This is my first day back in Patagonia in more than six years. My last trip here was in 2018. I’m staying in the lovely little town of Puerto Natales, and for the next four days I will be making photographs of gauchos (Chilean cowboys).
Shot with my iPhone, Tuesday April 23rd 2024
I’ve been dreaming about making some portraits now for quite some time, and I remember talking to my good friend Sabine who lives here about doing a special trip as far back as 2016. It has taken this long to get round to doing it. So much got in the way, and the years just flew by.
I have a week off between tours, and so I figured there would not be a better time. My friend Sabine not only lives in the area, but she knows many of the gauchos personally. So it was very easy to set this up. And I like being able to go in as less of a stranger to meet the gauchos I will photograph this week, because I am with someone who knows them well.
The shot above is a quick mock up with my iPhone. Hosé was very kind and posed for me inside his kitchen. I found the three gauchos I visited today to be very funny guys. Lots of humour, and also very hard working. Their homes were very rustic and had a lot of character to them. I so wished I had brought some reflectors with me to help with the light, but we got by, re-arranging things in the houses a little to make use of the available light.
Myself and my friend Sabine, Puerto Natales, Patagonia, April 2024
For those of you whom have travelled with me to Patagonia before, you may recognise Sabine above. She is such a nice person and I’ve been good friends with her for about a decade now. It has been very nice to hang out with her today and go drive around meeting gauchos together.
I hope this won’t be the last trip to make photos of Chilean cowboys, as I feel each new encounter requires a thawing out period, then a sense of familiarity before each of them truly relaxes into who they are. I am sure that if I keep returning, the more familiarity I have with them, can only help.
Perhaps this is the start of a new chapter for me. I certainly hope so.