Travel to Chilean Patagonia (Torres del Paine) | Full Documentary
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The Torres del Paine National Park is located in the Chilean Patagonia, in an area of climatic contrasts that have allowed a great variety of plant and animal species. Located in the middle of the Andean range, the Paine massif lends its name to the National Park. The mountains, with peaks in excess of 3,000 metres, mark a diving line which differentiates two completely different areas.
- To the west of the range, on the Pacific side, moisture-laden winds collide with the slopes and releases their rain, which hardly ever reaches the other face. It is a cold and wet side, characterised by rocks, forests and ice.
- On the east slope, where rain hardly ever falls, large plains extend as far as the Atlantic, the steppe gradually transforming into quasi-desert.
The entire relief of the Patagonian Andean range has a pronounced glacial character.
Thaw waters arriving from the Paine massif irrigate both slopes. There are a multitude of rivers and large glacial lakes are spread throughout the park.
Waterfowl, ñandues, armadillos, geese and foxes are some of the most numerous species of the park, although there is an animal that stands out above all because it is the most characteristic of Patagonia: the guanaco.
Of the four South American camels, it is the most adaptable and can live from sea level up to a height of 4000 metres.
There is a stable population of them in Torres del Paine. The young males congregate in herds of approximately 30 until the age of five, when they reach sexual maturity. At this moment, they separate form the group and seek their own territory and females and form a new family.
The guanaco herds divide the Torres del Paine brushland and pre-desert into marked territorial areas. Each group has a dominant male, which does not allow any of the adolescents to mate with its females and an inflexible hierarchy is established.
In the mating season, these dominant males have to reaffirm their position in face of new candidates and there are frequent chases, biting, and spitting of gastric juices and partially digested matter.
Although their distribution is highly restricted by the pressure of man, something of the ancient totemic respect of the South American Indians continues to impregnate the figure of the guanaco. Some inhabitants of the region still approach areas where herds have spent the night to collect earth sodden with urine and excrement. They form small balls out of it and use it in the form of pills as medicine for different bodily and spiritual ailments.
In the same way as the Patagonians admired the guanaco, the Incas worshipped the condor like god. For them, it was the “Lord of the Andes”, a mythological animal which inspired them with respect and veneration.
The Andean condor is the largest bird of prey in the world and the largest flying bird. With a span of almost four metres and weighing up to 12 kilos, this majestic flyer requires air currents in order to fly. Its enormous muscles only allow it to make thirty consecutive wing movements before fallin in exhaustion, which is why they are generally to be seen planing in circles until reaching heights of over 6,000 metres.
Video Blog - 3 Weeks in Chile and Patagonia
A behind the scenes look at a 3 week bird photography expedition to Chile. Join me as I search the mountains, rainforests and windswept plains of Patagonia searching for birds like the Magellanic Woodpecker, Chestnut-throated Huet Huet and Andean Condor.
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Glenn Bartley is a professional nature photographer who focuses on photographing birds in their natural habitat. He resides in Victoria, British Columbia on Canada’s West Coast.
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Patagonia Vacation Travel Guide | Expedia
Patagonia – travel here to the land that time forgot and set out on the journey of a lifetime where Mother Nature runs the show.
When ready, browse vacation packages to Patagonia:
#Patagonia, the fabled ‘edge of the world’, spans the southernmost regions of Chile and Argentina and can be rugged and desolate as well as breathtakingly beautiful and inviting.
This last frontier of South America is a colorful mosaic of snow-capped mountains, icebergs, volcanoes, glaciers, forests, lakes and vast steppe plains. This is a land of legendary beauty.
On the Argentinean side, the scenic Road of the 7 Lakes takes you from San Martín de los Andes to Villa La Angostura and finally San Carlos de Bariloche, a popular ski resort on the shores of Lake Nahuel Huapi. Trekking opportunities, national parks and awe-inspiring glaciers await you when on #vacation here.
On the Chilean side of Patagonia, the regional capital Punta Arenas attracts visitors with its colonial architecture, cultural attractions and hospitality. Caves, horse riding and hiking opportunities, peaks and waterfalls are ripe for exploring.
For now, we hope you enjoy watching this #travel #guide as much as we enjoyed making it.
