Los Cuernos del Paine

Gallery: LandscapePosted March 23, 20111,282 views63 comments

The famous Horns of Torres del Paine National Park in Chile. This was taken on the last day of my Patagonia workshop, which I co-led with Richard Bernabe. We can't wait to go back next year!

To learn more about the making of this image, visit my daily photoblog. This image is also used in my most recent Outdoor Photographer blog post.

Thanks for looking!

Comments

63 comments

Comment posted by John Mumaw on March 23, 2011 at 8:30 PM

Simply one of the best images from this place that I've ever seen. I've never been tempted to join a workshop before...'til now!

Registered on September 9, 2005, 62 Posts, 2289 Comments

Comment posted by Kent Mearig on March 23, 2011 at 8:37 PM

The light and landscape obviously leave nothing to be desired. The placement of the river across a corner is a fairly unusual compositional choice, but I read your justification on your photoblog, and I certainly see what you were after (it's at least relatively successful). I do feel like there's an overly noticeable grad or blend transition, but that's being pretty picky with a moment of this caliber.

Registered on September 4, 2006, 237 Posts, 4748 Comments

Comment posted by Justin Reznick on March 23, 2011 at 8:41 PM

One of the best I've ever seen from here as well, truly stunning! Wonderful color contrast with the turquoise water and pink/orange clouds & peaks.

Registered on November 24, 2009, 79 Posts, 515 Comments

Comment posted by Joseph Rossbach on March 23, 2011 at 8:43 PM

Perfection!!!

Registered on November 25, 2005, 484 Posts, 1377 Comments

Comment posted by Koveh Tavakkol on March 23, 2011 at 8:44 PM

A beautiful array of colors and a very dramatic scene. Despite the placement of the river that Kent mentioned above, I still found myself very attracted to the scene and did not feel like it was chaotic or too much. Overall this is a fantastic and such a dramatic image Ian.

Registered on September 1, 2009, 41 Posts, 608 Comments

Comment posted by Scott Smorra on March 23, 2011 at 8:56 PM

This is awesome Ian. The variety of colors is what really draws me into this image. Well done.

Registered on November 2, 2009, 161 Posts, 2143 Comments

Comment posted by Miles Morgan on March 23, 2011 at 9:09 PM

Holy mother of freaking God. This is just absolutely.... well.... I just don't even know what to say. I hate you? That's all I can think of for now.

Registered on November 23, 2009, 6 Posts, 185 Comments

Comment posted by Harry Lichtman on March 23, 2011 at 9:15 PM

Ian - The water action just puts this over the top. Fantasticly unique of an iconic area. The mid ground foliage looks a bit brighter than similarly lit areas, so I'm wondering if some selective dodging was done. I think these tones need to be merged or blended a little. Otherwise, just a super shot and the peaks and clouds just rock!

Registered on September 17, 2010, 304 Posts, 3507 Comments

Comment posted by Tom Kennon on March 23, 2011 at 9:29 PM

Simply awesome!

Registered on August 20, 2005, 6 Posts, 132 Comments

Comment posted by Art Escobado on March 23, 2011 at 9:30 PM

Fantastic image!! One of the best Torres Del Paine images. The middle ground hills need to be dodged IMHO and I wouldn't mind seeing more of the left hand side if possible. The color contrasts are phenomenal!!!

Registered on January 7, 2007, 0 Posts, 775 Comments

Comment posted by Chris Chamberlain on March 23, 2011 at 9:37 PM

Holy moly! Yeah, it's one of the best from there!! I really like the comp, it's much more complicated than a lot of the more basic, straight on perspectives. I do wonder what is to the left, but it's not a nit for me. Really gorgeous light and color. I agree about balancing out the light in the midground. Looks and sounds like an epic trip to go on. Probably not in the cards for me, but maybe someday.

Chris

Registered on March 13, 2007, 500 Posts, 8365 Comments

Comment posted by mark cillo on March 23, 2011 at 9:59 PM

This is unreal! Really awesome! My favorite image posted this year

Registered on July 27, 2008, 143 Posts, 1483 Comments

Comment posted by Bruce King on March 23, 2011 at 10:11 PM

Awesome. The colors are great and the composition isn't classic but there's so many fantastic elements to this scene I think you pulled it all together beautifully.

