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Panama Canal - Patagonia and Yosemite

by Mike McNamee

Two Continents
Two Photographers
Two Approaches
7,001 Miles Apart!

Timely visits by two of Professional Imagemaker's contributors to either end of the Americas seemed too good an opportunity for a dual article so we debriefed both Paul Gallagher and John Rowell on their return.

Yosemite and Patagonia are two places which appear on the bucket lists of many photographers but only a few actually make it to either. They are not even in the same hemisphere and so do not share seasons in any way. They share similar rock geology consisting of granite topped with sedimentary rock that has been ground away by glaciation. The weather in Patagonia is more extreme, indeed the area hosts the secondlargest ice field on Earth and many permanent glaciers. The smoothness of the Yosemite rock walls is contrasted with the towering, frostshattered peaks of Patagonia. For the curious, the scale in landscape images is always a puzzle demanding an answer. The mountain complex of the Torres del Paine from Punta Bariloche round to the Torres Norte is about 8 miles which makes it comparable in span to the Coullin of Skye. The famous W-walk around and about the Torres del Paine spans Punta Bariloche to the Torres but the route winds in and out of the valleys for a three-day tour.

Patagonia was first introduced to a wider English audience with the publication of Across Patagonia in 1880 by British aristocrat, Lady Florence Dixie. She was the first tourist to come to Torres del Paine and arrived with her group in 1879; her vivid description of her first sight of Torres del Paine: "...now, as if by magic, from the bowels of the earth, a grand and glorious landscape had sprung up around us ...jagged peaks were cleft in the most fantastic fashion...". She was led by Avelino Arias and other Baqueanos (Chilean cowboys).

More recently the area has been described with the words: "climbing in Patagonia will leave you with bragging rights that will last a lifetime." The first ascent of the Central Torres del Paine was in 1962 by Chris Bonington and Don Whillans. Whillans had a near miss when a fixed rope on the Central Torres del Paine snapped and he managed to put his weight on the holds with split-second timing before retying the rope. It was only as recently as 2013 that someone traversed all three Paine Towers solo.

Yosemite is probably better known to UK readers but shares the same predominantly granite rocks as Torres del Paine but is characterised by towering, vertical walls rather than jagged towers. Both have long been the playground of serious mountaineers; both are providers of spectacular landscape scenery. In many ways the scenery of Yosemite has been defined via the photography of Ansel Adams.

Patagonia - John Rowell

Where did you go and when?
We went to two National Parks in Patagonia. One, Los Glaciares in the Argentinian part of Patagonia and Torres del Paine which lies 550km further south in Chile.


Why did you go and who with?
It is a long story but when we moved to Snowdonia I knew that my travelling days were over but the trade-off was that I could immerse myself in the landscape I have loved since childhood. We opened a gallery and because it is housed in an annex of the Moel Siabod Cafe in Capel Curig, I get to meet a lot of the mountain leaders/instructors etc. One of the instructors, Rob Johnson, was running a trip and at the last minute he had a cancellation. Patagonia was the one place left on my 'bucket list' and Marion argued that I would regret it for the rest of my life if I didn't take the opportunity.

How did you get there?
From Heathrow to San Paulo in Brazil. From there to Buenos Aries in Argentina and on to El Calafate which is close to the National Parks.
How long did that take?
27 hrs

What does the travel part cost?
You can normally get a ticket for £800 but I had to pay a premium for booking at the last minute.

What kit did you take?
This was a self-supporting trip, ie 12 to 23km per day trekking carrying all your equipment. By necessity I left all my Canon full-frame camera gear at home and opted for a micro four-thirds system with only one lens attached. I was aware this was a huge gamblebut had confidence in the system having used it in the mountains of Snowdonia for the previous six months. I was not disappointed, it provided Raw files of stunning quality and worked flawlessly throughout the trip. I must place on record the support given by Sarah Jones of Cambrian Photography and Aidan Mayne from Olympus who offered to loan other equipment but space and weight were the defining factors.
Cameras - Olympus OMD EM5 Mk11
Lenses - 14-150mm zoom
Tripod - Sirui travel tripod
Filters - None
Image storage - 1 x 32GB, 4x 16GB cards
Laptop - No
Kit bag - Osprey Rucksack
Carry-on luggage - None
Special clothing - Normal outdoor layering system

How long did you go for?
Two weeks

What is the weather in the area like?
According to the Köppen climate classification, the park lies in the 'temperate climate of cold rain without a dry season.' The meteorological conditions of the park are variable due to the complex orography.

