One expects to stand in awe of rugged mountains in Patagonia. But what truly defines this austere environment is the wind. The brutal forces of the wind arrive unobstructed from the Pacific, and everything in its path mountains, TREES, animals, people are subject to its unrelenting presence.

This two-week adventure was the fulfillment of along simmering desire to return to Chile, where I had traveled on business in the early 90s. Perhaps it was the distant sight of the snowcapped Andes peeking through the smog in Santiago that drew me back. Maybe it was all my gear with “patagonia” labels. I chose to return in April (2008), since April is autumn in South America, and apart from the foliage, is known to offer a few weeks of respite from the incessant wind.

Not that year; in 2008 it blew. The endless wind-tsunami surged over the land with massive energy. It generated whitecaps on the lakes day and night; gusts hurled water and dust horizontally across vast stretches of lakes and foothills; it parted the fur of foxes and guanacos; swept plumes of snow high off the ridges to crown the peaks, and played with ever-changing shadow and light in the roiling clouds across the massif.

The wind's pervasive presence eventually permeates your entire being. It alters how you think and act. It drives the narrative of each day and determines everything: tripod or not, film or not, driving rain or not, spectacular sunrise or not. I found myself always bracing or looking for the lee of a tree, a vehicle, or a building. At times it was like shooting a sporting event; opportunities could be timed in fractions of seconds with compositions here and gone within moments. At night the wind created dreams of silence. When it stopped, on the last day, the psychological liberation made me giddy.

I mostly photograph for the meditative aspects, focusing on being in-the-moment, and letting images reveal themselves; I don't think in terms of “projects”. Once I started editing these images, however, they assembled themselves emerging and evolving into a narrative over a period of about seven months. Ironically, I had gone in April to photograph fall foliage in color, but could see that a number of images demanded to be monochrome. Then I noticed that the “literal” images and abstract images were finding a natural balance. It was as though the winds were still blowing and rearranging. I was pleased, though. I not only came away from five perfect days in Torres del Paine National Park with images of its inspiring peaks, but of the invisible force that has the power to shape them.

Çeviri (translation by) : Şebnem AYKOL

John ALFANO Hakkında

Batı Massachusetts, Berkshire Dağları’nda 1957’de doğan John C. Alfano biyoloji ve felsefe diplomalarını aldığı  Boston College’a devam etti. Bir mezuniyet sonrası macerası hevesi ile Bosron Globe’daki bir ilana cevap yazdı ve sonrasında 3 yıl yaşadığı, Yosemite Milli Park’ında işe alındı.

 

80’lerin başında Yosemite’nin zengin güzelliği ve engebeli arazisinde uzun yürüyüşler ve keşifler yaparken, değişmez refakatçisi hafif bir Pentax ME Super’di. İlham alabilmek için Ansel Adams Galerisi’ni  düzenli ziyaret etti, ve buharlı bir tesisat odasını karanlık odaya çevirerek, kendi kendine siyah beyaz baskı almayı öğrendi.

 

Bu gençlik macerasının peşinden koşarken John, Amerika’da ve hatta tüm dünyadaki tasarım ve basın dünyasına, Macintosh’u tanıtan masaüstü yayıncılık ekibinin bir üyesi olarak Apple Bilgisayarları için çalıştı. Apple için çalışırken ; diğerlerinin yanısıra, ilk dijital transfer ve gazetelerde renkli fotoğraf kullanımı gibi konularda öncülük etti. Sonrasında John, internet radyoculuğu, internet sağlık programı oluşturarak çalışmaya devam etti, ve en sonunda Alcatel’de çalıştı. Tüm bu dönem içinde, fotoğraf dönem dönem  kariyerinin gölgesinde kaldı.