Registered on January 14, 2010, 276 Posts, 2212 Comments

Comment posted by scott lanz on March 23, 2011 at 10:12 PM

Wow. Doesn't look real.

Registered on November 14, 2003, 840 Posts, 12902 Comments

Comment posted by Bill Chambers on March 23, 2011 at 10:20 PM

Superb Ian! Absolutely incredible drama and color.

Registered on April 10, 2005, 753 Posts, 21216 Comments

Comment posted by John Williams on March 23, 2011 at 10:25 PM

Spectacular.

Registered on September 6, 2007, 221 Posts, 5985 Comments

Comment posted by Ed Cordes on March 23, 2011 at 10:27 PM

Super light and great comp withthe water foliage and sky all in one. Thanks for sharing.

Registered on November 1, 2003, 451 Posts, 3366 Comments

Comment posted by Luis Argerich on March 23, 2011 at 10:35 PM

Water, Land, Air and Fire
Iantastic

Registered on December 22, 2009, 91 Posts, 1349 Comments

Comment posted by Floris van Breugel on March 23, 2011 at 10:36 PM

What a view! I'm not overly fond of how much space the mid ground hill takes up, but the light on the peaks, and the little rapids, are really outstanding.

Registered on December 19, 2008, 306 Posts, 4840 Comments

Comment posted by Jeremy Kessler on March 23, 2011 at 10:45 PM

Stunning.

Registered on September 13, 2007, 36 Posts, 1283 Comments

Comment posted by INGOMA on March 23, 2011 at 10:45 PM

You gotta be kidding me!!!!!!!

Best ever from here!

Registered on July 2, 2004, 231 Posts, 3110 Comments

Comment posted by Dan Roberts on March 23, 2011 at 10:50 PM

Lovely colors. Truly a magical bit of lighting you captured in this dramatic topography. The water is a bit distracting for me for some reason. I think maybe because without an opposing bank and due to the blue water it looks like surf at first glance and I had to study it before I could enjoy the rest of the scene. Ultimately I enjoyed the image a lot.

Registered on March 9, 2011, 69 Posts, 501 Comments

Comment posted by SandyRichardsBrown on March 23, 2011 at 11:17 PM

Incredible!
Surely not a thing I could offer to improve - couldn't be better as is!
Sandy

Registered on November 24, 2003, 3937 Posts, 12909 Comments

Comment posted by Scott Fricke on March 23, 2011 at 11:32 PM

Beautiful Ian! The inclusion of the turquoise waters is a great addition to the usual scene.

Registered on January 19, 2007, 133 Posts, 1448 Comments

Comment posted by Michael Anderson on March 23, 2011 at 11:52 PM

WOW!

This is breathtaking Ian. I'm impressed by the way you were able to pull all of the compositional elements together here. The river rapids on the left could have been a liability to the symmetry of the scene, but you turned it into a beautiful flowing composition with an elegant sense of balance. Masterful work there! The drama on the Cuernos is to die for! Can't wait to see more of your images, and I'm VERY curious to see what you get from Tierra Del Fuego.

Cheers!

-Mike

Registered on January 31, 2006, 228 Posts, 3072 Comments

Comment posted by Jared Atencio on March 24, 2011 at 12:12 AM

The light here is just incredible Ian! I love the way the orange/cyan work together here and the detail throughout is just terrific and really gives the eye plenty to look at. I also notice the grad line and may try to work on blending that a bit more, and as much as I love the inclusion of the river and the falls, The river feels a bit cut off from this and I wish I could see more if it. In any case, a very unique comp from here and simply a beautiful shot.

Registered on June 23, 2009, 21 Posts, 422 Comments

Comment posted by Vijay Raj on March 24, 2011 at 12:31 AM

The turquoise waters, the fiery mountains, the cool greens showcase what a magical place this world is. Great capture.

Registered on November 22, 2010, 29 Posts, 100 Comments

Comment posted by Jason Kim on March 24, 2011 at 12:32 AM

What a stunning, dramatic, powerful image. This is absolutely wonderful.

Registered on July 1, 2006, 60 Posts, 1233 Comments

Comment posted by Nick Diggins on March 24, 2011 at 12:35 AM

Wow Ian ! Thats incredible. Pretty awesome light show!

