Jaime Kunstmann
@jaimekunstmann
Best of the week 42 at #nomadict 2022
My passion for travel and photography developed over time. With my wife, we began to travel through our beautiful country, which has incredible landscapes showcasing incredible mountains, beaches, deserts, and glaciers. At the same time, we bought a camera to work, and from there I never put my camera down again.
South America will leave you speechless. Chile solely, where I am from, has more than 4000 km of mountains. To the north, the driest desert in the world, the Atacama desert. To the south, the magical rivers, lakes, and glaciers, Patagonia.
The vastness of Chile
The vastness of Chile has inspired my work greatly during these past seven years, and over time, I have realized that as a landscape photographer, light is everything, and I have traveled long distances for this reason. While everyone sleeps, my wife and I drink coffee early to look for that magical sunrise. So this pursuit has become our main challenge. To be at the right time, at the right place, is not easy. It requires a lot of effort and hours of driving. But this endeavor also has a good side – we enjoy the road with good music and a coffee between our hands.
We are particularly fond of the winter light. The landscapes in winter take on a deeper, more intense, and moving character. The mountains have sparkling snow, and the peaks merge with clouds after a heavy storm. The rain forests, very characteristic of Chile, bring in new aromas, especially when everything is wet. The rain brings a lot of life, even inside a cabin, where we drink hot chocolate while editing and relaxing to the sound of the falling rain.
Dreams fulfilled under the midnight sun in Iceland
Summer also has its charm, especially if you travel to nordic countries. I realized this during our first trip to Iceland in August 2022, when I captured the winning photograph.
Since we started in landscape and nature photography, our dream was to visit Iceland. It is a magical place, full of incredible and photogenic spots.
After passing through the waterfalls sector, where we were at Skogafoss and Seljalandfoss, we headed towards Vík. As we continued our journey, we discovered a marvelous place to see the magical sunset. We quickly stopped the car to photograph the setting sun and the golden colors softly painting the beach – a moment full of emotions.
"We felt happy to finally live our dream, the one we had since we started our photography journey."
Editing the winning photo
Regarding the winning photo, at first, I tried other compositions. I almost always do the same thing:
(1) I study the place and start looking for a concept that encompasses the moment.
(2) I also start trying the best framings. I took several photographs, with different angles and depths of field, until this view revealed in all its splendor the height and the incredible moment with this sky in shades of red, orange, and yellow while the sea, calm and serene, sought its leading role.
(3) My work in Lightroom revolves around tone curves. Color balance is crucial to me, as I want to add my stamp to each photo. I like my images when they resemble a dream, something without much contrast but with character – a soft photo with intentions. As in a painting, I visualize the photographs as works of art. As an artist, I paint the canvas as best interprets reality.
I have a strong desire for learning, observing, and creating with my camera the photos that transmit emotions, the ones that bring back memories. I want to share these stories with my grandchildren – that I traveled the world, was moved by the landscapes, and lived every minute of my life.
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