Pas de Deux

• Photographer
  Aubra L. Franklin, United States
• Studio
  Aubra Franklin
• Website
  http://aubrafranklin.com

Los Cuernos, or “the horns,” are the stars of the Parque Nacional
Torres del Paine in Chile. These majestic mountains invoke awe as
they rightly claim their standing as world class summits in the
rarefied air of Half Dome in Yosemite Valley, the Matterhorn, the
Maroon Bells and the Grand Tetons. Standing on the rock edge
above Salto Grande, or “great falls,” I was mesmerized by the
scene before me. The energy of the moment was amplified as I
contended with sustained winds of 40 miles per hour with gusts
up to 60 miles per hour. The difficulty of this shot cannot be
overstated as I labored to stay steady while keeping the water
spray off the lens.

The vision of the peaks silhouetted against a magnificent canvas
of spectacular cloud formations took my breath away. The horns
tower over this scene in the perfect pas de deux with an equally
impressive supporting cast of rushing water, billowing clouds and
perfectly positioned landforms as if it was an exquisitely
choreographed ballet. The performance that day was fresh and
alive, yet in the natural spontaneity you could not help but see a
well-rehearsed production that was eons in the making.

As a budding architecture student, he embarked on an odyssey crisscrossing the expanse of the United States, encapsulating the very essence of iconic architectural marvels through his discerning lens. It was within the immersive tapestry of this journey that his fervor for photography melded seamlessly with his deep affection for the constructed and natural world. His photographic perspective, honed through the lens of an architect, emphasized aesthetics and the multidimensional nature of his subjects.