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Chile : Land of Extremes Part 2 Forests of Defiance
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What to do in Chile: Adventure Tourism Patagonia - Open Nature
If you’re thinking about adventure, then pack your bags and head to the Patagonia, the land of glaciers, mountains and endless rivers. Come tour this diamond in the rough when it comes to outdoor sports, whether its trekking, kayaking or rock climbing.
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Parque Nacional Lauca (Chile) Vacation Travel Video Guide
Travel video about destination Parque Nactional Lauca in Chile.
In the northernmost region of Chile and in the eastern border region with Bolivia, extends a natural wonder that is one of the most elevated locations on Earth and one of the most natural of nature reserves, the Parque Nacional Lauca. The slopes of the undulating high plateau are covered with volcanic sand that cannot retain water. A bodefal is a wetland that forms at the bottom of the valleys between the hills and without them, livestock breeding would be impossible. Vicunas, Lamas and Alpacas graze on the green pasture within the demanding landscape and the wetlands provide good nourishment for both plant and wild life. The Lago Chungara is the highest lake on Earth and, yying at an altitude of nearly five thousand metres above sea level, it is even featured in the Guinness Book Of Records! This is the realm of the Aymara Indians and in their mythology this wild land and its volcanoes are sacred and indeed, part of the family. In all its splendour and originality, the Parque Nacional Lauca is one of the finest natural wonders on Earth.
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The 10 Best Eco-Friendly Tours in the World | Top Ecotourism Destinations In The World
The Best Eco-Friendly Tours
Roam the Amazon Rainforest in Peru
The Amazon Cloud Forest is one of Peru’s natural wonders. Conserve its flora and fauna when you embark on this 3-day trek.
Hike Through the Sierra Gorda Mountains in Mexico
This Mexico mountain range is known for its lush greenery and vibrant wildlife. See it in person while also helping to conserve its natural resources when you join this hike through waterfalls, springs, and tucked-away towns.
Forage for Fruit and Vegetables in Tel Aviv, Israel
Reduce your environmental impact while discovering Israel in an exciting way! Forage for food in the wild, learn how to grow edible plants, and become one with nature on this half-day tour.
Take an Eco-Friendly Walk Through Santiago, Chile
Chile’s capital city is rich in culture and history. Learn about it on this walking tour with an environmentally conscious twist. Not only will you get to visit Santiago’s central market, explore famous sites, and take home a reusable eco-friendly bag
Make Environmentally Conscious Crafts in Bangkok, Thailand
In this art class in Thailand’s capital, create your own notebook from recycled paper. The two-hour workshop is great for those who want an off-the-beaten-path experience that gives back to the local community.
Trek the Himalayas in India
Spend a night in a Himalayan village in northern India. Not only will you experience the cultural traditions, amazing vistas, and unforgettable interactions with locals
Take a Sustainable Bike Tour of San Juan, Puerto Rico
Explore Puerto Rico’s biggest city on two wheels while supporting the local environment. Drastically reduce your carbon footprint by opting for a bike tour over a car or bus tour.
Participate in Permaculture in Paris, France
If you want a new way of seeing France’s capital, join this urban gardening workshop. Instead of being trapped in a crowd of tourists, you’ll get to reconnect with nature by cultivating vegetables using recycled materials.
Help Grow a Garden in London, United Kingdom
Whether or not you have a natural green thumb, you can make an impact on London’s environment by joining this activity. Here, you’ll inject new life into neglected urban spaces by sowing seeds and caring for plants.
Experience Birdwatching in Barcelona, Spain
Explore Barcelona through a birdwatcher’s lens on a unique walking tour — all while supporting the preservation of urban biodiversity. Visit two famous parks in Barcelona to observe Mediterranean bird species and hear the history of the city.
Chile Travel With Malama Tours
Follow or join our adventures through the country of Chile , join us in the quest to connect with nature and learn the tools we need to save the planet , explore our culture , wildlife , food , indigenous cultures and much more ! our landscape is beyond incredible and I want to invite you to join us : ) custom tours in English .
