Atacama Desert

A T A C A M A D E S E R T , C H I L E

Cordillera de la Muerte

Three hundred miles north of Santiago, Chile, the Atacama Desert begins. Long ago, geologic events of immense proportion transformed this remote region into a vast and unique landscape. A traveler in the Atacama encounters deeply cut canyons, sand dunes, ancient lava flows, fields of volcanic debris and immense salt lakes. Volcanoes emerge from the foothills of the Andes, some reaching 20,000 feet in height.

The Atacama Desert is one of the driest places on Earth and certainly the most arid of deserts. It is possible to live an entire life in the Atacama and never know the feel of rain on one's skin. Some riverbeds may have been dry for as much as 120,000 years

The desert is an alien terrain; it is inhospitable, but it is also beautiful. It offers the visual elements I need to make a successful black and white photograph. It also offers me the opportunity to show a part of the world that many people will never experience.