hunt for Laguna Tuyajto, a photo from Antofagasta, Norte Grande

Photographer's Note

few days before this shot I had bought some postcards to mail home, and among them was a photo of Laguna Tuyajto - puffy white clouds racing across deep blue sky and reflecting in the turquoise green water framed by white textures of the salt... I was mesmerised, and I knew I would not leave Chile without MY OWN photo of the place.

we ended up going to this lagoon almost by accident. the original plan was to be in time for sunrise at a much closer Laguna Chaxa in the middle of Salar de Atacama, but upon arriving at the gates to Chaxa around 5:30 AM, we found those gates depressingly closed. having no idea when they might open, it was decided to go on and look for Lagunas Miscanti and Miñiques, which turned out to be true El Dorado (want proof? see here, here and here).

encouraged by this success, we pressed on, towards - as we thought - Laguna Tuyajto. hours passed, the washboard road did not improve, and there was no sight of the lagoon. we saw several salt water lagoons, but none of them was Tuyajto from my postcard. we saw vicuñas and nandus, but we saw no other cars. we speculated, that we might have passed into Argentina already (which would not have been too bad, Argentinian steaks are delicious). we quiety contemplated what would happen when we pass the point of no return and have no gas for return trip. we started saying "ok, let's see what's around THAT curve and then go back" and "let's go for another 5 minutes and then turn around" a lot.

I had already resigned to the fact that I would not get my coveted shot. but then, even though we had just agreed to really go just for another 5 minutes, after this alloted time expired, Kristaps just kept driving. and withing two minutes the road curved (again) and elusive Laguna Tuyajto was there. of course, it looked nothing like the postcard, but I did get my shot.

so this is for Kristaps and for forgetting that he had to turn the car around.

-----------------
RAW, ISO 100, 40mm focal length, spot metering.

baba_flies, fulvio52, delkoo, Elaine_Blath, asajernigan, maximage, belido, sevy, npecanhuk, ciakgiak, bostankorkulugu, Philippe, jean11-3, Wandering_Dan, Bartleby, gneufeld, hispic, BelCan75, Bruno40, Cretense, feather, jwmunro, Dpbours, gunbud, zmey, Floydian, mark_mk, euryan, patdeph, IgorDeleze, dragonetti, Wanda1, AiresSantos, jorgi, cdmonson, Bluejeans, edytungkal trouve(nt) cette note utile

Critiques | Translate

JanD (0) 2009-03-10 5:06

Howdy Kristine!
Nice landscape. Wonderful lightness and colors. Good low horizon. Beautiful shot.
Regards!

lousat (130515) 2009-03-10 5:11

Hi Kristine,i haven't words to comment...it's simply fantastic!!! Thanks to show us the beauty,have a nice day,Luciano

aadilj (18102) 2009-03-10 5:11

Hi kristine, this is absolutely fabulous and very well composed. I love the hues and the way this image ahs been composed

lolly172 (59) 2009-03-10 5:25

ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL PICTURE KRISTINE... THE COLOURS ARE MAGICAL, WELL DONE

BennyV (32590) 2009-03-10 5:40

Hello Kristine,

Crystal clear and very poetic image. Lovely reflections and amazing colours. A very beautiful scene, a great capture.

Benny

baba_flies (8829) 2009-03-10 5:40

Dear Kristine ... and yes I work :))) but I cannot resist, this is totally beautiful and goes beyond words. It makes me shiver thinking about the problems you had bringing the photos back to "earth". Wonderful the cloud steps and the blue sky left above, the composition is just perfect, the right amount of land and sky. What a beautiful color of the salt lake, an icy blue somehow without being cold to look at. I could go on and on but back to work ... Greetings over to New York City and thanks for this treat, better than Swiss chocolate ... Barbara.

delkoo (68) 2009-03-10 5:51

Hats off Kristine, Beautiful light and colors, nice crisp image, all-around excellent.

Regards

didier

fulvio52 (8314) 2009-03-10 6:03

Hi, Kristine.
I see... I just don't think it gets any better than this. Simply awesome...
HUGS,
F.

Greg1949 (9011) 2009-03-10 6:40

Kristine, this is again beautiful and the only negative comment I have is about the post size, I am sure this shot just takes your breath away in it's original format. Great work.

Greg

Elaine_Blath (8471) 2009-03-10 6:46

Hi Kristine,

absolutely stunning photo, without objections! Really worth the time ;-) and very readable note I must say, well done!