AHI Travel: Chilean Wonders ~ Lake District & Patagonia
Connect with the wild nature and heart of Chile—a land known for poets, penguins and, of course, Patagonia’s striking landscape—on this nine-night journey through the South American jewel. Take in Santiago’s modern and colonial architecture and see palaces, museums and more. Meet rodeo cowboys on a Chilean ranch, and indulge in an authentic asado, or barbecue, paired with local music and dance. Then, travel to picturesque Chiloé Island, known for wooden churches as well as wildlife. Cruise a fjord to discover the massive Balmaceda Glacier. Tour the spectacular mountain scenery of Torres del Paine National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Biosphere Reserve, and visit the historic port city of Punta Arenas on the Strait of Magellan. Relax each evening in first-class accommodations and gain insight from expert local guides. Two flights within Chile are included in this program, along with an extensive meal plan and wine with dinner. Visit us online to learn more!
Journey to Chile's Wild Islands | National Geographic
In February 2013, National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence Enric Sala led a team of scientists and filmmakers to the Desventuradas Islands off the coast of Chile. What they found there was an abundance of beautiful life and a place in need of protection.
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Pristine Seas is a series of expeditions to find, survey, and preserve the last wild places in the ocean. For more information, visit
Journey to Chile's Wild Islands | National Geographic
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Across Patagonia: Chile's Lakes, Mountains & Wildlife
Journey to the ends of the Earth with Vantage! Here at the very tip of South America, explore the wonders of Patagonia, meet the penguins of Chiloe Island, and discover the volcanoes and rapids of Vicente Péres Rosales en route to the Valdivian temperate rainforest.
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What to do in Chile: Gastronomy Central Chile - Open Nature
The culinary offer in Central Chile takes you on a tour of stimulating flavors from the ocean to the green valleys. Try some of the fresh products from this part of Chile, and treat your taste buds like never before!
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Chilean Patagonia - Part 1
▶FULL DOCUMENTARIES |
▶ Spanish video:
The Torres del Paine National Park is located in the Chilean Patagonia, in an area of climatic contrasts that have allowed a great variety of plant and animal species. Located in the middle of the Andean range, the Paine massif lends its name to the National Park. The mountains, with peaks in excess of 3,000 metres, mark a diving line which differentiates two completely different areas.
- To the west of the range, on the Pacific side, moisture-laden winds collide with the slopes and releases their rain, which hardly ever reaches the other face. It is a cold and wet side, characterised by rocks, forests and ice.
- On the east slope, where rain hardly ever falls, large plains extend as far as the Atlantic, the steppe gradually transforming into quasi-desert.
The entire relief of the Patagonian Andean range has a pronounced glacial character.
Thaw waters arriving from the Paine massif irrigate both slopes. There are a multitude of rivers and large glacial lakes are spread throughout the park.
The proximity of the Pacific Ocean and the numerous lakes attract water birds from the Patagonian region, which form into noisy and abundant colonies. Fakland Islands and imperial cormorants, different species of seagulls and a multitude of anátidas feed and breed in the Park´s waters and its surroundings.
The black-necked swan is the largest South American water bird. It spends its entire life in the icy waters of the Andean lakes, feeding on algae, insects and an odd fry or two.
From the Huasco Valley, in Atacama, to Tierra del Fuego, the black-necked swan is to be found throughout the southern cone of America, seeking lakes close to the sea.
They reside year-round in Torres del Paine, they can endure the cold perfectly and the low seasonal variations in the region mean that it is not necessary for them to migrate to other latitudes.
What to do in Chile: Gastronomy South Chile - Open Nature
In Southern Chile, try traditional Mapuche dishes like cazuela, catuto and tortillas de rescoldo. The German tradition adds its own sweet touch to the lake scenery with its one-of-a-kind pastries. Don’t leave Chiloé without trying the curanto, a mix of seafood, meat and potatoes prepared directly in an underground oven.
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Carretera Austral - Ruta 7 in Chile / Patagonia (Documentary)
The Carretera Austral (Ruta 7) in the south of Chile is one of the most adventurous and scenic roads in Patagonia. In this small documentary you get to know about the route, the history and the sights along the way.
