Chile - Atacamo Desert for annual report

I had been shooting annual report photography for Amec, a worldwide engineering consulting company, for a few years, when this year they asked me if I could shoot for them in South America.....of course I said yes.

I made the trek down to Santiago Chile, where I met up with my guide and compatriot (and interpreter) Juan Carlos Olivares, the Media Relations Director for Amec in South America.  What a great guy, as was everyone I met on the entire trip.  Juan Carlos took great care of me, and was a wizard at getting us to and from the far reaches of Chile.

The first shoot location was at the Franke Mine in the middle of the Atacama Desert; the driest desert in the world.  Some places in the desert do not see rain for 75 years or more!  As you can guess, there is absolutely NO LIFE at all, not even insects.  It is, and looks like, the moon.  Very dusty.

Very dry dusty terrain; epic in it's austerity.

On the road to the Franke Mine in the Atacama Desert

We drove a VERY long way into the middle of NOWHERE.

An overview of the mining area.  Just a LITTLE dusty!

Lining a tailing pond with rubber at Franke Mine, Chile

the head Amec engineer at the mine.

Me, on the moon.  In fact, NASA tested the Mars & Lunar rovers here.  I can see why.

The final shot for the annual report.