Ivana

asajernigan (21427) 2009-03-10 6:53

Kristine,
This is a fine shot of this amazing landscape. The starkness of the landscape gives this shot a kind of other world look. The sky is wonderful and you have used the clouds to your benefit here. The lighting and colors are great with excellent sharpness and DOF. The reflection adds nice depth to the scene.
TFS,
Asa

maximage (15537) 2009-03-10 7:04

Bonjour Kristine,
Un paysage fantastique comme je les aimes!!
Superbe image.
Amitiés.
max

belido (19934) 2009-03-10 7:58

Hi Kristine,

wonderful natural scenery to get lost! :) I like how you divided the image, reserving more than two thirds for the beautiful sky. There is agood balance between the elements and the colors. Superb composition!
Regards,
Carlos

mkamionka (62160) 2009-03-10 8:00

Hi Kristine,
The panorama is spectacular. I love especially the reflections.
However I would personally prefer to cut out the excess of the sky.
M

[workshop] [compare] +

sevy (58) 2009-03-10 8:47

Hello Kristine,

I am always fascinating by the purity of the atmosphere in this high altitude places: we can see so far in the background. It is exactly like this when I did my trip in Bolivia.
The little clouds coming from the left are bringing a lot to the interest of this landscape, even more with their reflection in the laguna.
As it was proposed in WS, my personal vision goes more in a panoramic frame, but having a piece of empty blue sky above is also a valuable option, increasing the feeling of space.

Yves.

PS: I remember those places to be very cold at night, I hope you went there with the right stuff.

Modos (968) 2009-03-10 8:49

Hello, Kristine

One more great picture. This place and your pic are wonderful.

Thank you to show yours beauty photos.

Best Regards.
Luiz Paulo

npecanhuk (79329) 2009-03-10 8:55

Hi Kristine!
Another wonderful picture taken in Chile!
The bluest sky fills in most of the image, but that does not bother me, no, I really like it! The bottom part of it is truly fantastic, with the clouds, the mountains and the lake with a superb reflection! Sharpness, exposure, colors, viewpoint and composition are all outstanding features in this one!
TFS - congratulations!
Best regards,
Neyvan

HimalAnda (10671) 2009-03-10 10:23

Hello Kristine,

What a beautiful picture ! The reflexion of volcanoes and clouds in the laguna, these beautiful mountains and this amazing blue sky : everything is good.
The panoramic version in the WS is also good, but it is a different picture. The sky is an important element of the original version.

Stephane

alikhan01987 (0) 2009-03-10 10:27

Great view, nice looking lake. Good colors, only the top of picture is overexposed and the photo was taken probably through the window, so there are some signs of reflection.
But overall it is good photo.
Thank!
Ali Ahmed

ciakgiak (30) 2009-03-10 10:45

Hello Kristine,
my best congratulations for this masterpiece, it's a very fantastic landscape with a magnificent POV, great colors and a superb sharpness. The clouds in the sky are really amazing. Excellent work.
Best regards.
Giorgio

bostankorkulugu (42832) 2009-03-10 12:14

are these places really magical or is ti you who makes them look that way kristine?... the clouds served you good here, adding charm with their curvy setting in the sky... just great...

geester (0) 2009-03-10 12:29

Hi Kristine,

Well, I found the lake. Laguna is a lake right? This is cool, a real clear day to see those mountains. A real treat.

Now I have found the lake, I would LOVE to do a workshop, but you know how it would turn out right? Think of it as a tribute to our dear friend the window guy. Should I do it, should I:-)

Regards

Graeme

Philippe (11836) 2009-03-10 13:19

Hi, Kristine. The reflections on the lake surface are really fantastic, their colour being so different from the sky. The ripples on the surface isolate them from the rest of the picture as if they were an image inside the image. The background with these beautifully shaped mountains is also worth a look under that beautiful sky with its fluffy clouds. Another great palce and another great photo.
Have a nice day,
Philippe

cdmonson (5284) 2009-03-10 15:03

Hi Kristine:

Ooh, very nice. It would be a good shot without the lake, but the coup de grace of this shot is the reflection of the mountains. The only thing I would change is the crop a bit, to make it a bit more of a panoramic. Otherwise, wouldn't change a thing. Fantastic.

Clark

jean11-3 (2799) 2009-03-10 15:11

Hello Kristine,this place does not look real!It seems as if it is from a dream.
I am glad that you found it eventually, it was well worth the journey.
The clouds are wonderful.The colours spectacular.
Tfs, regards Jean.

Wandering_Dan (3449) 2009-03-10 15:12

Hi, Kristine -

The unexpected is what makes photography exciting! And I should hope it looked nothing like the postcard - postcard shots are boring!