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Don't miss out to subscribe as I will hitchhike the complete Carretera Austral from Villa O'Higgins to Puerto Montt in the upcoming episodes. Moreover I will hike from El Chalten to Candelario Mansilla and cross the Lago Bernardo O'Higgins by boat to get to my starting point.
Spots and Sights in this Video:
- Villa O'Higgins
- Candelario Mansilla
- Lago O'Higgins
- Cochrane
- Coyhaique
- Puerto Rio Tranquilla
- Capillas de Marmol (Marble Caves)
- Lago Bertrand
- Lago General Carrera
- Cerro Castillo
- Villa Manihuales
- Puyuhuapi
- La Junta
- Futaleufu
- Chaiten
- Hornopiren
- Puerto Montt
- Lago del Desierto
--- About the Carretera Austral in Patagonie ---
The Road number 7 connects the most remote areas of Chile and is one of the most beautiful roads in South America. It is an alternative road to the Panamericana which is located on the argentinean side of Patagonia.
Amongst Bikers and Cyclists this route is very popular due to the beautiful landscape even though the construction of the road was not done for tourism purpose.
In the 1970s there was a border conflict between Argentina and Chile in this part of Patagonia - the territories around the lago del desierto have not been clearly defined. Therefore Pinochet decided to build a road and populate the south of chile to claim the region and strengthen the position of Chile.
Nowadays the Carretera is a mostly unpaved road and is located in 2 regions of Chile: Region Los Lagos in the northern part of the road and Region Aysen in the south.
Find more info and useful travel guides for Patagonia and South America on my Website:
Map by Wikimedia:
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The Atacama Desert Documentary
The Atacama Desert (Spanish: Desierto de Atacama) is a desert plateau in South America covering a 1000-km (600-mi) strip of land on the Pacific coast, west of the Andes mountains. The Atacama desert is one of the driest places in the world (the driest being the McMurdo Dry Valleys) , as well as the only true desert to receive less precipitation than the polar deserts. According to estimates, the Atacama Desert occupies 105,000 km2 (41,000 sq mi), or 128,000 km2 (49,000 sq mi) if the barren lower slopes of the Andes are included. Most of the desert is composed of stony terrain, salt lakes (salares), sand, and felsic lava that flows towards the Andes.
The desert owes its extreme aridity to a constant temperature inversion due to the cool north-flowing Humboldt ocean current, and to the presence of the strong Pacific anticyclone.[The most arid region of the Atacama desert is situated between two mountain chains (the Andes and the Chilean Coast Range) of sufficient height to prevent moisture advection from either the Pacific or the Atlantic Oceans, a two-sided rain shadow.
Travel Chile - Patagonia, Torres del Paine, The Southern Highway
Discovery TV Channel, Wildlife, wilderness forest, animal planet, animal planet tv, animal planet online, travel and living, travel and tours, travel channel, travel shows, adventure sports, extreme sports.
Travel Chile - Patagonia
Vast, exotic, wild and infinite in its beauty. That’s how Patagonia was described by the explorers who arrived here almost 500 years ago. Little has changed to this day. Come and discover a truly unspoiled wilderness of mountains, fjords, glaciers, forests and steppes.
Travel Chile - Torres del Paine
Have you ever felt completely insignificant in comparison to nature? Well, get ready to feel precisely that way among the turquoise waters, glaciers and towering granite horns of the Torres del Paine National Park. The jaw-dropping landscapes of this eighth wonder of the world are humbling indeed.
Travel Chile - The Southern Highway
This magnificent route is truly one of a kind. Over 1,000 kilometers of natural beauty await you at the southernmost tip of the world. The Carretera Austral (or Southern Highway) captures the hearts of intrepid drivers and cyclists with its pristine landscapes and possibly the freshest air in the world.
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Hiking Torres del Paine Circuit & W in Chile (Patagonia Expedition #08)
Our last destination is the Torres del Paine National Park in Chile where we hike the circuit including the popular W trek in 8 days - here is what happened.
My Guide for Chile & TdP:
Kristins Article:
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Backpack Osprey Farpoint 40
For weeks we prepared physically and mentally for our trekking adventure in the Torres del Paine National Park in Chile. For me it was the second time doing the full circuit trek after I did the circuit back in 2013. The Torres del Paine circuit is also called the „O“ due to the shape of the trail - it also represents the extension of the „W“ trek which is most famous hiking route in Chile.
