Chungara Lake and Parinacota, a photo from Tarapaca, Norte Grande

Photographer's Note

‘Chungará Lake and Parinacota’

Back to the highlands of the northern Chilean altiplano with 3 pictures of the Chungará Lake.

This lake is situated in the Lauca National Park. It covers an area of 21,5 square kilometers and has a depth of 33 meters. Located at an altitude of 4.500 meters Chungará Lake is one of the highest lakes in the world. Higher than the more famous Lake Titicaca (at 3.812 meters).

Close to its banks you find the Parinacota, a dormant volcano that is 6.348 meters high. Approximately 8000 years ago the lake is formed after an enormous eruption of this volcano.

In July (winter), the sky is usually clear. Also the day of my visit but there was a fair amount of wind making it a bit cold but even worse: no clear reflections of the mountain on the water. The standard postcard style picture of this lake is one showing a crystal clear reflected volcano.
When I was there I could see minor reflections on the ice near the shore, not on the water in the middle of the lake :(

In the workshop two other pictures of Chungará Lake.
One shows also the highest mountain of Bolivia, the Nevado Sajama, another volcano with an altitude of 6.542 meters.
A curiosity of this volcano is its treeline: the tree ‘Polylepis tarapacana’ grows there up to a height of 5.200 meters above sea level. This is one of the highest altitudes at which trees can be found growing anywhere in the world.

All information from Wikipedia.

PiotrF, mcmtanyel, ikeharel, ikeharel, papagolf21, pajaran, holmertz, Royaldevon, jhm, Cricri, cornejo, adramad, worldcitizen, Fis2, boa, ChrisJ, frunchy, ktanska, adores, ourania has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

batalay (41261) 2016-01-20 15:17

Hello Paul,

Clear and crisp air, brilliant sunlight and a very successful photo. Your note is highly informative and much appreciated. Warm regards,

Bulent

npecanhuk (79329) 2016-01-20 16:04

Hi Paul!
Wonderful place, with special regards to that VOLCANO!!!!
Magnificent picture!
Sharpness, exposure, colors, horizontal format, slim black borders, chosen pov and composition are all excellent!
I love those reflections!
TFS - congrats,
Cheers,
Neyvan

PiotrF (54246) 2016-01-20 16:08

Hello Paul,
Beautiful view of the magnificent mountain.
It looks almost like Fuji. Good composition and beautiful colours. Nice clarity and excellent sharpness. I also like pictures of the workshop.
Good work.
Regards
Piotr

Didi (61589) 2016-01-20 16:55

Bonjour Paul
Magnifique vue sur ce volcan sous une bonne luminosité
Les notes descriptives sont très intéressantes
Très bonne luminosité ambiante
Bien cordialement

mcmtanyel (67635) 2016-01-20 19:46

Hello Paul,
This is a spectacular mountain, its shape reminds me of Mount Fuji. The reflections on the lake are terrific, too.
Regards,
MT

berek (50518) 2016-01-20 21:01

Dear Paul,
Magnificent views of the volcano under a good light. The descriptive notes are very interesting. of course wonderful reflections too. take care.
All the Best
Burak Erek

papagolf21 (152605) 2016-01-20 23:50

Bonjour, cher Paul,
La beauté à l'état pur. Quel plaisir de pouvoir contempler pareil spectacle.
Amitiés.
Philippe

emka (157280) 2016-01-20 23:53

Hello Paul, Fantastic picture, looks better then Fujiyama with the lake in foreground. (What is white - frost or salt?). all is so high here. I am envious I was not there. Perfect volcanic shape.
Fantastic also Workshop pictures.

WArm regards Malgo

carlo62 (81265) 2016-01-21 1:00

Ciao Paul
molto belle queste foto, sicuramente questa merita la prima pagina, ma sono bellissime anche le altre due.
Eccellente nitidezza e splendido riflesso, un luogo magnifico ottimamente fotografato.
Saluti
Carlo

holmertz (101980) 2016-01-21 1:23

Hello Paul,
I would call this a fairly perfect volcano. It is wonderfully shaped and looks very attractive with its white top. The lake below it makes the impression even better, although you didn't get the opportunity to take one of those "standard postcard style photos". This should in any case be good enough for anyone. The workshop photos are excellent too, and as you may have guessed I am particularly attracted by the one with the persons wearing red details in the foreground.
Kind regards,
Gert

Royaldevon (85606) 2016-01-21 1:36

Hello Paul,

Three glorious photographs but, I agree, this is the best.
You have chosen a most commanding, visually beautiful feature and given it an excellent composition, with a strong f/g triangle and an exquisite reflection for added dimension!
It looked stunning on the thumbnail and was not disappointing full size.