One thing I find interesting about this shot is that you were able to use a polarizer to highlight the clouds without losing the reflected clouds in the water, and the reflections are what make this one so beautiful. Nice work!

Best,
Dan

pauloog (11751) 2009-03-10 15:43

Hello Kristine,
What fantastic light and what clarity. Must be at high altitude I suppose ?
A good choice for a low horizon to emphasize thsi wonderful sky.
regards,
Paul

Waylim (25436) 2009-03-10 15:45

Kristine,
Another breathtaking view, love the clarity and the saphire sky, the contrast between the salt and the earth tone is fantastic, love the turquoise green in the laguna versus the blue of the sky. I strongly but respectfully disagree with the workshop, what is so special here is that sky. You are on a high plateau, the essense of it is not there when cropped always that much, normally I would have agree somewhat, even than, I wouldn't crop that much aways, often times negative space is actually the key to a successful and more compelling composition. It give the sense of openess and uncluttered and unconfined space, it's like being on top of the mountain and the sky is the limit. That is what this image need, it show the vastness of nature. Perfect the way it is, in my hummble opinion.
Way

Bartleby (13552) 2009-03-10 16:04

Hi Kristine,

I don't know if that is exactly like the postcard you've described but it sure does seem pretty close and it's definitely more than fine by me. Those subtle turquoise waters, the few puffy clouds wandering by, the great now-you-can-breathe sky...nothing to add but top-notch! Love it!

Philippe

gneufeld (15890) 2009-03-10 18:49

Hi Kristine,
Wow,another perfectly executed landscape shot. The depth and rich colors are just amazing. I like it alot and TFS. Gerald

hispic (9658) 2009-03-10 20:00

Hi Kristine,
Oh! it's a surprising framing making good use of crystal clear sky. the clouds also have been perfectly rendered, it's truely pleasant. and the pale tone of reflection in the laguna is interesting. superb work!
Regards, Hisashi

BelCan75 (2201) 2009-03-10 20:20

Hello Kristine,

WOW, this is a fantastic shot! The sky is amazing, the hills with the different layers and light are fantastic and then you have that heavenly water with reflection. Everything to make this a perfect photo. You captured it so well! Excellent work!

Greetings,
Ann

Bruno40 (6658) 2009-03-10 20:50

Hi Kristin,
I don’t know from where to start.... let's see:
a)Envy. This location was in my plan during our visit to Atacama in December, but as I mentioned in my photo "road to El Dorado", my wife was affected by the altitude very much, and I did not dare to continue travelling at that level, and decided to go back to Socaire. I was also my fault to start so late that day (9AM). So we missed this wonderful place.
b) Being stranded in the middle of the desert is not a joke, and I experienced that the following day. Story to come. So, I felt when you mentioned about the point of no return.... scary my friend.
c) Your photo is fantastic, nothing else to add. However, I knew that the shore of this lagoon has a nice salt crust surface (very photogenic). Any reason why you did not include that in your frame? Do you have another gem in your hard disk waiting to be posted?
d) I assume you shot at 18mm with polarizer, how you manage to have such even sky with a polarizer and wide angle?
e) How you dare to take a photo of this wonderful place thru a window? come on, you can do better!! :-)
tfs what I missed
cheers
Jorge

PD: I just read that you shot on 40mm, disregard (d). But, why not using 18mm to cover more of the lake?

diegomach (531) 2009-03-10 21:11

Lido paisaje, buena composicion. El color es increible.
Felicitaciones

jimkilgallon (0) 2009-03-11 0:10

Hi Kristine
Deep respect for this image, straight to my favs if you don't mind ;-)
Regards
Jim

sayeed_rahman (6461) 2009-03-11 0:50

Hey..an absolute joy..but i have noticed you use spot metering lately..is this giving you better results..i mean matrix should be the way out to get the best out of your camera..hmmm spot...is good..spot is great.

what mode do you shoot on ?? - manual / aperature ??

all your shots have commendable results..i mean i have heard 200 has a superior metering system..guess you always rely on it and shoot manual ?

I will be travelling for a few days and test my cam and the 18/200..would appreciate tips..dont have much time..and since uve been using this lens for a long time..who better to seek for advice :)

Love you work..you do lift the bar..

Cheers
Sayeed
[ i had email-ed a week/10 days back..perhaps you missed it !! ]

vincz (19113) 2009-03-11 1:20

Hmmm I like this so much. I would like to be there contemplating. The atmosphere is so serene, this is wonderful. Perfect exposure, beautiful reflections. What a great one!

