Eduardo Hernández, a local photographer and graphic designer from Punta Arenas, contacted Leona Amarga about doing a puma-watching experience with us. We have followed his work, and his passion for local culture and wildlife, and we are especially impressed with his beautiful pictures and videos about the local gaucho culture and the humpback whales. We want to collaborate with local people that make a difference for our region and decided to invite Eduardo to get to know our place and live a Leona Amarga Expeditions experience.
Keeping expectations low and the mind open
Eduardo stayed 2 nights at Leona Amarga Headquarters and had 2 full days in the field in July 2023 (wintertime). Photography is his passion, what makes him dream, and go to new places to get new experiences. This is why he contacted Leona Amarga after following the account on Instagram for a while:
“I first heard about Leona Amarga Expeditions through social media. I follow some of the first people who started to offer puma-watching experiences, Like Rodrigo Moraga and Cristina Harboe (both professional photographers in Chile. Red). Being able to observe these animals, learn about their behavior, and their importance to the local ecosystem, was something that motivated me to live the experience that Leona Amarga offers”.
It is always hard to know what to expect from a wildlife experience because mostly, you just see the result: the pictures. But you don’t know the work behind getting to that picture. Eduardo knows the national park well and has been to Torres del Paine many times for photography. He has had one puma encounter in the national park, but was curious about how the experience would be inside the property of Leona Amarga:
“To be honest, my expectations were low. Why? Because this was going to be a new experience for me, and I didn’t want to have expectations because I wanted to do it with an open mind and let me be surprised by whatever could or would happen. It ended up being a very fascinating experience, first of all, the place (Leona Amarga Exp. Headquarters. Red) felt like a very warm and welcoming place. You notice the professional work and love that is put into this place, by Dania, Daneska, and the people that are working for Leona Amarga. It is done with kindness for the place, and that’s one thing that sets this place apart”.
From sunny weather to heavy fog
Eduardo had two full days in the field, where we focused on two different things: landscape and puma-photography and getting to know the ranch and how we work, like the dynamics between the people working in the field, and how we search and work with the pumas.
“The days in the field were magical! As a photographer, you are always searching for beautiful places or situations to photograph. But with wildlife and in Patagonia there are a lot of elements out of your control, that being the animals and the weather. This is why I am thankful for the moments these animals wanted to give me and thankful for the effort of the guides and trackers working in the field. Thanks to all the effort, I got my dream pictures. They were more than I could dream of because the moments were so unique.
The climate changes from day 1 being a day with sun and temperatures below -10 degrees to day 2 being a day with heavy fog and low visibility. All these factors change the moments, the timing of the photos, and the technical part of the photography. This puts you in a situation where you need to overcome yourself to get the photo that you want".
The day Eduardo stayed at Leona Amarga, there were 4 other groups in the field with its maximum capacity of people. When we have various groups, we work with rotations of areas and limitations on how many people can be at each sighting. We do this not only for the experience for our guests, but to ensure an ethical sighting for the puma. Each puma has a different personality and level of tolerance, and some pumas act differently with 4 people present and very different with 10 people present. This is why even though different companies are working in the field, we try to collaborate and inform about what we do, and where we go.
“One thing I noticed was the collaboration between the guides and the trackers. Everything seemed well organized and safe – not only personal safety but also the safety surrounding the puma. When you are in front of the animal, the puma shows who it is and its way of life. You are in their territory. On top of that, I was lucky to get photos with pumas and the three towers in the background, the dream of every photographer!”.
Not only a place for puma-watching
Eduardo's recommendation for people who want to live the Leona Amarga experience is to come with a reflective spirit and open mind to whatever you are going to see. Feel the place.
“The ranch has some very beautiful views, also of the national park. Same but different because you are in another area. That is something I learned about this place, it is not just about pumas, there are so many other animals, like birds, and some hidden corners for landscape photography that you can only do from inside the property of Leona Amarga”.
We asked Eduardo if he had any recommendations for the technical equipment:
“I came in July, one of the coldest months of the year, and having warm clothes is essential to not get a bad experience during the sightings. For camera equipment, I recommend a good tele objective and an all-round camera. For wildlife, a lens of 200-600mm, f/5.6-6.3, and for landscape a 24-70mm lens.
You can see some of the photos from his experience on his Instagram @Eduardohernandezfotografia