Registered on May 8, 2010, 4 Posts, 83 Comments

Comment posted by Zack Clothier on March 24, 2011 at 12:54 AM

Amazing light, and a great composition!

Registered on January 28, 2010, 343 Posts, 2257 Comments

Comment posted by Joel Hazelton on March 24, 2011 at 1:12 AM

speechless

Registered on August 6, 2008, 194 Posts, 1315 Comments

Comment posted by David Edwards on March 24, 2011 at 1:20 AM

A beautiful image, Ian. I like the way the pattern of the fg rocks is reflected in the bg mountains with a strong right to left diagonal pull. A very nice exposure with excellent color. Would be great to see a bigger version. Glad the workshop went well.

Registered on December 6, 2008, 142 Posts, 2623 Comments

Comment posted by Rick Lundh on March 24, 2011 at 1:47 AM

WOW...holey fricken cow... beautiful!

Registered on April 28, 2004, 774 Posts, 4351 Comments

Comment posted by Dennis Harding on March 24, 2011 at 2:15 AM

What a beautiful place and this superb image says it all. I like the stream on the left, it is well balanced and adds another dimension.

Registered on January 19, 2011, 33 Posts, 408 Comments

Comment posted by Kory Lidstrom on March 24, 2011 at 2:21 AM

Pretty effin spectacular. No nits with this one, it's all there: killer light ragged peake, great water action, very strong comp. A hero image for sure.

Registered on November 19, 2008, 49 Posts, 1035 Comments

Comment posted by Sebastian Kraus on March 24, 2011 at 6:41 AM

Pure beauty!

Registered on March 17, 2011, 30 Posts, 132 Comments

Comment posted by Mark Jenkins on March 24, 2011 at 6:51 AM

Great shot, Ian. I was just there two weeks ago. Were you on the far side of the falls? Wonderful light. Let me know about any future Patagonia workshop.

Registered on April 20, 2008, 307 Posts, 604 Comments

Comment posted by Arnab Banerjee on March 24, 2011 at 7:01 AM

These mountains are over photographed (even though they are on the far side of the world), but I am impressed how differently your interpretations are. The comp, at first, looks awkward to me, but more I look, it makes sense, Unusual for sure

Registered on January 3, 2007, 313 Posts, 2270 Comments

Comment posted by Gary McGhee on March 24, 2011 at 8:05 AM

This is fantastic Ian and I can only echo all the comments this has received.

Gary.

Registered on April 15, 2010, 142 Posts, 2416 Comments

Comment posted by Joseph Balcken on March 24, 2011 at 8:32 AM

I'll join the chorus...great shot Ian! fa-la-la

Registered on November 29, 2009, 48 Posts, 249 Comments

Comment posted by Hamed Musharbak on March 24, 2011 at 9:02 AM

fantastic

Registered on June 1, 2009, 372 Posts, 2282 Comments

Comment posted by R.Bill Moser on March 24, 2011 at 10:17 AM

Excellent image.

Registered on January 29, 2010, 285 Posts, 4281 Comments

Comment posted by Mitch Moraski on March 24, 2011 at 11:12 AM

Super shot Ian!! Love the transistion of color and the overall comp just sparkles!! Be well and stay safe!!

Registered on August 3, 2008, 105 Posts, 590 Comments

Comment posted by Phil Pogledich on March 24, 2011 at 12:12 PM

I can't recall seeing a finer shot of Los Cuernos, and it's not like there are only a few others out there. Great work . . . and great luck to have been at the right place to capture this light! You truly captured something special. Beautiful image!

All that said, the minor compositional critiques are valid to a degree. But for me, the image as a whole is so outstanding that it is easy to set aside those minor issues and just enjoy it for what it is.

Registered on August 24, 2009, 123 Posts, 3099 Comments

Comment posted by Jimmy Gekas on March 24, 2011 at 12:13 PM

Really? Holy crap, this is awesome, Ian. One of my all time favs from you. Kudos on a wonderful image.

