Chile

When you have a total solar eclipse occurring in the second driest spot on Earth (the first being Antarctica of course), it makes for a beautiful sight. The biggest reason I wanted to see this eclipse was because it was occurring near sunset, allowing me to get a landscape picture of it low to the horizon. I spent months beforehand selecting two spots to photograph the eclipse, but the evening before I came across this view while driving by and decided that I'd set up at this location instead. During the next morning, I set up 7 hours beforehand to ensure the shot was exactly what I had wanted (and that no one else would take my spot). In the minutes before the eclipse, the birds went out to sea, the temperature got much colder, and the light had a weird ominous feeling. Once totality occurred it was one of the most amazing things you've ever seen.

We trekked through the Southern Patagonian Ice Field in Chile; a land full of mountains, glaciers, and icebergs. One of those glaciers was Grey Glacier, which broke off this beautiful deep blue iceberg that was drifting in the water. This iceberg, among the others that have broken off, will slowly melt away into the ocean and contribute to sea level rise and alter worldwide weather patterns in the years to come. With global temperatures at record highs, this glacier field has been losing about 20 billion tons of ice each year.

Driving through Chile Route 9 in Southern Chile on our way to Torres del Paine, I noticed this really ominous looking forest area that reminded me of some kind of dystopia vibe. It was eerie yet beautiful at the same time with a fresh layer of snow on the ground.

Santiago, Chile, home to the largest building in Latin America, was beautiful with such unique architecture and friendly people. I hadn't really taken city pictures in 20 years or so and it was hard to capture certain aspects of Santiago. I was able to get one good city/landscape picture though of Santiago after taking a cable car to the top of Cerro San Cristóbal. The weather cooperated that day allowing a clear shot (which is good because the whole sky was snowed over the day before blocking out the Andes).

Fire-eyed diucon

I don't know what it is about South Chile in the winter, but the fog and low clouds all around are extremely beautiful. This was somewhere in the open plains between Punta Arenas and Puerto Natales.

The whole day was foggy, snowing, and with low visibility. As I was leaving the area I happened to turn around and see the clouds clearing just enough for this picture. The clouds were so thick beforehand that I had no idea this huge mountain was hiding behind the clouds.

Licancabur volcano is a stratovolcano on the border between Bolivia and Chile that is visible from everywhere around San Pedro de Atacama, Chile. At an elevation of 19,409 feet it stands out against the landscape.

The beautiful Mirador Condor in Torres del Paine National Park peeking out of the stormy fog. I almost didn't get to see this particular landscape due to the heavy cloud cover but enough clouds decided to go away to take this shot.

Driving at dusk in Southern Chile I looked out the window and saw the Moon just watching me drive for miles (or kilometers there). I had to stop and take a picture as the Moon rose over the frozen lake beside me. I decided to use a wide angle to make the Moon smaller to show how small it is compared to the surrounding landscape which seemed so huge.

Discovered in 1895, this cave held remains of Mylodons (or giant sloths) which lived 10,000 years ago. Humans started inhabiting this cave around 6000BC. Interestingly, when you're in the cave you have a very beautiful view outside of the mountains.

During the 2019 Chilean eclipse, as most people went their separate ways after totality, I stayed and kept my camera focused on the Sun. Seven minutes before the Moon completely passed from the Sun, I captured these two beautiful pelicans flying in front of the eclipsed Sun.

This spot is routinely a backdrop for protestors, rallies, and demonstrations. The two smaller statues on the left and right of the main statue were damaged and removed in the 2019 protests in Chile. This spot was also where the announcement was made in 2010 that the Chilean miners were still alive.

If you wait long enough during the winter, you'll get a nice reflection across the dark hills. The water was very frigid and resembling glass among the ripples.

Bordering Pehoe Lake is the Salto Grande waterfall which is a definitely a sight to see in Torres Del Paine National Park. The waterfall looks miniscule compared to the towering mountains behind it.

Downtown Santiago, Chile from San Cristóbal Hill. On its summit there is a sanctuary dedicated to the Immaculate Conception, with a 22-meter statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary, an amphitheater, and a chapel. Numerous religious artifacts are on this mountain.

The hill provides many beautiful views of Santiago with the Andes mountains as a backdrop.

There was just enough fog this day to blend the sky and water together and obscure the horizon. I sat here for a bit hoping the foggy reflection would thicken just enough to also blur the water reflection and it paid off well.

Normally people tend not to hike in the desert during the hottest time of the day, but I knew the angle of the light would be great to get nice shadows on the dunes. The sand was so soft that each time the wind blew the shape of the dunes would change slightly.

Located just outside of San Pedro de Atacama, Chile, Valle de la Luna contains numerous sand and stone formations that have been carved by wind and water over the years. A beautiful spot in the world to hike and look at the views.