Before heading into the park we prepared in Puerto Natales where we bought all supplies needed and planned out our trip and route. We took the early bus into the park and left all the stuff we didn’t need for the trek at the Hotel Las Torres where we were supposed to stay after the finish of the trek.
This part of the trip was executed within 8 days and this is what we saw:
- Torres del Paine National Park
- Hotel Las Torres
- Campamento Serón
- Refugio Dickson
- Southern Patagonian Ice Field
- Campamento Los Perros
- Glaciar Los Perros
- Puerto Natales
- Campo Hielo Sur
- Campamento Paso
- Glaciar Grey / Grey Glacier
- Refugio Grey
- Refugio Paine Grande
- Campamento Italiano
- Mirador Britanico & French Valley / Valle Frances
- Refugio Los Cuernos
- Refugio Chileno
- Campamento Torres (CONAF)
- Lago Nordernskjöld
- Base Las Torres
- Valle Ascencio
- Lago Pehoe
- Paso John Gardner
I'm excited to share all our experiences in Patagonia in this video series. In the next episode we will do more tours in Torres del Paine National Park and meet more impressive characters along the way.
The Patagonian Expedition is a 95% self funded video documentary project following my trip in 2012/2013. Our aim is to show you the beauty of the rather unknown parts in Patagonia alongside with the famous spots.
Beside beautiful landscape you can expect loads of information and our personal experiences and struggles along the way.
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The whole trip was executed over the course of 2 months using mostly local transport such as busses, cars and trucks. A big thank you goes to the Hotel Las Torres for supporting this part of the trip:
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Watch: Time Lapse of Huerquehue National Park Gives Glimpse of Chile’s Natural Beauty
SantiagoTimes.com
Watch: Time Lapse of Pucón Huerquehue Gives Glimpse of Chile’s Natural Beauty
By Tom Garmeson / Special to the Santiago Times
There’s only one bus to Huerquehue each morning from Pucón, and it leaves early.
Indeed, most of the usually bustling tourist town was still sleeping off the previous night’s excesses as we pulled out of the terminal; the sun still barely above the horizon. We dozed as the bus trundled along the highway, passing the little farms and squat cottages which dot the Araucanian countryside.
Arriving at the park an hour later, the passengers unloaded and lined up outside the small CONAF cabin to pay the entrance fee. The official on duty inside was a picture of contentedness. He smiled and joked while noting down nationalities, and had the air of a man who had found what he wanted, and didn’t need anything else.
We opted for the “Tres Lagos” (Three Lakes) hike; a five-hour round trip which is one of the easiest routes in the park, but still involves some 500 metres of ascent to reach the end of the trail.
Setting off, we cut through the dense, temperate rainforest along the edge of Lago Tinquilco, whose water matched the deep green of the surrounding trees. The footpath soon opened out into fields of sheep and pigs, and passed through a couple of campsites perched on the shores of the lake. Looking up, thick, grey mist drifted over nearby hills as the trail plunged once again into the forest.
We soon began to climb, and the lush, humid landscape gave way to a sparser, drier climate above. Before long the sun had burned off what remained of the morning fog, and gaps in the trees allowed for brief glimpses of the lake below; now a dazzling blue. Small lizards, sunning themselves on the path, scuttled away as we passed by. We began to see the unmistakable outline of Chile’s national tree; the araucaria, towering over us at a height of up to 40 metres.
At a couple of points the trail winds back on itself, and hikers who stop for a rest at the bend are rewarded with magnificent views of the snow-capped Villarrica volcano in the distance, enveloped by ever-shifting clouds. There are also a few waterfalls along the way which are well worth the slight detour needed to reach them.
The rewards for hours of uphill hiking are the three stunning lakes at the top which give the trail its name. Lago Chico, Lago Verde and Lago Toro all lie at over 1200 metres above sea level, but are separated from each other only by a few minutes walking, and all three are beautiful in their own right.
Surrounded by araucaria forests hung upon dramatic cliff-faces, they are the perfect end to a trail which, for me, ranks among the best that Chile has to offer.
