Chilean photographer Guy Wenborne grew up surrounded by creativity and adventure in a family of architects and pilots. Initially studying engineering, Wenborne, 59, early on shifted to photography, becoming largely self-taught and ultimately dedicating more than 36 years to capturing the essence of Chile’s diverse landscapes and cultural heritage.

 

Through his lens, he has documented expeditions, extreme landscapes, and the relationship between people and nature, combining an artistic vision with extensive field experience. Founder of the Travesía publishing house, he has published acclaimed titles such as Chile from the Air, National Parks of Chile, Rivers of Chile, and Peru from the Air. As co-founder of Southern Light Photo Expeditions, he now leads immersive photographic journeys into remote Andean regions.

 

Emphasizing aerial views that offer unique perspectives on Chile's fragile environments, his images not only highlight the country's natural wonders and cultural depth, but also serve as a call to appreciate and protect them.

 

A member of the panel of judges for the 7th Patagonia Photo Contest, here are excerpts from our interview. 

Guy Wenborne: I seek to convey the raw emotion of our natural environment, with as little editing as possible. I see myself as a transmitter of beauty and natural order to the viewer. I try to manipulate my images as little as possible so that nature, not the photographer, is the main actor. What I do is look for the light, prepare myself, study, but I never want to take away from the truth of a photographer's interpretation.

 

GW: What I like to photograph the most are the geomorphological processes that are evident through a beautiful image. When the dramas of nature become so beautiful that they have artistic value, an important aesthetic value.

GW: There are two layers. One layer is to gather information about the place beforehand, on Google Earth, looking at it, and seeing photos others have taken. Studying the light, how the light falls at that time of year, and the climate. But, with all that in mind, when I arrive on site, more than that planning, I need the terrain, the place, to speak to me. When it speaks to me, I really connect and enter a mode of deep observation, so I can capture the essence of the image's nature it reveals to me.

 

GW: For a long time, what has been most difficult for me is photographing people. I am currently taking on the challenge of photographing and portraying human beings connected to the land. I have taken this as an exercise in pushing myself out of my comfort zone of landscapes and nature and connecting deeply with the people who inhabit a natural territory.

GW: Find a single theme and stick to it, because there is a great temptation to do many things; but if you really want to have a voice and communicate loudly what you see with your eyes, you have to find a theme and dedicate yourself to it. Hopefully, it will be a novel theme, which is super difficult, but there is always room for a new perspective on infinite nature.

 

GW: Number one, it has to be a photo that I like from the gut, at first glance. If it meets that criterion, I move on to my second parameter: whether it is well executed from a compositional point of view, and then from a technical point of view. If it meets those three criteria, it's already in my top five anyway. But first, the emotion, the communication. Because you can have a photo that perfectly communicates the idea, even if it's not technically perfect.