It’s hard to capture the rugged beauty of Torres Del Paine in a photo. I tried my best in this shot and was at least able to capture a few of the elements that make it such a spectacular location — the ubiquitous guanaco on a hillside, the massive peaks in the backdrop, and the mist along with the occasional rainbow that seem to appear out of nowhere before vanishing yet again.
Nikon D500 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 240mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/2500th of a second
This grand massif of mountains in Torres Del Paine National Park in Patagonia provides a nice backdrop for a puma out surveying her territory late in the afternoon.
Nikon 500 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/2000th of a second
A Patagonian grey fox looks up to survey the situation, making sure that a puma isn’t about to come back and lay claim to a guanaco carcass, Torres Del Paine National Park in Chile.
Nikon D500 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 340mm) ISO 400, f/4 at 1/1600th of a second
I’ll admit, I was a bit nervous when this Patagonian hog-nosed skunk got up on its hind legs to sniff the air. It was bothered no doubt, by a particular camera-carrying American. I remained as still as possible (snapping away of course) until the skunk regained its confidence and resumed the serious task of eating grass.
Nikon D500 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 340mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/3200th of a second
When flamingos take off from the water it can look like they’re running across the surface. This guy decided it was time for a new location and allowed me a series of images as he/she took to the air.
Nikon D500 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/5 at 1/800th of a second
A puma makes her way to a watering hole for a quick drink before continuing on to a kill she had hidden in the grass. Torres Del Paine National Park in Chilean Patagonia.
Nikon D500 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/1000th of a second
My guide and I had to climb pretty high up a steep slope to capture images of this puma surveying her territory. She eventually spotted a small group of guanacos and made an unsuccessful run down the hill. I was hoping to get her positioned on the ridge line, but that wasn’t to be. Fortunately, however, my high vantage point did enable me to capture the distant snow capped mountains in the backdrop, giving a sense of the Patagonian landscape in which these amazing cats thrive. Being springtime for us, it was fall for the southern hemisphere and you can see all the rust-colored leaves dotting the mountainsides.
Nikon D810 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/1600th of a second
As I mentioned recently, guanacos can be great subjects, especially when framed within the landscape of Torres Del Paine in Patagonian Chile. The early morning light was hitting these two with direct light while the massive face of that mountain in the background was in shadow, and partially obscured by fog and clouds.
Nikon D500 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 400, f/4 at 1/1600th of a second
This puma was moving stealthily below a ridge, out of sight of the guanaco up on the hill. Eventually the guanaco caught wind of the puma and made a dash for it in the other direction. The puma, unfazed, continued on her way, as she had already made a kill and was on her way back to it for dinner. Pumas, however, are opportunistic hunters and had the guanaco been completely fooled, there would most likely have been an attempt at a second kill.
Nikon D500 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 220mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/500th of a second
I saw lots of these raptors in Chile. This is the southern crested caracara, formerly thought to be the same species as the northern crested caracara. The northern species ranges as far north as the extreme southern portions of the US, whereas this guy can be found from mid Brazil on down to the tip of South America. For this image, I was able to capture a bit of the fall colors — in the top third of the frame — that defined much of the landscape en route to Torres Del Paine.
Nikon D500 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 350mm) ISO 800, f/5 at 1/1250th of a second