2 Pro Atacama Desert Chile-more images

[Dale D]

As I sit here editing my videos and images to prepare my assets folder for a video, I always like to find a few to submit to the forum. Here are a few images from the Atacama Desert, Chile, all shot with the M2P and edited in Adobe Photoshop, with the great help of the new masking tool. I cannot emphasize enough, the great addition this is to Photoshop. I can isolate and edit any single part of my image.

The white material you see is not snow, but salt.

Click on image to enlarge. Comments always welcomed.

Dale
Miami

 

[MPone]

Did you self drive? I see a 4x4 in the photo.

 

[Dale D]

Did you self drive? I see a 4x4 in the photo.

NO WAY! Under no circumstances would I advise anyone, no matter how good a driver or navigator, to drive either in the town of San Pedro de Atacama (where all the hotels are) or the roads here. I have traveled to over 100 countries and have driven in most of them, even on the other side of the road as in South Africa or New Zealand, or UK. Here there are absolutely NO road signs and practically no internet, Google maps, etc. outside of town. Believe me, I tried my Google maps and had the ATT International Calling Plan with the same data as I have in Miami. I could not get routes, internet, etc. The town has no road signs. The desert would be a disaster since even the turn offs for the sights is not marked in most cases.

Besides that, there is the history, geology, finding the petroglyphs (rock carvings), finings the sites in the desert. Get a good guide, or better still, stay at one of the premium lodges in the world where you will have wonderful guides, great meals, and a room with a view. If you are spending all that money to fly to Santiago, and then onwards to Calama and then another 50 miles to San Pedro de Atacama, you really should do it right.

Dale
Miami

 

[MPone]

You could use maps.me app to download an offline map. I use this even at the remotes parts of the world. GPS capable and no cell data required.

 

[Dale D]

You could use maps.me app to download an offline map. I use this even at the remotes parts of the world. GPS capable and no cell data required.

View attachment 146977

 

[Dale D]

MPone:

Regardless of the availability of a map, the turn offs from the main road out of town. (San Pedro) are unmarked. After the first turn off (to the left), there were numerous additional turn offs, no a single one marked. You are on a desert gravel road with nothing in sight except scenery. If you get into the various canyons, it becomes even more discombubulating. If you return at night (which we did for astrophotography) it is pitch black when you shoot at the new (no) moon, which we also did. The desert is dark, cold, and very difficult to navigate at night. Coming back to the hotel in pitch black (except for headlights) was a bit scary for me.

I strongly recommend a guide, both for learning about the stuff you are seeing, and taking you to the right places. The guides know these areas like the palms of their hand. You would be foolhardy to try to save money on a guide service. Guides were included with our Explora Package, but I would imagine you could hire one for $100 USD a night, which is what I did for the astrophotography.

Will be happy to answer anything else on a conversation so as not to bore everyone else around the world.

Dale
Miami

 

[Skywatcher2001]

Dale I always read all your comments my friend. Those desert photos are simply amazing! Just getting shots from the ground is not good enough. I'd have to get the bird up in the air. I'd definitely pay the guide a lil extra to let me fly in the remote areas.

Those images truly look amazing. If it weren't for the blue sky, I'd think it was Mars.

 

[Dale D]

Dale I always read all your comments my friend. Those desert photos are simply amazing! Just getting shots from the ground is not good enough. I'd have to get the bird up in the air. I'd definitely pay the guide a lil extra to let me fly in the remote areas.

Those images truly look amazing. If it weren't for the blue sky, I'd think it was Mars.

So, it turns out that the guide loved drones and actually, he brought along his own mini 2 to fly with me that night before the sun set. We started out about 6 PM at the golden hour, caught the shadows crossing the landscape, then waited for dark skies which took until about 12 midnight. For that, I paid him $100 USD which I had promised him if he too me, plus a $40.00 tip. Believe me, there is no way I could have gotten out there, or back in the total blackness of night with unmarked roads and curves.

If I had listened to the Chilean government I would never have had the opportunity to fly there.

Dale