Have a lovely day,
Bev :-)

ikeharel (112419) 2016-01-21 2:27

Hello Paul,
Beautiful sight at high altitude onto the perfect cone of the dormant volcano.
White frost (?) on the edge of the lake and upon surface, made a nice natural contrast on the sky-reflection.
Amazing nature and earth. a fine shot.
Ike

Nicou (193806) 2016-01-21 3:32

Hello

quelle forme et vue de cette montagne avec la neige au sommet et quel reflet sur le plan d'eau superbe décor et paysage de rêve.
Bravo et amitié
Nicou

rbassin (27472) 2016-01-21 4:27

bonjou Paul,
un magnifique paysage réhaussé par la présence de ces reflets.
C'est bien fait , bonne gestion des couleurs et de la lumière.
Amicalement
Roland

jhm (211734) 2016-01-21 4:33

Dag Paul,

Wat een heerlijk moment voor deze foto te maken, met de berg met sneeuw en mooie weerspiegelingen in het meer Chungará en Parinacota, als ik het goed begrijp.
Uw twee extra foto's zijn beiden waardig om afzonderlijk geplaatst te worden.
Heel mooi foto werk, bedankt.
Email gekregen ?

Groeten uit een helder blauw Oost Vlaanderen,
John

lousat (138599) 2016-01-21 8:13

Hi Paul,another spectacular postcard from your trip,magnificent place and great POV to take the volcano and reflection on the lake,magnificent colors and perfect sharpness,very well done! Have a nice evening and thanks,Luciano

jemaflor (146274) 2016-01-21 8:50

Salut Paul,
Voilà un paysage photogénique à souhait, quel panorama ! Très bien cadré, la photo est équilibrée, jolies lumière et teintes.

Cricri (176) 2016-01-21 9:43

Bonjour Paul
Une belle série du lac, sublime beauté de la nature, beaux contrastes et reflets excellent, belles présentation aussi en WS
belle soirée
cricri

Tue (91564) 2016-01-21 9:46

Hallo Paul,
Prachtige foto met heerlijke, rijke kleuren van deze besneeuwde berg. De spiegelingen in het blauwe water zijn heel mooi, vooral door de licht beweging van het meer.
Lars

cornejo (61504) 2016-01-21 10:08

Hi Paul, very good picture of this beautiful and interesting composition with the lake and the highest volcano, beautifully captured in this beautiful image with good sharpness, light, color and quality. Great and interesting job perfectly done, congratulations my friend. Thanks for sharing this beautiful work.

Good evening and happy weekend.
Best wishes from the south of Spain.
Angel.

federico (6109) 2016-01-21 10:42

hello Paul what a place you show us!! the highest lake, and such a tall volcano, I wonder how difficult it is to climb, great reflections, pristine image really inspiring, thanks for sharing..
Fred

adramad (72558) 2016-01-21 11:22

Hello Paul.
Superb picture, showing us nature is its greatest splendor and grandeur, this imposing volcano with its well-conical shaped silhouette, the lake at his feet capturing some of your reflexes, is a beautiful touch.
Very good brightness and sharpness, with beautiful colors.
Well seen and done better. I like it
Have a nice day.
Best wishes.
Luis.

pajaran (114891) 2016-01-21 11:49

Dobro vece.
Interesantan i dobar tekst o jezeru i vulkanu sa opisom ...
Lep pogled i trenutak ...
Dobar rad, lepo pokazano jezero i vulkan pokriven snegom, dobar kontrast i perspektiva, lepe boje, lepo uhvacen trenutak.
Lep refleks na jezeru i planina sa vulkanom, lepa priroda.
Prijatno vece i sve najbolje, srecno.
Paja.

Good evening.
Interesting and good text on the lake and volcano with the description ...
Nice view and a moment ...
Good work, beautifully demonstrated the lake and the volcano is covered with snow, good contrast and perspective, nice colors, nice captured moment.
Nice reflection on a lake and mountains with volcanoes, beautiful nature.
Good evening and all the best, good luck.
Paja.

mesutilgim (0) 2016-01-21 12:16

Hello dear Paul,
On thumbnail I was thinking it's Fujiyama in Japan but isn't !
Wonderfull capture taken with very good ov and compo.
Many interesting notes makes your entry a perfect TE job.
TFS and best regards
MESUT ILGIM

worldcitizen (15956) 2016-01-21 13:18

Hello Paul,
This is another beautiful landscape from Chile. The volcano look great against the bright sky, and I like the reflection, even if it's only in the ice. It still adds another layer to the scene.

