Capturing Patagonia’s Most Coveted Creature Through a Lens
This week I will give you a taste of Patagonia, Chile and its most coveted creature: The Puma.
The Puma is the second biggest cat in the Americas after the Jaguar. Although it is found inhabiting jungles to deserts from Alaska to the Strait of Magellan, being a smart, shy and mostly nocturnal cat it is very difficult to see. And much more difficult—almost impossible—to photograph it in the wild.
The Puma in the photo below is a 3 to 4-year-old female weighing 220 pounds that we followed during our two days of walking in the beautiful Torres del Paine National Park. We actually got very close, within 100 feet, and she never felt disturbed with our presence.
During the decades that I have traveled throughout South America I only had three very brief encounters with pumas. They passed so quickly that I was not even able to photograph them.
The Puma Stalking The Rabbit (The Rabbit Won!)
f6.3 1/1600 ISO 2000 Nikon D7100 with 150-500 Sigma lens
But with Travel Vision Journeys we discovered a place in the Chilean Patagonia where their magnificent and elusive beauty can be observed and photographed. We were able to find and photograph several different Pumas thanks to our expert, three-person Puma tracking team that lives in the area and not only knows the cats by name, but knows their habits, their favorite hiding places and can show us how to get the best angle at the best time. We not only got this female in action stalking a rabbit, we then walked alongside her as she searched for her next prey.
Everyone in our small group of 10 travelers got hundreds pf Puma pictures. Other tours may mention seeing Pumas, but without an expert tracker the chances of seeing them are much lower. In the evenings over Pisco Sours and local Chilean specialties we shared our Puma pics and relived these incredible moments.
Participating in a Puma Tracking is an unforgettably exciting and incredibly rewarding once-in-lifetime experience, one where you are immersed in a wondrous wild world. In addition to seeing the Puma, during our walk we photographed many other animal species and stunning landscapes but nothing compares to looking through your lens and being eye-to-eye with these incredible cats.
Our Expert Travel Vision Puma Tracking Team!
I hope you’ll come photograph the Puma with me this February 7th-17th on our Best of Patagonia Photo Adventure, where you will capture moments like this and many more. We have a special savings offer on this tour through 12/19 ($1500 off per couple). If you’re interested please call my Travel Vision partner Lauren Hefferon for more information: 617-640-4837.
If you have any questions about my settings, my equipment or the subjects captured, please do not hesitate to email or text me. In the meantime, enjoy the photos that I post daily on Facebook or Instagram.
Saludos!
Ossian
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