This has been an extraordinary trip capped off by several days spent in one of my favorite places on the planet: the Bolivian Altiplano. Salt lakes, many-hued mountains, and the surprise of flamingos living at 15,000 feet – it is an amazing place to be for a time, and I hope my travels lead me back here again.
One of the world’s most formidable landscapes, the Atacama in Chile is the oldest, driest desert on earth and has been for about three million years. This was my first experience there and it did not disappoint. I just love these craggy, austere landscapes, where the light plays such an important roll in getting great photographs.
Using San Pedro de Atacama as our base, we photographed in the Los Flamencos National Reserve with its impressive Valle de la Luna, or Moon Valley. A highlight was photographing at the geyser basin of El Tatio at night as the Milky Way stretched across the sky. Purely primeval.
It’s autumn in the southern hemisphere. It’s always windy; between the latitudes of 40 & 50 degrees, the Roaring Forties, strong westerly winds, smack the Andes and create the most amazing cloud formations. Lenticular clouds scud across enhancing the most spectacular of landscapes in Los Glaciares National Park, which includes Mount Fitz Roy Massif and Cerro Torre.
My first trip to Torres del Paine was in February 1988; much has changed since then – the camera equipment and accommodations have improved – but the scenery always remains absolutely breathtaking. We had several good days of trekking, which afforded us different views of the Horns as well as some views of a snow-capped Paine Grande.
Two spots remain available for an amazing opportunity to travel with Art to Katmai, Alaska!
Join Art as he leads this exclusive workshop to a private lodge in the Katmai region of Alaska. You will have opportunities to view and photograph bears safely at a close proximity and will be creating dynamic images that are different than anything you have seen before. This is a Katmai experience like no other due to the exclusivity of the location. You can be one of only 8 people to learn the nuances of nature photography taught in a truly wild atmosphere by a well-versed set of instructors
Click here for more details and to reserve one of the remaining spots before they are gone!
Subject to the ebbs and flows of international trade, Valparaiso on the coast of Chile is on the upswing – a mecca for artists, students, and entrepreneurs. I spent the day mostly photographing abstracts for my Photography As Art seminar.
Take a virtual trip today and check out a selection my new imagery taken between January 1st and March 31st. Locations include Antarctica, India, Laos, California, Washington State, Florida, and Cuba.
If you are into gritty abstracts like I am, you would love the ancient layers on the walls of Havana. I’ve spent 40 years photographing professionally around the world, evolving both my style and subjects. If you know me, you know how much I dislike being pigeonholed as a fur and feathers guy. Don’t get me wrong; I love photographing wildlife, but delving deep into my art history background has challenged me intellectually and helped me maintain enthusiasm and creativity for the medium. Getting in close to humanity’s coarse and granular surfaces creates photographic art on a different level.
My first trip to Cuba was in 2001, and the U.S. State Department tried to fine me and the group I was with for supposedly traveling there illegally. Now, President Obama is visiting the country. How times have changed! With it comes the good and the bad, but it’s always fascinating to see a country starting to open up.
Some of you who attended my Photography as Art seminar on Sunday may recognize a few of these photos I took last week on the California coast. I work on my presentations up to the very last moment and then some, getting them to where I want them to be. Not only is this a stunningly beautiful location on the central coast, but it is a goldmine of photographic opportunities, large and small.
Photography as Art Seminar New Locations!
artwolfe.com/create