Fis2 (169709) 2016-01-21 13:59

Witaj Paul!
Wonderful view.
Excellent composition and framing.
Good colors.
I like reflection.
Good night.
Krzysztof

eldancer1 (36343) 2016-01-22 7:32

Wow! I can only wish to see this beautiful scene in person, but for now I'll your post. Amazing capture especially the reflection on the water. Good lighting and sharp details. Well done, tfs.

boa (8039) 2016-01-22 13:24

Hi Paul,
this is how most of us want to see a volcano. Perfect form, snow and big! An extra bonus for the fantastic surroundings here. I like the peaceful atmosphere too and it is almost possible to hear the silence(if that is possibly to hear)You made an impressive journey in Chile with a lot to see an many nice metings with locals. I envy you:)But I will visit SouthAmerica again and perhaps spend more time in Chile that time. Tfs your excellent pictures from this country.

Best regards/
Boa

ChrisJ (171220) 2016-01-23 0:47

Hello Paul,

It looks like Chile's answer to Fuji in Japan. Good sharpness and superb color and saturation. Superb warm cold color contrasts and well framed and composed. Tfs!

macjake (98262) 2016-01-23 1:18

Hi Paul
perhaps not the PERFECT Postcard shot you were looking for, but you still got the reflection in the ice portion in the lower fg - thats still nice! :)
I'd be very happy with this scenery. Not many people get to travel to places like this, and you took full advantage of it.
the colours and subject material are excellent, very pretty shot.
cheers
craig

abmdsudi (95869) 2016-01-23 8:01

Hi Paul
It's an eye catching snow mountain scape wonderfully composed enhanced by deep colours and subtle light with excellent foreground interest. It's so well detailed and the water sheen boosts the visual effect and feel in it. Beautiful shot, Congrats and tfs.
Best wishes

frunchy (1800) 2016-01-23 13:09

Hello Paul,

marvellous sky and beautiful reflection. A fine contrast management with high range and good colors. TFS, F.

mkamionka (73344) 2016-01-25 6:53

Hi Paul,
very attractive shape of the snow covered volcano. Even if the reflection is not perfect nevertheless it is there and adds to the beauty of the composition. Very impressive spot, your reportage convinces me I should put this location on my list of dream destinations :)
Excellent work!
M

ktanska (44464) 2016-01-27 10:58

Hi Paul,
No reason to be disappointed about the reflection on ice instead of still water! It looks awesome, and I think you can consider yourself lucky. Ice is usually covered with snow, or at least frost. Up there it may be different though, as it probably is pretty dry there.
Kari

rezaahmadi (94) 2016-01-27 21:48

hello Good morning
I thank you very interesting photos .

adores (46979) 2016-01-28 13:13

Hi Paul!
They have really fantastic places there, the only disadvantage for me is the cold:)!
Beautiful composition, even without the clear reflection. I also like the colours, you got a very nice blue sky!

Karolina999 (0) 2016-02-02 0:44

Dear PVDV,
amazing landscape, wonderful pond, lake, excellent mount, superb sky, fantastic colors, good take, great effect.
Thanx for sharing!
Cheeers!!!!

ourania (51103) 2016-02-17 10:09

Hello Paul,
this view has an elegant, minimal layout but is really magnificent when we realize its scale and the natural materials it's made of. There are clear textures and beautiful strong colours to enchant the viewer, the reflection is a treat, too. The workshop pictures are superb, they add information and delight to our visual tour. Congratulations and thank you!
All the best, have a great evening,
Ourania

tulipan7 (804) 2016-03-19 6:00

This photo deserves points if for no other reason than for bringing back wonderful memories...
Great landscape, great colors, beautiful photo... I really do like it...

Hanssie (11022) 2016-03-23 13:53

Een spectaculair stuk natuur met daarin een
hoekje voorgrond, dat zeer goed werkt !
Mooie foto !

kiks (12805) 2016-04-08 0:58

Amazing this volcano coverd of snow! Love the colors and reflections.
Best regards
KIKs

jmdias (114262) 2016-05-31 17:24

paul

I saw this volcano and lake twice, first time when my bus from la paz went down to seashore and after in a bus tour from arica. one of the most impressive journeys I did in my life. In fact I saw it and sajama a third time, when I was going to peru and I saw these volcanos from the plane, absolutely amazing...
marvelous this classic view. I can see the same aquatic birds I saw there.

hugs

jorge