The zone is characterised by cool summers, with temperatures lower than 16°C (61°F) during the warmest month (January). Winter is relatively cold, with an average high temperature in July of 5°C (41°F), and an average low of -3°C (27°F).

The rainiest months are March and April, with a monthly average rainfall of 80mm. This represents double the July-October (winter) rainfall which are the drier months. What was your weather like?
We went at the end of October till the middle of November which was just leading into spring. We had only four hours of rain on the whole trip and only briefly experienced the notorious winds which can hamper the world's best rock climbers as they wait to attempt the infamous spires.

How many shots did you make?
I took 2,500 which included a number of stitched panoramas, which I thought suited the mountains and lakes that we encountered.

In terms of scale, how big is the landscape you were working in.
The best way to compare is the area the parks cover and the height of the mountains. They are as follows:
Torres del Paine NP covers 935 square miles, max height 2,500m
Los Glaciares NP covers 2,807 square miles, max height 3,405m
Snowdonia NP covers 827 square miles, max height 1,085m
Lake District NP covers 885 square miles, max height 978m
Yosemite NP covers 1,168 square miles, max height 3,997m

Mt FitzRoy is 123 miles almost due north of Torres del Paine as the condor flies but it is almost 350 miles by road. By way of example, the Torres del Paine complex is similar in size to the Coullin of Skye.

Did you have local maps?
Yes, they were purchased locally and allowed us to see the areas we were visiting in context with the rest of Argentina and Chile. We also used trail maps for the two parks we visited.

How well marked are the paths?
Extremely well marked and maintained. As well as 'public' paths which could be used by anyone others, marked on the maps were trails which could only be used when accompanied by a guide.

Were there many other people about?
Not in great numbers. We went at the beginning of the recognised season and the industry was just gearing up for a busy summer.

What is your favourite moment or experience of the trip?
Funnily enough the day it rained. I wasn't expecting much and after about four hours I was on the edge of a clearing storm and then we boarded a boat onto Lago Grey and the glacier loomed large in front with stunning rime ice starting to appear in the mountains to the side.

Which is your favourite image from the trip and why?
My image of Fitzroy which became my 'signature print' from the trip and hangs in the Moel Siabod Cafe. It was one of those moments when it all came together and you knew you were experiencing something very special that you would remember for the rest of your life. Very much the same feeling I got when photographing 'Tryfan Skylight' previously published in the magazine.

Would you go back again?
Not usually an advocate of revisiting places as I fear it may break the spell. I go with no expectations and so everything is new and an adventure. Would I be so lucky with the weather again? Don't get me wrong though, it is one of the most stunning places on Earth and it will live in my memory and heart forever.

Yosemite - Paul Gallagher

Where did you go and when?
Flew to San Francisco and then drove to Yosemite National Park in both May 2014 and September 2015.

Why did you go and who with?
I needed to follow in the footsteps of Ansel Adams who I studied as a 16-year-old photography student. First visit was in 2014 with Michael Pilkington and 2015 was with an Aspect2i workshop group.

How did you get there?
Flew to San Francisco then drove a hire car for four hours to the National Park.

How long did that take?
The flights and drive took approximately 19 hours door to door!

What does the travel part cost?
£800 for flights and the hire car was £560 for 10 days.

