It's a classic view these days. But I am always amazed at how beautiful lago Pehoe is.

I’ve been coming to Torres now for 21 years. It's gone by in a blink. It’s an old friend. In a way, I’ve grown up with it.

I’ve sometimes found I have been in sync with it, other times I’ve felt that its difficult weather and stubbornly wilderness attitude has left me realising it will never be tamed. That I will never be able to capture it when the full force of the dramatic weather has its hold on the landscape. Other times, like in this picture, it’s peaceful and easy to work with.

But there’s always the hint that if you’re not quick enough, you just might miss it as the clouds descend over the mountains and they disappear for the rest of the day.

Because of this knowledge and understanding, it’s forgivable to make a shot that you have made countless times before. In a way, you’re just grateful to get to see it on a good day, when it’s in a good mood.

But one has to wonder: am I producing anything new here? And perhaps the deeper question is: and do I always have to?

In a way, if one wishes to push the boundaries of their own art, then I think there has to be an understanding that not all the work will be equal, and some of it might be more about being in the moment than actually bringing anything new to the table. One cannot always invent. Sometimes we have to take joy in whatever we are given, and to just accept and go with the flow.

Torres del Paine is an old friend. Like all old friends, I think we tend to go into a pattern we’ve been in before. Our dialog is the same. Same old thoughts, same old themes. But in repeating what we’ve discussed before, there comes the understanding in how we may have altered our views a little. Of how we may have changed a little.

My understanding is that there are things about Torres that I am still attracted to, pretty much like I was back in 2003. In other ways I recognise that what I have learned about black tonalities in the vast black deserts of Iceland, I have incorporated into my images in Torres. I am more confident now to use the black volcanic beaches of Torres del paine in my imagery.

In other ways though, I see that Torres del Paine is a more rugged, more ‘traditional’ landscape than some of the most abstract locations I tend to be attracted to. I am reminded that although Torres may be a ‘traditional’ landscape, it can, and does offer up surprises, if you work hard at what you’re doing. It is for this very reason that I understand and know that there is still much more to find here. The limiting factor in doing so, lies within me, and not the landscape.