Silverkey (1435) 2009-03-11 11:26

Hi Kristine
A wonderful picture, as usually.
I love this smooth mountains texture, and the lake is really nice. But all become wonderful behind your camera. The colors are just so beautiful, and the composition with again a lot of sky is really nice
Mickaël

Cretense (68709) 2009-03-12 1:40

Hello Kristine!

Amazing, almost unearthy place, outstanding landscape photography! Excellent framing and composition, beautiful sky, beautiful reflection! Simply perfect light managment, wonderful colours! Congratulations!

Hercules

feather (51130) 2009-03-12 9:37

I see I missed some beauts while I was away. This was well worth the detour and worry about running out of petrol. I don't think I have seen reflections quite like this before; no wonder you were so determined to see this with your own eyes. There must be something in the salts in the water to change the colours so much. Those clouds (the real ones) look so real, as if you could reach out and pluck them from the sky. excellent shot.
Kath
PS
My 'default' lens 24-120mm is having problems with auto focus intermittantly and I've been contemplating the 18-200mm. Would you recommend it?
K

jwmunro (286) 2009-03-12 13:12

Hello Kristine -

I am sure you know by now that some of the best remembered places are the ones that were a surprise to find or had a tale to go with them. This is a simple, but superb image! Spectacular sky and perfect reflections. On top of that the scene is perfectly composed. Well done!

Thank you for sharing.

John

totoamoto (1107) 2009-03-14 2:33

Salut Kristine
Alors celle là, elle fait rêver..
Très belle réalisation..
Le reflet est un montage ?

Bravo

Cyril

Dpbours (222) 2009-03-14 7:56

Hello Kristine,

'It looked nothing like the postcard'... Meaning it looks better I guess. I never have seen very impressive postcards in most locations I go, so you should surely be proud about this shot!

Dennis

gunbud (34066) 2009-03-14 8:28

Hi Kristine,
Your dogged patience paid off here you bagged your coveted lagoon.
The color are fantastically clear and ture as the treeless mountains blend beautifully with the vivid blue sky.
The clouds are perfectly placed as they contrast brilliantly with the sky and reflect strikingly in the salt lagoon.
Regards, Tom

zmey (7335) 2009-03-16 8:11

hey, it IS a lake and it even has a reflection (a perfect one, in my opinion)... just the window divider is missing in the middle ;))

don't mind my mumbling. i am flattered by this dedication. thank you! :)

hugs
k.

mikeo (12129) 2009-03-16 13:42

Hello Kristine!

Only one word...

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOW!

Greetings,
Mikeo

PS. What a quality!!! Absolutely amazing!

Floydian (30970) 2009-03-17 1:13

Wonderful photo my dear Kristine. Clarity is superb, you were real lucky to see this vast and wonderful landscape in all his glory. Those clouds...amazing, but look at all those reds on the hill....too good to be true....wonderful..!!!!

Henk

mark_mk (266) 2009-03-18 11:46

Me again ;-)
Well, when I saw that image I also had to check it out because it is simply beautiful!! The clouds, the reflections, that strong colors, the landscape, truly beautiful. I have to add it to my favs, great work!!!

Take care
Mark

euryan (8442) 2009-03-19 22:07

Wow! I'm glad Kristaps forgot to turn around after the 99th time of saying "just five for minutes" cause this is my favorite shot of your trip to Chile. I love every pixel of this photo. Such a stark and beautiful landscape deserves to be photographed like this. The blue sky is gorgeous and I love its turquoise reflection. Just great! I now want to go there really bad! It looks so remote and desolate. :)

patdeph (35750) 2009-03-21 2:12

hello Kristin
one more time,you have done a fabulous picture!The sky has a great importance with its superb dark blue and its superb white clouds,and I love its reflection in the bright blue water!The contrast of coours is atonishingAnd you have got the range of mountains in a magnificent light!
Regards
Pascale

Gerrit (59968) 2009-03-21 10:00

Hi Kristina,
amazing landscape and wonderful photo in delicious colors.
Regards, gerrit

