I watched the trips and adventures of the great explorer Jacques Cousteau showcasing the Patagonia’s and Antarctica’s wildlife and biodiversity beauty.  They were almost the first images of these inhospitable and extreme places of the planet.  Without wanting to, my passion for photography and animals would finally take me to these same places that once I dreamt to visit.

Can you travel through photography?

Yes, totally, not only photography transports me and takes me to those magical places of great natural beauty, every trip is a new learning experience and every picture is a new challenge to keep learning more and more about nature.

Choose 3 photos and tell me the stories behind them

Sunrise at the Pio XI Glacier, Southern Ice Fields.

This photograph is quite special to me because it was a dream to see the largest glacier in the Americas.  A very special trip of Skorpios Cruises from Puerto Montt to Puerto Natales that led me to meet a great friend and teacher, Photographer Guy Wenborne.

Humpback Whales at the Francisco Coloane Marine Park.

This photograph was my first time as a guide on board of the Fitz Roy expedition in the Francisco Coloane Marine Park, Strait of Magellan (2018).

Sunrise at Lake Pehoé, Torres del Paine

Without a doubt this is one of my favorites.  That day we hoped to have the privilege of taking pictures of the Paine Massif’s beautiful colors.  Lucky for us since frequently the weather and conditions are extreme and it is difficult to have a truly clear day.  You never know for sure.

Rob Mullaly

@RobMullaly is an Australian photographer and explorer.  Adventure and travel are his life, so he spends all his time looking for new experiences around the world.

How do you define your passion for photography and traveling?

I love exploring and the feeling you get when you first see something.  The greater the difference in place and culture, the more intense the feeling.  Photography for me is the same, when I travel, the idea is to be able to show a place in a unique way, that makes people understand that they are overlooking the beauty at their disposal.

Can you travel through photography?

Yes and no.  Photography can give you images and instances, but you need a set of pictures to tell a full story.  Video can bring you closer to the experience, but there is nothing like being there, it is the small details and moments that are difficult to capture.

Choose 3 photos and tell me the stories behind them

Mocha Island

The connection this island has with the animals is amazing, the locals still go to work on their horses, and nothing is taken for granted.  We went on a beautiful guided hike through the national park before arriving at this farmland, with a view of the lighthouse and some local horses welcoming us.

Pirquinco Lagoon

We walked to the lake with guides.  It was amazing to start climbing and get to the snow line.  It was hard work, but the view was amazing.

The best part was seeing all the local Chileans enjoying themselves as much as we did, everyone who arrived had a smile and respect for each other.

Laja Lagoon

When you arrive, the road takes you to a magnificent view of the volcano in the background, then you drive through winding roads, pass beautiful waterfalls, and enter an ancient lava field, which has a spectacular view of the beautiful lake, surrounded by mountains.  It is hard to describe how intense it was for me, it was magical to witness, and I wish I had spent more time exploring and walking.  I would return in the blink of an eye.