Earth’s Extremes

By Jenn Gidman
Images by Felipe Prieto

From portraits to macro-style closeups, Felipe Prieto has long put his lineup of Tamron lenses through their paces. The Philly photographer has also been known to try his hand at travel photography, including on two recent trips to Iceland and the Falkland Islands, an archipelago nestled deep in the South Atlantic. “My goal was to capture the wilderness of both regions,” Felipe says.

For both trips, Felipe brought the Tamron 35-150mm F/2-2.8 DI III VXD all-in-one zoom for his mirrorless camera system. “The 35-150mm’s wide range of focal lengths made having this lens a no-brainer for these journeys, allowing me to capture everything from vast landscapes to close-ups of wildlife,” he says.

The 35-150mm’s fast apertures—F2 at the wide-angle end, F2.8 at the telephoto end—allowed Felipe to shoot in the most challenging lighting conditions, and the moisture-resistant construction proved critical. “Those parts of the world are known for their often-extreme weather, and Icelandic weather in December is especially unpredictable,” Felipe says.

Whether he’s shooting long exposures of waterfalls in Iceland, penguin colonies in the Falklands, or portraits back home in Philly, Felipe says his photographic style tends to be simple, organized, and with a focus on the details. “My purpose is to show the world there’s beauty everywhere,” he says. “Travel photography fulfills my need to document different cultures and scenes in various places around the world. It’s cool to see how different we are, culturally speaking, but at the same time how similar we are as humans.”

FELIPE’S QUICK TIPS

Be prepared for adverse weather.
That means researching ahead of time. For example, I knew Iceland would be cold, so I brought an Arctic-level parka, which was great temperature-wise—but I didn’t realize it was rainy season there, and the parka wasn’t waterproof. It’s also why you need to make sure your gear is weather-sealed, as mentioned earlier. Also bring a waterproof container or bag to place your equipment in if the precipitation is heavy.

Knowing beforehand what situation you’re walking into can also help you avoid packing gear that you can’t use. I mostly shoot handheld, but I always carry a tripod with me in case I need it. On the Iceland trip, however, I couldn’t use my tripod that much due to the high winds. Most of Iceland I just resorted to shooting handheld—even the long-exposure shot you see here at the Seljalandsfoss waterfall, where I got soaked taking the picture. As we approached the falls, the scene went dark due to the storm clouds. This is a prime example of when having the low apertures available with the 35-150mm F2-2.8 lens comes in very handy.

35-150mm (35mm), F5, 3.2 sec., ISO 640

Shoot at all times of day.
I embrace the beauty of all kinds of light. Plus, as a travel photographer and filmmaker, I often don’t have much control over the kind of light I’ll be working with, so I’m better off learning how to adapt to any situation.

Of course, the beginning and end of the day still present wonderful photographic opportunities. When I was traveling through the Chilean fjords during my trip to the Falklands, I woke up to see the sunrise and was pleased to witness the magnificent scene you see here—the lighting, size of the mountains, and colors were truly stunning. Meanwhile, for this shot of a field in Iceland in sunset, I was drawn in by the way that warm light was hitting the grass and plants. I got down on the ground and angled the camera so I could show some of that backlit plant life.

35-150mm (150mm), F5, 1/500 sec., ISO 500

35-150mm (35mm), F5.6, 1/200 sec., ISO 400

Pivot for a different perspective.
It was amazing to see Iceland’s majestic Gullfoss Falls in an almost-frozen state. But I also want to remind people that even if you’re got a spectacular scene in front of you, don’t forget to turn around and see what’s behind you, or to the side. After taking some pictures of the waterfall, I did a 180 and spotted this mountain peeking out from behind the clouds. I’m so thankful I had the Tamron 35-150mm F2-2/8 lens so I could zoom in and capture that moment.

35-150mm (35mm), F3.5, 1/250 sec., ISO 640

35-150mm (150mm), F3.5, 1/640 sec., ISO 640

Make your bucket-list items a priority.
Seeing penguins in the wild has always been a dream of mine, and I got the opportunity to see a gentoo penguins colony in the Falklands. I wanted to zoom in on some of the group (mostly) standing at attention. The 35-150mm allowed me to get in close and anchor the shot with that penguin right in the middle. If you’re going to head to destinations you might never get a chance to see again, make sure you get photos you’ve long dreamed about!

35-150mm (150mm), F2.8, 1/8000 sec., ISO 400

To see more of Felipe Prieto’s work, check out his website and Instagram.

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