Angshu (56760) 2009-03-21 21:35

Hello Kristine
The lagoon is in a salt plain...am I correct? The saline water takes of a little blue of the sky making it paler. But what a landscape...wonderful clouds, a polarised blue sky and the barren hills. I am not with the cropped sky in the WS & prefer your version....and to think you got this picture from the car window! Excellent work!
Best Regards
Angshu
See u in a while

brevbrev14 (140) 2009-03-24 2:10

Ciao Kristine
another beautiful image!
i love the composition and the place is really stunning
GREAT WORK
ciao!
Valeria

sacavem (18620) 2009-03-25 15:07

Olá Kristine,

Excellent capture. Colors , light, sharpness, framing and all that technic job is perfect here. The place is amazing and you got to show it in a perfect way.
Filipe

eversmile (11636) 2009-03-26 0:55

Hi Kristine

This one is also a masterpiece! I love the colors, the composition is excellent with a large portion of sky that gives value to the funny and dynamic clouds, and the strong contrast with the very clear blue of the salted water! The lines and curves of the mountains between them, with strong, well saturated, colors add a lot of intensity to this extraordinary scenery. Bravo! that's great work! And I like your hunting story!
Best regards
Marine

IgorDeleze (585) 2009-03-26 6:18

Hello again,
Just fantastic !
I like the large place you give to the sky.
Greetings.
Igor

dragonetti (249) 2009-04-01 8:36

Hi Kristine,

Superb photograph in all facets : the composition, colours (wow), light...
Great sharpness you realised here.
One of my favorites now.
TFS

Didier

Wanda1 (15142) 2009-04-01 9:55

Hi Kristine,
You know, you really have some incredible landcsapes from Chile, like this one for example! I love the fluffy white perfect clouds and the deep blue of the sky as oposed to the light turquoise of the water, and that white line of salt surrounding the water echo's the white of the clouds. All very nicely composed with thirds, and of course the clarity is perfect too. Great!
Regards
Wanda

yquem46 (38752) 2009-04-02 8:59

Hi Kristine
Just back from 2 weeks in Gujarat, India. I therefore missed a couple of your posts. First happy 2 years on TE anniversary. A couple of tens more to come with good ones of course !!
Your pictures from Chile are really outstanding, almost all of them, colors, light... gorgeous .
Bravo Karine

AiresSantos (56155) 2009-04-04 4:23

Hi Kristine
Wonderful colours and details in this fine picture. Superb reflections and sharpness
Have a nice weekend
Aires

jorgi (3810) 2009-04-07 10:11

Hello :)

I'm still searchin for my jaw that fell off while i had a look at your gallery... Girl, you really know how to make someone as small and humble as possible!
This photo for example is trully a piece of art in my eyes. I would kill for a shot like this (preferably you and took all the credits :P ). It would be insulting to write about great composition and colours and blah blah cause there isn't much else to say than: WOW!
I bow in pure admiration.

my best regards,
jeri

PS We should meet once (or twice...) and you must teach me everything you know!

Bluejeans (64251) 2009-04-12 16:39

Ola Kristine,
Que paisagem magnifica , ficou com uma bela simetria achei o reflexo do céu fantástico , boas cores e profundidade , lindo o tom de azul do céu , parabéns
Um abraço Gonçalo

jmdias (103814) 2009-04-14 17:43

kristine

when I was in atacama there weren't clouds in the sky, then this image is very beautiful cause them too. perfect job in each detail. I knew chaxa, miñiques and miscanti lakes but I didn't visited this lake, so many marvelous places up there

hugs

jorge

edytungkal (4551) 2009-04-28 10:56

Just realize that you have so many beautiful shot and this one i like alot, this place is really fantastic and i see that day you have a perfect weather and of course your compo make it more special. tfs

daniel

kiks (12805) 2009-05-02 9:23

Hello Kristine, amazing landschape that you catch very well with lvely saturation of colors and a subtile reflection at the fg. Marvellous work.
Best regards
KIKS

oanna (1202) 2009-06-23 1:20

hello,kristine,you caught an incredibly clear reflection. very good textures and otherwise perfect in every matter.

greetings

Paul57 (2223) 2009-08-06 10:00

Hi Kristine,
Another beautiful landscape and a very nice laguna. I have visited this area as far as Lago Chungara but don't recall having seen such a beautiful blue sky. Love your background but I think that it would look better if there wasn't as much sky. I will attemp a workshop. TFS.

[workshop] [compare]

Photo Information

Copyright: Kristine KL (avene) (12675)
Genre: Lieux
Medium: Couleur
Date Taken: 2009-01-26
Categories: Nature
Camera: Nikon D 200, Nikkor 18-200 3.5-5.6G IF-ED AF-S DX VR, Nikon CircPolar II 72mm
Exposition: f/8, 1/250 secondes
Versions: version originale, Workshop
Carnet de voyage: Chile's Norte Grande
Thème(s): BLUE COLOUR 2 [view contributor(s)]
Date Submitted: 2009-03-10 5:00
Favoris: 6 [voir]