What kit did you take?
Cameras - Nikon D800e and Nikon D700 IR converted
Lenses - 24mm Tilt and Shift, 16-35mm, 24-70mm and 70-200mm
Tripod - Gitzo 3452XLS with Manfrotto and 6-inch spikes, 405 geared head
Filters - Full set of Lee Filters 1,2,3 stop soft grads, 1,2,3,stop hard grads, 2,3 stop NDs, Little and Big Stoppers and Lee Polariser
Image storage - Laptop Mac Book Pro
Laptop - Mac Book Pro
Kit Bag - fStop Satori
Carry-on luggage - as above without the tripod!!
Special clothing - shorts and t-shirts

How long did you go for?
Ten days on both trips.

What is the weather in the area like?
Yosemite has a Mediterranean climate (Köppen climate classification Csa), meaning most precipitation falls during the mild winter, and the other seasons are nearly dry (less than 3% of precipitation falls during the long, hot summers). Because of orographic lift, precipitation increases with elevation up to 8,000 feet (2,400m) where it slowly decreases to the crest. Precipitation amounts vary from 36 inches (910mm) at 4,000 feet (1,200m) elevation to 50 inches (1,300mm) at 8,600 feet (2,600m). Snow does not typically persist on the ground until November in the high country. It accumulates all winter and into March or early April.

Mean daily temperatures range from 25 °F (-4°C) to 53 °F (12°C) at Tuolumne Meadows at 8,600 feet (2,600m). At the Wawona Entrance (elevation 5,130 feet or 1,560 metres), mean daily temperature ranges from 36 to 67°F (2 to 19°C). At the lower elevations below 5,000 feet (1,500m), temperatures are hotter; the mean daily high temperature at Yosemite Valley (elevation 3,966 feet or 1,209 metres) varies from 46 to 90°F (8 to 32°C). At elevations above 8,000 feet (2,400m), the hot, dry summer temperatures are moderated by frequent summer thunderstorms, along with snow that can persist into July. The combination of dry vegetation, low relative humidity, and thunderstorms results in frequent lightning-caused fires as well.

At the park headquarters, with an elevation of 3,966 feet (1,209m), January averages 38.2°F (3.4°C), while July averages 73.0°F (22.8°C), though in summer the nights are much cooler than the hot days. Freezing temperatures have been recorded in every month of the year. The record high temperature was 115°F (46°C) on July 20, 1915, while the record low temperature was -6°F (-21°C) on January 2, 1924 and on January 21, 1937. Average annual precipitation is nearly 37 inches (940mm), falling on 65 days. The snowiest year was 1967 with 154.9 inches (3.93m).

What was your weather like?
Hot with clear skies but occasionally passing storm clouds, which made the light amazing!

How many shots did you make?
Approximately 150 in colour and 100 in IR.

In terms of scale, how big is the landscape you were working in?
See John Rowell's section for area and height comparisons. Yosemite extends over a larger area, the walk to Half Dome from the village via Vernal Falls is 17 miles (I've done it - Ed!). There are 800 miles of trails and long-distance paths although you need to be aware of the bears if you camp and follow advice on storing food. A permit is required. It is an offence to leave food in your car; the bears have been known to rip the doors off cars to get to a cheese sandwhich under a car seat!

Did you have local maps?
I just had a local pamphlet map supplied by the Park Rangers and followed the roads. True adventure!

How well marked are the paths?
Very well marked and documented on the park maps. Very much geared up for visitors!

Were there many other people about?
The Yosemite Valley can get busy, certainly around the village but the real wilderness is away from this and especially high up on the Tioga Pass.

What is your favourite moment or experience of the trip?
Seeing the sun setting and going down the face of El Capitan at Tunnel View above the valley.

Which is your favourite image from the trip and why?
The photograph from Tuolumne Meadows at 9,000ft when a storm was passing at the end of the day. The light was clear and crisp at this altitude.

Would you go back again?
Yes!! I have two workshops scheduled for 2016 and we have five photographers booked onto our 2017 workshop already! I am a lucky man!

