Dawn of the Apocalypse

I have travelled through Patagonia quite a lot and the rugged landscapes have been a huge inspiration for me. But even in a place were beauty is abundant you have to go a bit further - so, by the end of our last stay we left the well trodden path leading from icon to icon, to explore an area that I just cannot get off my mind ever since...

We knew that it would be something special, but we had no idea of how breathtaking it would be. The place was so mindblowingly full of forms, shapes, colours and textures, we couldn't believe it. It felt like walking around in a landscape photographer's Disney Land. And as if the scenery wasn't otherworldly enough, on our second morning, we were greeted by an incredible set of lenticular clouds catching sunrise light from below.

Dawn of the Apocalypse © Joerg Bonner

I could go on for a while boring you with superlatives trying to describe what the area is about, but honestly, I don't think I'm much of a skilled writer, so I wouldn't convey much of the essence of the place anyways. To still give you a bit of an idea of what it feels like to spend 2 days in an area packed with awe inspiring scenery I decided to upload a little photo diary instead. Scroll down to check out the amazing landscape formed by glaciers, water and wind that is so full of erratic rocks, fossils and other geologic features - you just cannot decide where to place your tripod...

Equipment:
Canon EOS 5D Mark II, Canon EF 17-40mm f/4L USM @ 19mm
ISO 100, f/8, 210 seconds
Gitzo GT1541T

Location:
Southern Patagonia, Argentina

Photo Diary:
I usually only upload one image per location. It's kind of my own "quality control" that restricts me in that way. I do think though, that a photo diary like the one below may sometimes help to give you a better idea of what my travels are about (and in the end they are less about this one perfect shot, but rather about experiencing a place as a whole). Please let me know if you'd like to see more snapshots like the ones below in the future - you can leave a comment on the bottom of the page.

(Note: Not all of the following images are mine. The captions indicate which were shot by me or my buddy Bernhard.)

Home (a shelter for expeditions to the icefield) © Joerg Bonner

Making Plans (or at least I'm pretending..) © Bernhard Vesely

Layers © Joerg Bonner

Erratics © Joerg Bonner

Sunset Erratic © Joerg Bonner

Dawn over the Icefield © Joerg Bonner

Carved Valley © Joerg Bonner

Layers again © Bernhard Vesely

Deep Blue (don't know why, but this lake scared me) © Joerg Bonner

Pause in front of another Refugio © Bernhard Vesely

Face of Death © Bernhard Vesely

Startrails over Icefield (unfortunately I only did this quick test shot) © Joerg Bonner

5 Minutes past Sunrise © Joerg Bonner

Mind the Fossils © Bernhard Vesely

Leaking Rock © Joerg Bonner

Icefield Pano © Joerg Bonner