Around the World in Analogue: @Grandphilippe's 2300km Road Trip Across Patagonia

Philippe (aka @grandphilippe), a former history and geography teacher, has been dreaming of visiting Patagonia for a long time, “Nature overwhelms you, and you feel the life of the land. I hope my photographs show it.”

Taking his 35 mm and 120 film cameras with him on a 2300km road trip across the region, he spent three weeks coasting through icy dirt roads — capturing sights on celluloid film from Argentina’s widely known RN-40 highway such as Monte Fitz Roy and Perito Moreno Glacier in Los Glaciares National Park.

Favoring the medium format for its unique way of capturing elements within the frame, documenting the majority of his trip in this specific film format was not an option but a necessity for Philippe.

“The lights and colors look more intense, the details are sharper and so the photos end up more expressive in a way."

Although analogue photography played a big part in Philippe's childhood, being an "early sixties’ child born within analogue photography" and having a father who "owned a folding and a 16 mm camera", like many others, he took a break when the digital age arrived. He made his return back into it thanks to his friend @vicuna. Since then, he’s been in it and committed for the long haul.

“Many years later, I got back into the film and analogue photography world thanks to a friend, @vicuna. I adopted this form of photography for good, in a nostalgic way of remembering a lost world, the 20th century.”

Philippe's photographs have a visual language that's greatly influenced by images captured by photojournalists in the field. When you view his pictures, you'll immediately feel as if you’re there in the moment experiencing everything that's happening. His photographs evoke emotions that are true to the subject, landscape, or experience being captured on film.

After departing from Bariloche, Philippe embarked on a 2300km road trip that ultimately led him to the "Land of Fire", also known as Ushuaia. Looking back on the journey, Philippe feels overwhelmed with gratitude towards his friend @gheinz and his wife for inviting him to share those three otherworldly weeks.

“The Land of Fire, Ushuaia was the ultimate goal of this 2300km road trip, departing from Bariloche. What I remember most from our trip to the south: the Road 40 running along the Andes, those beautiful mountains especially around El Chalten, the huge Fitz Roy, the iconic Strait of Magellan, Ushuaia, and the Beagle Channel.

“When you’re in Ushuaia, saying that you’re at the end of the planet isn’t just a saying. You’re standing at the edge of the southern lands, with cold winds coming from the Antarctic reminding you of it.”

He brings his appreciation for analogue processes and old world concepts into his approach to film photography. Building a more deliberate and thoughtful practice starting with the elements he photographs and extending up to the equipment he uses to photograph them.

Touching on the 120’s ability to capture grand landscapes like no other: “Patagonia and the Land of Fire are one of the three destinations I wanted to visit before reaching “old age.” This choice isn’t random. I always had a preference for spaces where nature, even if domesticated, rules the territory.”

When asked what was the most memorable part of the road trip, he shared this about Perito Moreno:

“The most beautiful moment for me was seeing the Perito Moreno, which is an enormous living glacier; katabatic icy winds wouldn’t leave us alone despite our equipment.”

To end the road trip, a final tip from Philippe? Take your time, follow your curiosity, and visit Patagonia in the wintertime. Patagonia flexes her best muscles and shows her best self during the colder seasons.

“Photographing a landscape, a mountain, a river, or a flower takes time - sometimes a lot of time - and that’s where medium format is useful. "Donner du temps au temps" ("giving time to the time") as we say in French.”

Which photo struck you the most? Any more road trip travel stories caught on analogue you'd like to share with the Lomography community?

Thank you to @grandphilippe for sharing his Patagonia road trip with us. View more photographs from his recent trip and other countries he's visited by checking out his LomoHome here.

written by macasaett on 2024-01-16 #places #travel #landscape #medium-format #120 #argentina #road-trip #environment #patagonia