A photograph captures the beauty of a solitary moment and preserves it for a lifetime. With the simple click of a camera,photographic images link individuals living in different parts of the world.

Nature photography is as important now as it ever was. As the Earth’s temperature gets warmer, natural wonders like waterfalls, lakes, and rivers are slowly disappearing. Nature photographers capture shots of landscapes that are threatened by global climate change. If action isn’t taken to stop climate change, some photographs of nature will be the only memory that human kind has of famous bodies of water.

Esteban Cahuimpan is a professional photographer who finds inspiration from the scenery of his beautiful homeland, Patagonia, Argentina. On his hiking and mountain climbing ventures, Cahuimpan snaps photographs of pristine rivers and waterfalls.

The photograph at the top right is entitled Lake Mirror. This lake is nestled in the mountains of Argentina, far from industrialization and deforestation. The serene waters of Lake Mirror are crystal clear.; the glassy surface of the lake reflects the floating clouds in the blue sky above the lake.

In his photo Iguaza Falls, Cahuimpan highlights the dualism of the Argentine experience. “You can have sweetness or bitterness at any time of day here in Argentina”, says Cahuimpan. One can experience both sensations in the metropolitan cities or remote countryside’s of Argentina. In Iguaza Falls, Cahuimpan captures this reality with the vast waterfall in the background, and a spice pot at the forefront of the photograph.

In the photo to the bottom right entitled Lago Nahuel Huapi, Cahuimpan again focuses on the rustic beauty of Patagonia. This pastoral motif is a central theme in his work;. the mountains, lakes, and trees in the picture catch the grandeur of this Argentinean paradise.

Photographers like Cahuimpan work to preserve the cultural richness and diversity of their environment. For artists like Cahuimpan, nature itself is the very essence of their inspiration. It’s as if the muses sing to Cahuimpan from the mountaintops of Argentina, begging him to capture the magnificence of their appearance.  If Cahuimpan wasn’t working to save the images of this paradise, who would?

Global climate change is a threat to humanity and the environment. Life, on all levels, hangs in the balance of the rising temperature of the climate. Will Cahuimpan’s Patagonia retain the beauty that it boasts of now if the world continues to get warmer?

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