About the Element
Water has captivated me for as long as I can remember and has become the central subject of my fine art photographic practice. As a vital, life-giving element, water holds both beauty and fragility. Our planet contains approximately 1.384 million cubic kilometers of water, yet only about 36,000 cubic kilometers are fresh and drinkable — a reality that continues to inform my work conceptually and visually.
History
My engagement with water photography began in the early 1970s and soon developed into a lifelong project. Over the decades, I have traveled to more than forty countries across three continents, photographing rivers, waterfalls, glaciers, coastlines, and highland landscapes while navigating the practical challenges of travel, customs, and preservation of materials.
From an early age, I was deeply influenced by the movement and color of the Impressionists, particularly Vincent van Gogh. The discovery of a fully equipped photographic darkroom in my family home — left by my father — marked a turning point. Watching images slowly emerge in the developer tray established a lasting connection to photography as both a technical and poetic medium.
Defining Influences
A pivotal moment in my formation came with the discovery of a National Geographic publication presenting their most significant photographs alongside technical guidance from their photographers. This led me to study the work and methods of Ansel Adams, whose approach to precision, structure, and tonal control shaped my understanding of photographic discipline over many years.
My early fascination with water was also influenced by repeated encounters with natural sites such as waterfalls near my childhood home, experiences that left a permanent imprint on my visual memory and continue to resonate throughout the work.
Artistic Approach
My approach to photographing water balances color, structure, and movement, drawing on painterly influences while maintaining technical rigor. I work primarily in color, with a smaller portion of black-and-white images, and occasionally incorporate experimental processes such as the Sabattier Effect.
While I continue to work with medium-format film cameras on occasion, contemporary high-resolution digital systems allow me to produce large-scale works exceeding 100 cm in width, preserving fine detail and tonal depth. The work is conceived with scale in mind, inviting a physical and immersive viewing experience.
Production and Practice
All works are produced to museum-quality standards. Fine art inkjet prints are made in my studio in Calera de Tango, Chile, using archival pigment inks, Hahnemühle papers, and rigorous color management. Silver-gelatin and color photographic prints for the U.S. market are produced through a studio in New York.
The practice remains active and evolving, with new work produced each year. Editions are strictly limited to a maximum of five prints per image, regardless of size.
