The Fitz Roy Story

As an artist, it’s difficult to understand where inspiration has its origin. As you practice your art you eventually become aware of circumstances which are more likely to spark creativity. But many times, a vague feeling seems to grip your spirit. if recognized and followed it may lead places you never imagined. Such is the journey culminating in this photograph of Mount Fitz Roy in Argentina’s Patagonia region.

For years I’d seen the work of others, images of rugged rock pillars, encrusted in snow and ice. Patagonia is known for extreme weather conditions which can change abruptly. Summers are recognized to have winds in the 120 mph range, capable of lifting a hiker with pack off the ground. I confess thoughts of an expedition racked by hardship held me at bay for years. Yet one day in the fall of 2022, a single travel brochure image captured my imagination, locking my focus on a magical landscape I had to visit.

Over the next 5 months, I trained for adversity. The trip I chose to join would be 10 days hiking and camping, yet I had only tent camped one night in my life and never hiked with a serious backpack. Six miles a day with a pack simulating weight I would carry was my starting point. I looked for local elevations to stress myself, though I would discover later they were insufficiently difficult. Camping equipment was procured and goal specific cameras and lenses were carefully selected. Within all reasonable constraints nothing was left to chance.

In April of 2023 I departed from Atlanta, Georgia for El Calefate, Argentina via Buenos Aires. Arrival at the small international airport was followed by a 3 hour bus ride to El Chalten, an even smaller town beside the edges of glaciers and mountains within Los Glaciares National Park. It was here legendary Mount Fitz Roy thrust into the sky. The small group of photographers I had joined was led by an Italian photographer and his partner, delightful people. They explained we would start the trip with the most difficult terrain, ascending a natural slope on private land to a ridge at an elevation a little over 3,000 feet. We would camp inside the tree line for added protection from the elements. What we didn’t yet know was how steep the hike would be. Numbers in a spreadsheet don’t quite prepare you for the rigors of untamed terrain on which every foot fall must be intentionally chosen, coordinated with a choreography of walking sticks. One third of the way up, the quads in both legs began cramping so badly I couldn’t bend my knees. Aside from the excruciating muscle pain, I began falling behind the rest of the group. I would rest five minutes until my knees would bend, then slowly continue the ascent. 100 feet later the cramps would return. As word of my plight passed up the mountain, the leader returned to check on me. He was gracious and offered to take my backpack, asking if he could distribute the contents among the other climbers. Their assistance was the only thing ensuring my arrival at 3,200 feet, hours later. I have never been so exhausted or physically humbled. A tent site had been chosen in my absence and my tent unexpectedly prepared. At dinner I thanked everyone for making the climb possible, gratitude which needed to be expressed.

The following morning was 28 degrees fahrenheit, but dead calm. As we watched in awe, the signature Fitz Roy peak caught the first rays of morning light, glowing pink in the dimmer pre-sunrise sky. By the time full light was cast on the massif and snow field at its base, I sensed the photograph I had come to make. Using a Sony zoom @400mm on the flagship Sony alpha 1 body, I focused on the sheer rock face. Rising 1.25 miles above avalanche fractured snow, incredible detail was revealed thru the pristine air. I knew I wanted to capture a panoramic composite, expressing the majesty in my viewfinder. I carefully planned three rows of four overlapping frames, twelve in total. While most photographers were shooting wide angle or single frame compositions, I was confident my long telephoto composite would be unique. As I developed the files 10 days later in my Atlanta digital darkroom all expectations were easily surpassed. The depth and caliber of the completed image was on a scale exceeding any work I had ever created. As I drilled into the resolution of the file I could not fathom the implications. I ordered a 12” x 92” print strip as a test of the actual rendering. The detail held true, meaning this image could be printed as a nearly 9 x 16 foot mural! I created virtual displays of my living room to plan a print, eventually choosing a 10 x 4 foot aspect ratio, in 5 vertical panels. Guests viewing the work for the first time gape incomprehensibly, asking simply, “How?”

Fitz Roy, a pinnacle among the world’s peaks, is also a pinnacle in my life journey behind a camera.

Sharing this piece, even on a large monitor, does not do it justice. To reveal the scale I created a video with progressive zoom into the full resolution of the file. This imparts an effect akin to flying, from where I stood on a ridge to an intimate approach facing timeless rock and fracture lines, 8 1/2 miles away. Think goosebumps. Fitz Roy is best viewed on a large computer display. After clicking the link below, enlarge the YouTube window to full screen view and turn up the volume for the accompanying soundtrack.