In Your Eyes – Interview with Robert Sachowski – Chile 2025
3rd November 2025
Tell us a little more about your photography journey. How long have you been taking photos and blogging?
I was given my first camera as a gift in my last year of high school, a Pentax ME. I shot until I graduated from Engineering, then my career got in the way. So I was away from photography for a couple of decades. When I retired, I decided I needed something other than golf to keep me active and learning. So what was it going to be? I looked around, and on my walls were prints of images I took, and on a bookshelf were my old Pentax film cameras, being room decorations. I said to myself, I used to do that and enjoyed it. So off to the camera store I went, and picked up my first digital camera, a Canon 80D. The zoo announced the birth of snow leopard cubs. I thought that would be a good place to figure out how all the dials and buttons worked. The physics of light hadn’t changed, but the technology sure had. It was there that I discovered I enjoyed wildlife, after capturing images of them that showed their personality.
What are you passionate about besides photography? What do you do in your free time?
There are things I like to do, like photography, golf, cooking, technology and a few other things. Living in the centre of Canada and the seasons, somethings we can’t do year round, I do something for a while, then do something else.
What do you enjoy doing in your free time?
I am retired. I golf some in the summer, and photography after the September long weekend, when all the people are back to work and the kids are back in school. I have no real schedule most days, other than tee times in the summer. I do something each day, whatever I am feeling. I am doing things at a pretty relaxed pace now in retirement, the exact opposite of the way I was during my career as an Engineer.
What drew you to visit Chile to photograph the Pumas?
There is a bit of a story. I was on a trip at a fly-in lodge 250 km east of Churchill, Manitoba, for polar bears and wolves. One of the guests told us about just being in Patagonia earlier. I saw some of his images. So when I got home, I did some research and found the Wild Images tour. I live in Canada, where there are pumas (we call them mountain lions/cougars), but good luck seeing them. So when the title came up, Walking with Pumas, that got my attention.
What equipment did you use on our tour?
I brought 2 Canon R5, RF100-50, RF70-200, RF24-105, RF14-35, and an iPhone 15 Pro.
99% of my shots were with the R5 100-500 and my iPhone.
I did carry the second body with the 70-200, but after a few days, I only carried one body when we were on our walks.
What were your first impressions of Chile for photography?
I enjoyed it, how calm and approachable the cats were. I had a couple of objectives which I was going to try to achieve while I was there. Get a small in-frame shot, with mountains in the background. Showing the habitat in which they live. The frosty mornings were a nice element.
What surprised you about your trip there?
I am not sure I was surprised by anything. It was a very well-run trip, the people were great, and the location was great.
What were your frustrations on your trip?
Once I got there, there were no frustrations. Getting there, we live in interesting times. I won’t get into the politics.
Of all the animals you have photographed, do you have a favourite destination you prefer to photograph?
I am very new to travel photography. I started after retiring. And so happened, 4 days before I was to step on a plane to Kenya, the whole world shut down, COVID. So this was my second international trip. I have been up to Churchill a couple of times. I live in Winnipeg, so it was an easy trip, no borders to cross. But I will have to say, during COVID, it was a parking lot, which was a 30-minute walk from where I live. With everything shut down and no people around, a pair of ospreys decided to build a nest on a parking lot light fixture. I got to spend numerous hours and many days with them over the 2 years.
Aside from the photography, what other aspects of the tour did you enjoy?
The people, the food, the ability to hike with the Pumas. Out walking versus riding around in a vehicle. I prefer that.
What have you learned from your tour of Chile?
I enjoy composing a small in-frame shot. That was new for me. I have done lots of tight close-ups and portraits in the past. And I was able to shoot less. With these cameras and frame rates, the number of images the cameras are producing is overwhelming, at least for me.
Do you have any advice for photographers visiting Chile?
Just have fun. Try things you haven’t tried before. Follow your guide’s instructions. Simple hand gestures worked well when I was looking to move away a bit from the group, without disturbing others.
Are there any images that are particularly special to you?
“Above the Cloud” will be a feature print on my wall. All my portraits and some wider shots. I got some nice frosty mornings and backlit shots. The frost adds an element to the image.
Why did you enjoy these images so much?
Above the Cloud: It is small in frame, which was a shot I wanted to do. It showed the habitat, the mountain had snow on it, and the bonus was that there was a cloud over the lake, which was part of it is below where she was sitting. There was no clear blue sky in the background. I find plain, solid colour or completely blown out backgrounds distracting; I look at it and think something is missing. But that is just me.
Would you return to Chile for photography?
Not sure. I am new to travel and travel photography, so there are a number of other places I want to go to, and other animals I would like to photograph and put on my wall.
Want to see more of Robert’s beautiful photos? Links to his website and socials are here:
Personal Website – www.robertsachowski.ca
Instagram – @rsachowski