 

Apple için çalışırken John, Japonya, Hong Kong, Singapur, Hindistan, Avustralya ve Latin Amerika gibi pek çok yere seyahat etti. On yıllık bir aradan sonra Kuzey Hindistan’da Ladakh’a giderken, yıpranmış Pentax kamerasını da beraberinde götürdü. “Bu Budist dünyasından, insanlardan,ve bunların her yerde hissedilir tinsel havasından çok etkilendimse de, başlangıçlar dünyasına gittiğimde makinayı yine bir kenara attım.” Yıllar sonra, bunalmış bir şekilde, Yosemite’ye döndü. Orada, bir farkındalık anında, hayatını tekrar dengeye oturtabilmek için gerekli şeyin  fotoğraf olduğunu farketti. Sonunda Alcatel’den ayrıldı ve son başlangıç olarak eşinin işinde çalışmaya başladı. Şimdilerde özel danışmanlık yaptığı dönemler dışında fotoğraf hayatına devam ediyor.

 

John pazarlama danışmanlığı yaptığı Los Altos, Kaliforniya’da, günlerini  14 yaşındaki oğlunu en iyi biçimde yetiştirmeye çalışarak ve bir şekilde tutkusunun peşinde koşarak  yaşıyor.

Web sitesi: www.johnalfano.com

Ekipman : Nikon digital and Phase One/Contax 645.

Baskı : Epson 3800.

e-kitap : Before the Mountain digital, available on the website.

 

Ödüller:

2009: B&W magazine, Annual Portfolio Contest:  Spotlight Award,  Issue 71(Dec)

2010: Black and White Spider Awards; Nominee in both Abstract and Nature categories

 

Basılmış Eserler:

2009: LensWork, No. 84

2009: LensWork Extended, images, audio interview, Before the Mountain video

John Alfano (taken by Giancarlo Alfano)

About John Alfano

 

Born in the Berkshire mountains of western Massachusetts in 1957, John C. Alfano went on to attend Boston College, where he earned Bachelor degrees in biology and philosophy. In need of a post-graduation adventure, he answered an ad in the Boston Globe on a whim, and was hired for a job in Yosemite National Park, where he lived for 3 years.

 

While hiking and exploring the rugged terrain and rich beauty of Yosemite in the early 80s, his steady companion was a lightweight Pentax ME Super. He made regular visits to the Ansel Adams Gallery for inspiration, and taught himself how to print black-and-white photographs by converting a steamy utility closet into a darkroom.

Following this youthful adventure, John worked for Apple Computer as a member of one of the earliest desktop publishing teams which introduced the Macintosh to the creative and publishing communities in the U.S., and eventually around the world. At Apple he was instrumental in pioneering, among other things, the first digital transmission and use of color photographs in newspapers. John went on to work for an internet radio start-up, a healthcare start-up, and finally, Alcatel. During this time, his photography repeatedly fell in the shadow of his career.

While working for Apple John traveled extensively— to Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore, India, Australia and Latin America. After a ten year hiatus from photography he packed his much-abused Pentax to accompany him on two separate trips to Ladakh, in northern India. "Although I was moved by this ancient Buddhist land, the people, and the ubiquitous expressions of their spirituality, I again stowed my aging camera when I returned to the land of start-ups." Years later, exhausted, he returned to Yosemite. There, in a moment of clarity, he realized that photography was the key to regaining balance in his life. He eventually left Alcatel and launched his wife's business as his last startup. He now pursures his photographic life, with occasional breaks for consulting.

John lives in Los Altos, California, where he works as a marketing consultant, does his best raising his 14 -year old son, and pursures his passion in some way, everyday.

www.johnalfano.com

Works with: Nikon digital and Phase One/Contax 645. Prints with Epson 3800.

eBook: Before the Mountain digital, available on the website.

Awards:

2009: B&W magazine, Annual Portfolio Contest:  Spotlight Award,  Issue 71(Dec)

2010: Black and White Spider Awards; Nominee in both Abstract and Nature categories

Publication features:

2009: LensWork, No. 84

2009: LensWork Extended, images, audio interview, Before the Mountain video