Spanning the southernmost reaches of South America, locked between towering massifs and bare coastlines, the wildness of Patagonia has long captured the imagination of photographer Mustafah Abdulaziz. He set off on a road trip across the lower continent, creating a visual diary of his 4,800‑kilometre voyage from Buenos Aires to Tierra del Fuego, at the ends of the Earth.
enRoute What inspired you to take on this assignment?
Mustafah Abdulaziz Being in the documentary world, I’m often working on social and environmental issues. I wanted to photograph something different, to have an experience outside of Berlin, where I live. I was thinking of doing a road trip because I find it’s such a profound way to see the world. I love travelling with people and sharing parts of my life with them, so I asked my mate Darren McDonald – an accomplished fashion photographer in New York – to join me. It was such an incredible experience.
ER What was your approach throughout this assignment?
MA To capture moments as they unfolded. It was about going on a journey to collect and appreciate the things I am given and translate them into a visual language. It was so liberating, being able to go to places and take photographs with no motive other than to enjoy and experience. I wanted to share the magic of being there. I was looking for symbols and evocative tones in everything, photographing the little pieces, the fragments. These moments were the most remarkable and touching to me.