The 5th Patagonia Photo Contest, Last gasp at Mina Invierno, Patagonia carbon sink, Salmon boats threaten blue whales, Biking to fight cáncer
The winners of the 5th Patagonia Photo Contest
El 5° Concurso de Fotografía de la Patagonia, El último suspiro de Mina Invierno, Sumidero de carbono de Patagonia, Barcos salmoneros amenaza a las ballenas azules, Ciclismo para combatir el cáncer
Miguel Fuentealba, with his photo titled “Freedom,” something that so many of us yearn for during the present pandemic, was awarded Patagonia Photographer of the Year by the judges in the 5th Patagonia Photo Contest.
Miguel's photograph, which shows a man trekking on the snowy summit of Mount Tenerife, one of the most emblematic mountains of the Magallanes region in southern Chilean Patagonia, rose to the top of the many spectacular images submitted to the contest by professional and amateur photographers from around the world. For Miguel, the name of his photograph also refers to "what it feels like to live without being in a hurry or acting according to a plan." A selftaught photographer originally from Chile's Araucanía region, twenty years ago he moved to the Magallanes region in southern Chilean Patagonia.
During an award ceremony broadcast via live stream on Patagon Journal's Youtube and Facebook pages, Miguel gave us the back story for his stunning photo. "I went as a driver ( to Mount Tenerife) on an excursion, and the guide asked me if I wanted to go up with them. The idea was to get as far as we could." As they climbed higher and the clouds dispersed the majestic massif of Torres del Paine came into view, a real rarity, and he says that he felt almost an obligation to reach the summit to contemplate the special moment. "There were no footsteps, just fresh snow, and I began to think that nobody had ever been here." He added that the technical difficulties in achieving this photograph far exceeded what he had prepared for and he almost did not participate in the contest, but when he
heard about the prize on offer he could not resist.
"I feel like I fulfilled the purpose of a photograph, that the photographer disappears. It is a photograph that invites you to witness Torres del Paine and feel the immensity of this place. It invites you to climb a mountain, and have different perspectives and feelings, to feel like an explorer. Feel the first contact with freedom," adds Miguel.
Miguel's photo also won first place in the Outdoor Sports category. In the other categories, Nicolas Lagos came away with the win in the Nature category with his black-and-white photo of a puma titled “Pause.” Jorge Diehl of Brazil won the Climate Change category with his photo of the burning Amazon, aptly titled "Nature is asking us for help." And Russian photographer Lena Bam won the Travel & Culture category with her stunning sunrise photo of horses in Torres del Paine.
The 5th Patagonia Photo Commenced in early August 2020, closing on November 2. The six judges for the competition included an all-star panel of photographers with long experience in the region: John Weller, Claudio Vidal, Nicolas Piwonka, Chantal Henderson, Romina Bottazzi, and Pablo Valenzuela. Each first place winner in the four ca-tegories will receive a gift card for use in the Patagonia stores in Chile, valued at 200,000 chilean pesos; a set of large exhibitformat photography books from Tompkins Conservation; and a complete collection of all the magazines published by Patagon Journal since 2011. The winners of second place in each category will receive high quality sunglasses made sustainably by Karun from recycled plastics recovered from the ocean.
Patagon Journal is so appreciative of everyone who participated, many thanks to all of you, and we look forward to the next contest!
You can view all of the contest winning photos at www. patagonjournal.com