Commentary - Mike McNamee

One of the many joys of editing Professional Imagemaker is that you occasionally get to compile features such as this. It would take a dull soul to travel with two superb photographers to these remote and foreign lands and not emerge enthused and enlightened. Half of the fun comes from editing text and sifting through images, but equally important is the learning process, conducting background research and reading around the subject. Simply creating and editing the maps and having to look exactly at the route people walked and their journeys to the start requires concentrated reading, as against the quick flick around Google Earth that often suffices.

Both regions are in many ways quite different in their character. Yosemite is slightly softer in its outlines but of a grander scale with towering vertical rock faces and trees the height of multi-storey buildings; it is generally also warmer. Patagonia is characterised by wild, extreme and changeable weather, its rock towers are fortresses from all but the most skilled climbers and there are few 'easy routes around the back' giving access to the summits. This is the place where demons and dragons dwell, holed up against the biting, tearing wind that strips the landscape bare of all but the hardiest shrubbery. Patagonia has active glaciers; those of Yosemite are long gone having completed their sculpting of the valley.

Patagonia is the less visited; it is the furthest place that man has walked to since he up-sticked from Ethiopia and set off on an evolutionary journey that took in the north of India, China, Russia, the Bering Strait (dry shod!) and then down through both North and the recently connected South America. Although it is considered by many to be a footballer factory with a bit of tango thrown in for culture, South America is a rising commercial powerhouse - the meal eaten the day this was written was accompanied by grapes from Peru, cherries from Chile, all washed down with an Argentinian Malbec!

Photographically our two contributors are quite different. John Rowel was heavily laden with survival gear, food, stove and tent, leaving space only for an Olympus 4/3 camera and a single lens; Paul Gallagher on the other hand was laden with DSLRs, a big tripod and an armoury of lenses - often moved around in the back of a car. The difference in the number of images shot is telling; Rowell, always on the move, shot 10 times more than Gallagher who had time to ponder and linger, sorting out a viewpoint without fear of falling behind, being stranded in a whiteout or simply being frozen to the spot! Both approaches are, of course, equally valid - you can embark on a lightweight raid into a remote place or you can sit closer to your car while your camera grinds out an image through a Big Stopper; all you have to worry about in Yosemite is being chased by bears (trust me it is scary, been there -got the t-shirt!). That is not to say, by the way, that Yosemite can be taken lightly, the place is high, frost can occur on any day of the year and people have died in autumn to be found in their car in the following spring when the snow melted. The scale of Yosemite is also large; Half Dome and back is a 17-mile yomp, and that is the easy route around the back - the direct route up is a vertical rock climb which took the first-ascenders five days. By way of comparison Half Dome is climbed by as many as 1,000 people per day (it requires a permit today, when I did it in July 1986 there were just nine people around on the fixed rope section!). Torres del Paine receives 150,000 visitors per year, Yosemite 3.8 million. The whole of Argentina is only visited by 5.8 million tourists each year.

Both regions are well documented with fine literature. For inspiration we went to Bruce Chatwin's book, In Patagonia, which describes the oddball collection of Falklanders, Welsh*, Germans, Boers, etc who have recreated their homelands in the discrete little valleys of Patagonia which resulted in him singing hymns in Welsh in a chapel that could have been airlifted out of a Welsh valley. Yosemite is also well served by literature and, from a photographic viewpoint, the work of Ansel Adams stands out; it is quite a thrill for a photographer to stand in the Adams gallery in Yosemite Village, surrounded by his favourite subject matter. John Muir's writing would be a good place to start. Much of the literature for Yosemite is in the form of guide books and photo essays.

*Nearly 150 years ago, on July 28 1865, more than 150 Welsh-speaking men, women and children landed at what is now Puerto Madryn on the Atlantic coast of Argentine Patagonia. They had sailed in May from Liverpool on the Mimosa, a converted tea clipper, with the intention of establishing a community where they could practise their language and faith free from the dictates of 'English' government. Many emigrants left from areas around North Wales close to The Societies' HQ.



Updated 27/04/2026 16:44:22 Last Modified: Monday, 27 April 2026