El Tatio geyser field, Chile
Phase One A-Series, IQ180, 23mm Rodenstock, f11 @ ½ second, ISO 100

In Sydney a few days ago, the coast was shrouded in mist – which is unusual. While mist on the inland waterways is common enough, normally there’s too much of a coastal breeze for the mist to hang around the ocean beaches. However, imagine you were a visitor to Sydney and had experienced this? You’d be forgiven for thinking it’s a regular occurrence.

The photo above is taken at El Tatio, a geothermal field with a bunch of steaming geysers located not too far from San Pedro de Atacama in Chile. Located at 4,300 metres or so, you will be forgiven for finding the walk around the geyser fields a little taxing, even though the field itself is relatively flat.

While the geysers steam all day long, it’s only when the temperature is cold enough that the steam condenses to create the wonderful ghostly shapes and curtains. And this explains why most trips to El Tatio start very early in the morning so you arrive at first light. You might be forgiven for thinking it’s so the photographers get the sunrise colours, but this is just a fortunate side benefit.

When I stumbled out of the van in the early morning darkness, I was simply pointed in the direction of the geyser fields and told to be careful where I trod. While there are rocks surrounding the vents, if the steam is really thick it can be difficult to see where you’re going in the gloaming! These days, the paths are a little more obvious and low stone walls protect you better, but I reckon a few tourists still manage to get hot feet from time to time!

In comparison to the early morning wonderland, viewing the geyser field in bright sunlight is only mildly interesting. The emotive captures need more steam and, if you’re there at the right time, some warm sunlight on the surrounding hills doesn’t hurt.

I’ve only visited this location once and very early there was lots of steam to work with, but within a couple hours, the sunshine had warmed the surrounding air sufficiently that the steam simply disappeared. So timing is everything – and keeping your fingers crossed that the temperature will be cold enough for lots of steam.

For this photo, what caught my eye was the beautiful blue and aqua colours in the geyser pool and how they contrasted with the red mineral deposits and the orange hills in the background. A wide-angle lens allowed me to get in close to the foreground, while keeping the hills in the top of the composition. A classic landscape camera angle.