Reaching El Dorado, a photo from Antofagasta, Norte Grande

Photographer's Note

The Place
This is the road up to El Dorado, the lagunas altiplánicas (high plateau lagoons) Miscanti and Meñiques, 110 km south of San Pedro. You can always check the location of my photos by clicking on the map link. This place is at more than 4200 meters above sea level.

Background
On our trip to Chile last December, my wife and I went to San Pedro de Atacama. I have been in this area a couple of times and I wanted to show her one of the highlights of my country.
I have to admit that she did not get used to the altitude, and we had to resort to the old trick of drinking coca tea at Socaire, just 40 km before this location, and just before ascending from 2200 meters to 4200 meters. Despite the headache, she enjoyed the trip.
I am following the idea of Kristaps to call this place el Dorado.

Technical
Basically as taken: just some increase in contrast, resize, framed.

gentedilivello, baba_flies, parbo, rey316, zmey, avene, Cretense, stego, BennyV has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

gentedilivello (3103) 2009-02-16 4:01

Hi Jorge,
great view, the blue of the sky is magnificent! Perfect POV and very good framing. Well done.
TFS.
Gabriele.

baba_flies (8829) 2009-02-16 4:11

Hello Jorge! Just so beautiful, what a wonderful "not much" here, just a little dirt road, some smooth rolling hills and plenty of sunhine blue. For me this gives so much back. Oh dear, headaches, this is a shame, yes this is high so many would go through similar pains I guess. Great photo, I really like it. Barbara.

somnathn (184) 2009-02-16 4:29

Hi Jorge,
A very nice and soothing picture. I like the simple mud-spattered road intersecting the field. thanks for sharing.

guitianmiranda (22) 2009-02-16 4:58

Interesante camino y paisaje, me gustan este tipo de fotografías y encuadres, aunque hubiera tratado de sacar el plano desde un ángulo más cercano al suelo.

El uso del polarizador es perfecto para contrastar los calidos colores del atierra con el azul del cielo en un prefecto tono azul marino oscuro.

Un saludo.

parbo (11092) 2009-02-16 4:59

Hola Jorge,

Excellently build point of view while using splendid effect and advantage of S curved endless road. The contrasts between dried grasses and sky are just fantastic. Very good quality of capture and sharpness. Congratulations. Have a nice new week.

Saludos cordiales,

Ertugrul

rey316 (24) 2009-02-16 5:08

HI Jorge
Beautiful work. The road to the dry plant leaves in excellent clean blue sky. Beautiful diagonal
Well done
Andrey

jurek1951 (42198) 2009-02-16 6:22

Hi Jorge,
beautiful landscape,good contrast and rich saturated colours.
Georg

zmey (7335) 2009-02-16 7:18

hola Jorge
yes, that was the missing piece in my story: the road to Eldorado. thanks for linking up, friend.
wonderful quality to the blue and a nice contrast with the warmth of the gold. i like it.

coca tea? to be honest, i did not fee much effect from it. on the other hand, we did not have much of altitude sickness either (due to other times spent at high altitudes within the last year).

warm regards
kristaps

avene (12675) 2009-02-16 7:47

hi Jorge,
I remember this road from just few weeks ago, and my bones remember it even better... still, it was well worth it, especially since we were by the lagunas really early in the morning and saw the most beautiful light.
I quite like the photo, especially the "emptyness" and feeling of wide open space. just the two colours - blue and yellow - emphasise the simplicity, and the road is a great lead-in line. nice, very nice :)

best,
Kristine

leo61 (0) 2009-02-16 9:52

Hi Jorge!
I remember me driving this or another road there.Great POV and good depth with these curves in the distance.The Atacama region is wonderful and together with Cappadokia/Turkey the most amazing landscapes I`ve seen so far.
Good contrast between blue and brown.
A great shot.
Regards,leo

Cretense (68709) 2009-02-17 3:24

Hola Jorge!

Una foto que parace pertenecer a una pelicula, a un "road movie"! Tremendo paisaje, "salvaje", pero encantador, perfecto encuadre y composicion, gran perspectiva, un cielo bien polarizado, y tremendos colores! Felicidades!

Saludos a al familia,
Hercules

darek1978 (13361) 2009-02-19 8:24

Hi Jorge,
I really like this very simple but effective composition. Great symmetry and amazing colour of the sky. Well done!!
Best regards,
Darek

ilvao (2308) 2009-02-22 14:12

HELLO JORGE,

this is so remote
alone
great colors
dry climate
all the best

stego (24132) 2009-03-02 9:38

Hola Jorge,
What an amazing expanse of desert! It must be an unique experience driving in that desolated landscape under that incredibly blue sky. My eyes keep running away on that snaking earth road. Gorgeous emptiness! Deserts impress me much, but despite this view reminding a bit some stretches of North Africa, I think that it's impossible to have such a blue sky there. And, of course the altitude couldn't be more different.
Un abrazo, José.

BennyV (34748) 2009-03-04 6:16