Registered on July 26, 2007, 244 Posts, 2807 Comments

Comment posted by Mat Malone on March 24, 2011 at 1:50 PM

I get goosebumps just looking at this. One of my favorites from Patagonia and from you as well

Registered on December 15, 2008, 91 Posts, 882 Comments

Comment posted by dean hebert on March 24, 2011 at 3:06 PM

Registered on August 4, 2010, 70 Posts, 1132 Comments

Comment posted by Morkel Erasmus on March 24, 2011 at 4:18 PM

the light and colours are just epic here!! definitely one of the better "patagonia" images I've seen in a while...

Registered on March 22, 2011, 385 Posts, 2068 Comments

Comment posted by Aaron Feinberg on March 24, 2011 at 4:52 PM

Bah! Kinda want to turn the camera a bit to the left but holy light batman

aF

Registered on October 26, 2009, 399 Posts, 2789 Comments

Comment posted by Robert Dayton on March 24, 2011 at 6:33 PM

I can see why you can't wait to return next year. I've yet to
be there. This is stunning! Well composed accompanied by
marvelous light. Very good job opening the darkened shadowed
areas in the middle ground. Good detail and great color.

Registered on November 11, 2008, 281 Posts, 3958 Comments

Comment posted by Morris McClung on March 24, 2011 at 7:39 PM

Oh, Mommy! That is just epic art, Ian!

Registered on May 7, 2007, 670 Posts, 19650 Comments

Comment posted by Eric Good on March 24, 2011 at 8:12 PM

Smokin' shot! Drama filled and beautiful color. I might favor a little color dodging around the tree tops on the right, just to pull the eye a bit more over there, but this is about as good as it gets. Great stuff!

Registered on March 17, 2007, 116 Posts, 4764 Comments

Comment posted by Eva McDermott on March 24, 2011 at 8:36 PM

Amazing image Ian! Gorgeous color and light.

Registered on January 4, 2009, 1015 Posts, 13229 Comments

Comment posted by Mark Metternich on March 24, 2011 at 8:41 PM

That is just sick! Love the light and the water element being in the shot!

If joining an others workshop creates that kind of light, then I'll be there!

Registered on June 19, 2009, 276 Posts, 6240 Comments

Comment posted by Gabi Lach on March 24, 2011 at 8:52 PM

What a drama, Ian! Wow, this could not get any better. This place is amazing and you got the best of it. Congratulations! Stunning shot.

Registered on May 1, 2007, 101 Posts, 3187 Comments

Comment posted by Abdullaziz Bin Ali on March 25, 2011 at 3:14 AM

I'm speechless

Registered on May 31, 2009, 112 Posts, 1590 Comments

Comment posted by Stan Rose on March 25, 2011 at 12:25 PM

This is just friggin killer, Ian! Inspirational. I had like two seconds to take a look at this gallery this morn, but i stretched it to 3 just so i could comment on this

Registered on September 15, 2005, 836 Posts, 17099 Comments

Comment posted by Richard Bernabe on March 25, 2011 at 6:06 PM

Right on, Bro. Killer!

Registered on November 24, 2004, 180 Posts, 1545 Comments

Comment posted by Floyd Hopper on March 25, 2011 at 7:28 PM

Wow. I am jealous. I was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Chile in the early 60's and spent some time in Punta Arenas but never made the trip to Torres de Paine. I can kick my self in the, well you know where.

Registered on May 1, 2009, 652 Posts, 762 Comments

Comment posted by Ian Haskell on March 25, 2011 at 8:00 PM

Another reason to go here. Fantastic shot Ian.

Love the blue waterflows and the mountain in the background.

Ian

Registered on October 30, 2008, 24 Posts, 673 Comments

Comment posted by Stuart Williams on March 28, 2011 at 10:32 AM

gorgeous conditions. while compositionally it might not be ideal, the interplay of the turquoise and orange more than compensates. Fabulous moment.

Registered on December 7, 2007, 247 Posts, 4792 Comments

Comment posted by Jared Ropelato on March 29, 2011 at 5:03 PM

Ian, this is simply a magical shot. That light and color up top, complimented and contrasted with the color and flow of the water.... huge wow factor.

Registered on March 1, 2011, 25 Posts, 204 Comments

Comment posted by Shaun Mazurek on April 13, 2011 at 2:39 PM

This is such a unique view of the horns. I love the placement of the turquise river and how the colors contrast with the wonderful warm light. This certianly makes me want ot vist TOrres Del Paine. :)

Registered on June 12, 2010, 21 Posts, 162 Comments