Return bus trip from Pucón to Huerquehue national park: $3.600
National park entrance fee: $3.000 for Chileans, $5.000 for foreigners
santiagotimes.com
STARLIGHT: Deserts of Chile - 4K (UHD)
Ever since I started astrophotography I’ve waited to visit the dark skies of Chile. I took advantage of the total solar eclipse of July 2nd to give me a ‘good excuse’ to go there and shoot astrolapses as well. For a bit more than two weeks, Alyn Wallace and I roamed about some of the driest areas and darkest skies on the planet. This short films tells the tale of an otherworldly experience filled with many challenges and stunning scenery throughout the deserts of the South-American country.
Chile is unlike any other places on our beautiful planet. The climate there is very strange, especially coming from northern Europe. While the southern part of the country is colder and more humid, the northern part offers some of the sunniest and driest places thanks to the Andes blocking most of the clouds. The high plateaus (Altiplano) actually extends for miles from South to North and even in the winter time, the astrophotography possibilities are almost endless and seemingly easy to come by. During our two weeks around La Serena and Atacama, Alyn and I have almost not seen a single cloud or a major gust of wind. Moreover, despite the growing light pollution around the arid plains, the night remains one of the best on Earth. There, the nigh it is quite long (from 6:30PM till 6AM), and the air is thin and pure to allow less scattering and a clearer view on the stars. So theoretically it was possible to shoot every night.
But that’s in theory. In practice, Chile ended up being the most challenging environment to shoot in so far. It’s even more extreme than shooting the northern light by -35 degrees Celsius in Sweden! Even with a good acclimatization at 2500m, the altitude (~4300m sometimes), fatigue, cold (-11 C sometimes), the constant dust lifting off the ground took a serious toll on our health. In turn that prevented us from shooting every night for two weeks. After both falling sick several times, we simply had to give up even though we’re usually quite resistant and resilient. The desert is a serious hostile environment and unfortunately the movie does not show it. That’s without mentioning some of the other challenges we had, like puncturing a tire in the middle of nowhere, breaking my 70-300mm Tamron lens an hour before the eclipse, or almost having a fit at 4800m of altitude.
Fortunately though, the experience of being under such beauty and shooting it was well worth the trip. The film only features 2 sequences of the total solar eclipse, but the photos cannot do the real thing justice, even in an environment that looks like Mars. I tried my best to diversify the shots and compile them into this short to showcase how jaw-dropping the Chilean desert are at night. At the start of the movie, I featured my first ever night hyperlapse, which is quite hard to achieve, even under a full moon (uneven terrain, anchor points hard to find…). From the flowering cacti in front of the milky way galaxy to the turquoise slaty lagoons reflecting the stars, but also the arid but singular salt flats, the deserts of Chile truly are a unique place for nightscapes. I had two main shooting challenges this time though. Firstly the car lights (many tourists coming around the eclipse) which lit up some sequences (I had to remove some frames and some of the sequences got a bit laggy). The second problem was the difference of light between the sky and foreground. Indeed the sky was very bright and the ground very dark in comparison, so I often had to push the ISO to 10K and 12K, or bump up the exposure time, which in turn resulted in less clean sequences. All in all the experience was incredible and I am quite stunned by the results I got. I hope you enjoy this first opus in my new timelapse series ‘STARLIGHT’ dedicated to the darkest places on Earth. All content is copyrighted NightLightsFilms© (except sountrack licensed seperately), and no footage can be used in any way without the author’s permission. Please contact me for media and purchase inquiry. Please share and comment if you liked the video and follow me for more videos like this one! More at nightlightsfilms.com
Cameras: Sony a7s, 2 Canon 6D modded, Sony a7rII
Motion control: Vixen Polarie, Syrp 3 axis systemLenses: Sigma 14mm f1.8, Sigma 20mm f1.4, Sigma 35mm f1.4, Sigma 50mm f1.4, Sigma 85mm f1.4, Samyang 135mm f2, Kenko extender HDPRO x2 (eclispe)
Post-process: Adobe Lightroom, Timelapse+ STUDIO plug-in for Lr, Ps CS6, TDLF, Sequence, FCPX